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GUEST: Marcos Aguilar, Principal of Academia Semillas del Pueblo

The Los Angeles Board of Education voted yesterday to renew the charter of Academia Semillas del Pueblo for another five years. The 5-2 decision came just weeks after district staff had recommended non-renewal to the board on the basis of low test scores. However, in light of recent political pressure and new information, the recommendation was ignored. Gregory McNair, director of LAUSD’s charter office, had initially led the charge against renewal, but reversed his position, saying that Academia’s multilingual instruction needs more than a five year charter to be properly assessed. However, according to the Los Angeles Board of Education, under the conditions of the charter renewal, the school must meet comparable state and national standards for at least three years. The board’s decision came after hundreds of community supporters of the El Serreno School gathered for a march for a better education. The march began on Olvera Street and ended at the LAUSD Board Room where supporters rallied on behalf of charter renewal.

For more information, visit www.dignidad.org, or call 323-225-4549.