In a detailed open letter to charter school communities, District Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco addressed concerns about the District’s response, emphasizing the need for unity during the crisis that has left more than 10,000 students and 1,387 employees in evacuation zones.
The discontent centers on the District’s plans to relocate three charter schools whose campuses were severely damaged.
The fire damaged five school campuses in total, including Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, Franklin Elementary (closed in 2020), and three campuses occupied by charter schools: Aveson School of Leaders, Odyssey Charter South, and Pasadena Rosebud Academy.
“We have gone above and beyond to support charter school students in this time of need, including offering food service even though most charter school operators have not signed facilities use agreements or paid the pro rata share rates adopted by PUSD’s Board of Education,” Dr. Blanco wrote in the letter.
The controversy has exposed new fissures in the relationship between the District and its charter schools.
When Aveson School of Leaders requested space at Wilson Middle School, the District declined, explaining that the campus already houses five critical PUSD programs: Rose City High School, a children’s center, the Center for Independent Studies (which is expected to grow following the fire), Twilight Adult Education, and a special education hub and program for adult students.
Some charter operators have pursued alternative commercial spaces, according to the District’s letter.
During a January 17 meeting, these operators requested that the District not disclose their commercial space plans to their communities yet, Blanco said in the open letter.
Meanwhile, at least one charter school raised concerns about proposed co-location arrangements.
Blanco said Rosebud Academy expressed reservations about sharing space with District students at Don Benito Elementary School, which is located near fire-damaged areas.
For Odyssey Charter School-South, the District proposed consolidation with Odyssey North Charter at the Audubon campus, saying this consolidation had been pursued by their executive director even before the fire.
However, some Odyssey parents allege that occupying the former Audubon campus, which sits at the “edge of the Apocalypse” of the burn area, would endanger young students’ physical and mental health.
The District’s defense of its plans came with unusual specificity about its efforts, including details about furniture deliveries and comprehensive air quality monitoring plans.
District officials said that all campuses must pass environmental tests before reopening. The District outlined specific air quality protocols: students will be kept indoors, with special attention provided to students and staff with asthma or breathing issues.
“This is not the time for division or misrepresentation,” Blanco wrote.
“It is a time for collaboration, integrity, and leadership. Together, we must work toward a shared goal: getting every student back in school as quickly as possible to restore a sense of stability and normalcy in their lives.”