District Administration - October 2012 - (Page 36)

DistrictProfile OrO Grande (Calif.) SChOOl diStriCt By Ericka Mellon The Oro Grande (Calif.) School District has grown dramatically thanks to creative charter schools. Enrollment Explosion hen Joseph Andreasen joined the rural Oro Grande School District in 2006 as assistant superintendent, he was one of seven employees. The one-elementary-school district was short on students and therefore on cash, because state funding is based largely on enrollment. Since then, however, the southern California school system, located about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, has exploded. The staff numbers more than 250, enrollment has skyrocketed from roughly 110 students to more than 3,700, and the budget has stabilized, with $12 million in savings and reserves to pay off debt. To grow enrollment and steady the finances, Andreasen oversaw the creation of two in-district charter schools that offer different instructional models meant to attract and retain students. “People are looking for a choice,” says Andreasen, who was promoted to superintendent in late 2010. “That’s really what charters are—a choice for parents and students.” Charter Schools to Rescue Andreasen says that his predecessor, former superintendent Kim Moore, recruited him specifically to start the charter schools because Andreasen had served previously as director of curriculum for the California Charter Academy (which has since closed) and on the board of Excelsior Education Center, a charter in nearby Victorville. When Andreasen arrived on the job in Oro Grande, the district operated a single elementary school. Junior high and high school students traveled about five miles away to the Victor Valley Union High School District in Victorville. Though they were not far away, the schools were W Students at Riverside Preparatory School learned about ancient Mesopotamia through the Ziggurat Project, which infused math skills to calculate and plan the building in the middle school field. The lesson helped them understand how the massive structures were constructed. large, with enrollments of 1,600 and 3,500, respectively. The Oro Grande students were used to a small setting; they struggled in the Victor Valley schools and became lost in the crowd, Andreasen says. Oro Grande district leaders wanted to ORO GRande (Calif.) SChOOl diStRiCt Students: 3,744 Schools: 3; Oro Grande Elementary (K6), Riverside Preparatory School (K12), Mojave River Academy (K12) Teachers: 164 Students receiving free or reducedpriced lunches: 78% Per-pupil expenditure: $5,600 Budget: $12 million Web site: orogrande.net change that. To expand Oro Grande to grade 12, the district, under California law, would have had to place a measure on the ballot and win voter approval—a risky venture that would have cost the cash-strapped district $20,000, according to Andreasen. Instead, Moore charged Andreasen with creating the charter schools, a move that didn’t require a public referendum. One of the charters, Riverside Preparatory School, now caters to students in elementary through high school with a college-prep curriculum, a longer school day, project-based learning, and a no-homework policy. The other charter, Mojave River Academy, offers at-risk students—including teen moms and those who have been expelled from other districts—the option of mostly doing their work from home. The charter schools have proven so popular with parents and students that some choose to leave their neighborhood districts and District Administration 36 October 2012 http://www.orogrande.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2012

District Administration - October 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Facilities
The Democrats and Republicans’ National Education Platforms
District Profile
Administrator Profile
The Challenge of Assessing Project-Based Learning
Why Teaching Civic Engagement Is Essential
Superintendents’ Frustration Grows, but Intangible Rewards Remain High
Not Your Grandparents’ Vocational School
CIO News
Keeping Pace with Technology Innovation
Managing BYOD Effectively
New Products
Noteworthy Books
Professional Opinion
Professional Opinion
Problem Solution
Going Mobile

District Administration - October 2012