CAPE Receives Grant - Funding will buy state-of-the-art equipment >>>
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We are thrilled to announce the hiring of CAPE’s first teachers just in time to introduce them at tonight’s Community Meeting...
The following message was emailed to the CAPE community on July 2:
Parents, students and families from Los Senderos Open School will recognize this first group of teachers for their years of outstanding work in the classrooms. And even though the summer months are usually a time for teachers to be away from school, these dedicated professionals are already busy working to make the inaugural school year special for the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education.
The teachers are (in alphabetical order): Maryellen Lang, Judith Laurentowski, Heather Liddell, Jill McCrory, Barbara Morse, Kelsey Scheimer and Anna Sorensen. All seven taught at LSOS last year, and 5 of the 7 taught the last 5 years at LSOS and for many years before that at Bedford Open.
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“I am very excited to be working with colleagues and friends who I’ve known for years,” said CAPE Principal Janet Kanongata’a. “These are dedicated professionals who I’ve watched instill a love of learning in our students every day, year after year. Together we will build a unique academy that will educate and nurture the whole child.” |
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Additional teachers will be hired in the coming weeks as CAPE’s enrollment grows. CAPE’s early enrollment period ends Wednesday, July 11. Enrollment applications can be downloaded from CAPE’s website or picked up at the CAPE office from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays (except Wednesday, July 4th, because of the national holiday). All forms must be submitted to the CAPE office by July 11 to be eligible for early enrollment. As per our charter bylaws, in this first year of CAPE only, students from Los Senderos Open School and their siblings will have first priority ONLY IF their applications are submitted by the close of the early enrollment period. Any applications received after July 11 (whether from a LSOS student or other student) will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis with students placed in a class if space is available or on the CAPE waiting list if the grade level is full.
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An opportunity for parents to meet our newly hired staff...
The following message was emailed to the CAPE community on June 28:
We will be having a CAPE meeting at the Ventura County Star Community Room at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 2. This is an opportunity for parents to meet our newly hired staff and ask questions about the upcoming school year. You will have another chance at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, in case you are out of town for the holiday and miss the first meeting. Note: Mrs. K can only attend the first meeting due to a previous commitment.
The Ventura County Star is located at 550 Camarillo Center Drive (new building, behind Camarillo Factory Outlets).
This is just a reminder to get your applications for enrollment in as soon as possible. We are in the process of hiring new teachers and we cannot make offers without knowing what our numbers for enrollment look like.
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Thrilled to announce the hiring of Janet Kanongata'a...
The following message was emailed to the CAPE community on June 27:
We are understandably thrilled to announce the hiring of Janet Kanongata'a as the founding principal for the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education. Mrs. K, as she is affectionately known to so many of us, will start working with us immediately to build Camarillo¹s newest public school!
Mrs. Kanongata¹a comes to CAPE with nearly two decades of experience in Camarillo¹s Open philosophy schools. She joined Bedford Open School as a teacher in 1989 and then later became the school¹s site administrator. When Bedford merged with Los Nogales to become Los Senderos Open in 2002, she was named the school¹s principal, helping the program to flourish and grow to a K-8 school. She is an innovator and inspiration to both teachers and students. We are very fortunate to have her leadership to ensure we give our students the very best education possible.
Mrs. K received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1973 and her Master¹s degree in Administration & Policy Studies in 2002. She and her husband, David, live in Camarillo and have 5 children and 7 grandchildren. Mrs. K will work with CAPE to develop and implement the school¹s Progressive educational model. It will be an enhanced version of an Open philosophy that has educated and motivated students in Camarillo for 30 years, since the founding of Bedford Open in 1976. She will also begin hiring teachers and staff for the upcoming school year.
Please join us in welcoming Mrs. K to CAPE!
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Great news! We are thrilled to announce that our charter has been approved! The following message was emailed to our supporters on June 21:
By unanimous vote, the Board of the Oxnard Union High School District approved the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education application Wednesday night. A full room of CAPE supporters gave the Board a standing ovation in appreciation of the historic vote.
Now the fun work begins. In the next few weeks we will hire a principal and teachers, secure a school site in Camarillo, and fill the school with books, desks and students. Together, we will build Ventura County¹s newest public school. As Margaret Mead said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Congratulations CAPE supporters! Last night we changed the world.
