Envision charter's financial woes hit the press

Here's an interesting story on Envision Schools — operator of SFUSD's City Arts & Tech and Metro Arts & Tech — from Hayward, future home of another Envision school.

Envision's Marin School of Arts and Technology only became high-performing this last testing year. Before that it was way below Novato's two high schools (both API and similar schools) — despite getting $800 more per student per year from the district than the other two schools did, as mandated by law favoring charter
schools. Novato put MSAT on notice for its low achievement and its scores soared miraculously this last year.

In addition, note the parent's comment that Envision Schools has "raised amazing amounts of money" — yet is STILL having financial problems — which jibes with the observation of a parent who toured CAT and told me, "They have so much more!" Yet the charter-school folks are always crying about how supposedly underfunded they are.

And one more point, regarding the comment that CAT was "honored as an exemplary charter": This was based on nothing, as CAT had no test scores yet at the time that "honor" was bestowed. Now it does have test scores — a so-so API of 658 (with 800 being excellent) and an API ranking of 4 on a scale of 10. No Similar Schools ranking is listed (which is probably a relief to Envision).

Mixed record dogs schools group
Envision's first charter high excels academically, lags financially
By Katy Murphy, STAFF WRITER
Hayward Daily Review 7/7/06

HAYWARD — Shortly before the Hayward school board agreed to allow Envision Schools to open an arts and technology-focused charter high school in the city, Envision's CEO presented the educational philosophy of his charter organization: rigor, relevance, relationships and results.

Missing from the presentation, however, was any reference to the recent struggles Envision had experienced with the first school it opened, the Marin School of Arts and Technology in Novato.

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Envision Schools, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, has started three public, independently run high schools since 2003, with another to open this fall in Oakland. The Arts and Technology High School of Hayward is set to open in 2007 with ninth- and 10th-grade classes of about 125 students in each grade level.

But this spring, the Novato Unified school board considered closing Envision's first charter school despite its high test scores. The Marin School of Arts and Technology was running a $300,000 deficit and lacked the financial reserves required by its charter, according to reports by the Marin Independent Journal.

A two-year fiscal plan developed by parents and staff bought more time to boost enrollment and improve the school's financial situation.

"I had not been aware of that," said Myrna Truehill, one of the four Hayward school board members who voted last week to approve the Envision charter. While that information wouldn't necessarily have caused her to vote differently, she said, "I certainly would have asked the question: How do we make sure that they don't go belly-up?"

Novato school district officials also raised concerns last summer about Envision's student discipline and special education policies, and the charter organization has since revised its procedures accordingly. According to news accounts, one student had been expelled without a hearing, and some district officials questioned whether
special education students were being assessed properly or receiving the services they needed.

Daniel McLaughlin, Envision's CEO, said he did tell Hayward staff and some board members of the organization's challenges in Novato.

"We were very up front about it," he said.

Envision's two high schools in San Francisco are financially solid, he said, and the Marin School of Arts and Technology will have 30 more students this fall than earlier expected.

While the Novato school has had its financial pitfalls, it ranks a nine out of 10 in the statewide Academic Performance Index rankings, which are based on standardized test scores, and 10 out of 10 when compared with a pool of 99 demographically "similar schools." According to records maintained by the California Department of
Education, 65 percent of the students tested at the school were white; four out of 156 were economically disadvantaged.

Janet Coates, a Marin School of Arts and Technology parent, said she never sensed a crisis, nor did she fear the school would be forced to close. "Envision Schools is a professional organization, and they've raised amazing amounts of money," Coates said. "These are not fly-by-nighters."

A better measure of the organization's success, Coates said, is the fact that her son wanted to go to school every day.

Grant Peterson, president of the Hayward Board of Education, said he was impressed with the environment and the level of classroom instruction that he saw during a visit to Envision's City Arts and Technology High School in San Francisco, which was honored as an exemplary charter by the United States Department of Education.

Peterson said he had been informed by Envision staff about the problems at the Marin School, but that he doubted such issues would crop up in Hayward.

Even if they did, he said, "I guess it's 'Bye-bye, Envision,' which doesn't really hurt the district."

— Caroline