Click here to read the Ventura County Star¹s article about the approval of CAPE¹s charter application.
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The following is a series of messages to counter misinformation on issues and topics related to the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education. Look for more of these messages via email or on this web site.
The Truth About CAPE #5: The Impact on Students
ISSUE #5: PVSD Trustee Sandra Berg said during the May 3 board meeting that CAPE supporters should abandon their plans to open the charter because their children would be negatively impacted if they have to attend three schools with different programs in three years. Would it be less stressful for Los Senderos Open School students to remain in the district?
Answer: No. One of the reasons for the charter is that PVSD trustees have repeatedly disrupted the lives and education of open school students. CAPE supporters want to take control of the program so they can give children the stability and continuity they deserve for the long term, rather than continue to suffer at the whims of trustees and district staff.
Five years ago, trustees uprooted students from Bedford Open School and forced them to merge with the population of a larger neighborhood school to form Los Senderos Open School. After years of adjustments and transition, trustees are now closing Los Senderos.
While the district designated Rancho Rosal as an open magnet, trustees failed to move the students, teachers, administrator, program and middle school intact. Because there was no viable open alternative, the registration process resulted in Los Senderos students being scattered to every school in the district for the 2007-2008 year.
If our students stay in the district's schools, who knows what would happen to them next.
As for next year, trustees are the ones with the power to limit the disruption to these children's lives. They can delay the closure of Los Senderos for a year to ensure that students can move directly to CAPE. They can approve the charter, work with instead of against organizers, and allow CAPE to lease Los Senderos or one of the district's empty campuses for the coming year. If trustees truly care about the well-being of the students, they can start to make decisions that support that goal.
Help us spread the truth about CAPE. Share this information with your friends, family and anyone considering CAPE for their child's education.
The Truth about CAPE #4: Intent of Charter Schools
ISSUE #4: Pleasant Valley School District Trustee Sandy Berg said at a recent Board meeting that she supports charter schools but only for their “intended” purpose of helping students in disadvantaged regions such as inner-city areas. Is that the intention of the state Charter School laws, to help children living only in certain geographic areas or under certain economic conditions?
Answer: Charter schools were established to help ALL students, not just a select few. There are Charter schools throughout the state, from the most impoverished areas to the most affluent. The one common trait they all share is a desire to improve their students’ education through innovative educational programs that are exempt from most bureaucratic regulations.
As then-Gov. Pete Wilson said when he signed the law establishing the first 100 Charter schools in California: “The charter school concept allows parents, teachers, and other interested parties from the community to come together and create innovative schools that improve on the traditional education process. This bill will allow Californians to design schools that are more responsive to the needs of the community, establish alternative teaching methods, give parents a choice, and most importantly, improve pupil learning.”
Despite Mrs. Berg’s misunderstanding of state Charter School laws, it is heartening to hear her express support for Charter schools. In fact, she was one of 5 PVSD trustees who voted unanimously earlier this month to approve the Charter renewal for University Prep School at California State University Channel Islands. UPS serves students from throughout Ventura County and is located next door to the PVSD district headquarters.
Charter schools have a place in any community with parents who value educational choice, including Camarillo.
Help us spread the truth about CAPE. Share this information with your friends, family and anyone considering CAPE for their child’s education.
The Truth about CAPE #3: CAPE vs. Open Magnet School
ISSUE #3: Pleasant Valley School District staff members say the district will provide an alternative for Los Senderos Open School families at Rancho Rosal so there is no reason to start an Open philosophy charter.
Answer: The "open magnet" school that the district is proposing is no alternative.
An Open philosophy program has been successfully growing in Camarillo for over 30 years - first as Bedford, now as Los Senderos, next as CAPE. CAPE will continue to offer an excellent, progressive Open philosophy K-8 program to the hundreds of families in this district and county who want that choice.
The "open magnet" school that the district is proposing is inadequate for numerous reasons. First, Rancho Rosal is a K-5 school, not the K-8 school that Los Senderos would have become in the 2007-2008 school year. CAPE will be the ONLY school in Camarillo to offer both elementary and middle school students the Open program they deserve.
Further, Rancho Rosal is not guaranteed to have any of the educational programs, teachers or administrators that will ensure the continuation of an Open philosophy alternative in Camarillo. At the PVSD board meeting on April 30, assistant superintendent Barbara Davis asked LSOS parents to take "a leap of faith" to the Rancho Rosal Open Magnet School. She described how RROM would be a “blending” of two school communities and that the shape of the RROM program will be determined by the parents who are there and the expectations and programs they desire.
Given that with current enrollment numbers, LSOS students would represent approximately one-fifth of the student body, the chances of the continuation and success of the open school are minimal. After all, if the families at Rancho Rosal were interested in an Open school, they would have been at LSOS already.
Rancho Rosal has worked extremely hard to create its own community and program. The principal and families did not ask for this "Open Magnet" designation or to have their program altered. CAPE will continue a true Open philosophy program, with the teachers and families who have been involved in and committed to this approach in Camarillo for over 30 years.
Help us spread the truth about CAPE. Share this information with your friends, family and anyone considering CAPE for their child’s education.
The Truth about CAPE #2: The Blame Game
ISSUE #2: Some Pleasant Valley School District staff members and trustees claim that the district will be forced to close more schools if CAPE opens. Is that true?
ANSWER: No.
A charter school is not a financial drain on a district. The school receives its revenue directly from the state based on its enrollment and then pays for all of its expenses, including teacher salaries, administration and facilities.
Assistant Superintendent Jan Maez said April 30 that any net loss to the district is largely dependent on whether the charter attracts district teachers on the high or low end of the salary range. She estimated that if 500 district students attend CAPE, the loss could range anywhere from $70,000 and $750,000. That is a huge range. To use such a rough estimate to claim that additional school closures will be necessary is irresponsible.
It’s important to remember that trustees were never forced to close schools in the first place. It was their choice. The district, which is fiscally healthy by all accounts, never considered any alternatives to school closures for increasing teacher compensation. Despite offers of financial assistance from the city of Camarillo and pledges from community members to come up with alternative funding plans, the district refused to consider anything other than closing schools and packing remaining campuses beyond capacity with the use of portables. If trustees decide to close more schools in response to any loss in revenue rather than look at alternatives, that is their choice.
This concept of choice is at the heart of the charter movement. District trustees are free to spend and redirect money as they wish, including wiping out alternative programs in favor of overcrowded neighborhood schools. CAPE’s Governing Board will be able to spend money as it sees fit. It can make a financial commitment to running a kindergarten through eighth-grade school with teachers, parents and a principal supportive of an open, progressive philosophy.
Help us spread the truth about CAPE. Share this information with your friends, family and anyone considering CAPE for their children’s education.
The Truth about CAPE #1: The $500,000 Question
ISSUE #1: Pleasant Valley School Board members Sandy Berg and Patty Lerner have mentioned in recent meetings a $500,000 deficit in CAPE’s proposed budget. Is that correct?
ANSWER: No, it’s not correct. It’s a typo.
There is no shortfall in the CAPE budget and, in fact, district staff has admitted that CAPE will run more cost-efficiently than the school district itself.
The $500K figure comes from a simple typing mistake. The first proposed budget for CAPE was created to show how economically sound the Charter school would run with 470 students. A second proposed budget was produced to show the Charter school could run just as efficiently with 350 students. Unfortunately, while the number of students was reduced from the first proposed budget to the second, the number of teachers was accidentally left unchanged. This has been corrected and was explained to the board when the typo was first discovered. Now that the number of teachers has been changed to accurately reflect the student population, all CAPE budgets are healthy and in the black.
The bigger issue, of course, is that Charter schools – including the proposed CAPE school – can be much more fiscally sound than public school districts. That’s one of the key reasons why Charter schools are created – to spend public money on a public school in a better way. Charter schools don’t have to pay for large, bloated bureaucracies, or indulge in excessive bureaucratic mandates. Charter students can get a better education and Charter teachers can receive a better salary, thanks to the business-like way that Charter schools are run.
Help us spread the truth about CAPE. Share these with your friends, family and anyone considering CAPE for their child’s education.
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