Split decision announced in the Boyle Heights high school construction derby

Last week The Eastsider reported that both LA Unified and charter school operator Green Dot were each claiming they had just opened the first new public high school in Boyle Heights in 80 years. LA Unified did hold a dedication ceremony in September for the Mendez Learning Center about a month before Green Dot staged a ribbon cutting for the Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School. However, Green Dot said its school had been operating for five years in a temporary site in downtown Los Angeles.

In response, LA Unified spokesperson Shannon Haber modified the district's claim: "We are then the first new LAUSD high shool in 85 years in Boyle Heights," said Haber, who attended the De La Hoya ribbon cutting last week. "We are really proud of it. Both are just phenomenal schools."

LA Unified to hold ground breaking for new Echo Park school

The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to hold a ground breaking ceremony next Monday for a new Echo Park elementary school after overcoming years of opposition and a lawsuit filed by neighborhood groups and residents.

Many residents had opposed the school -its working name is Central Regional Elementary School No. 14 - located southwest of Alvarado Street and Sunset Boulevard because it resulted the demolition of more than 50 homes and apartments at a time when enrollment had dropped sharply at nearby schools. After outlasting residents who had filed a lawsuit, the school district then butted heads with Echo Park Councilman Eric Garcetti over the size of the school and other features of the design. Garcetti eventually backed down but it looks like LA Unified won't even operate the campus when it opens. Under a program adopted earlier this year, charter school and other private groups will get a chance to run the new Echo Park school and other campuses being built by the district.

Construction on the new Echo Park school begins as a charter school has leased empty classrooms at nearby Logan Street Elementary School and Belmont High School will add middle school grades to take advantage of unused space.

The Eastsider has contacted the district to find out when the school will be open and if a final name has been selected.

Will the first new high school in Boyle Heights in 80 years please stand up?

Boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya on Thursday helped cut a giant red ribbon at the grand opening of the Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School, which officials described as the first public high school to be built in Boyle Heights in 80 years. Wait a minute. In September, Los Angeles Unified held a ribbon cutting ceremony for what it called Boyle Height's first new high school in 80 years: the Mendez Learning Center.

After calling the public relations firm handling the Hoya Charter school grand opening, The Eastsider was referred to a press release that says the school has operated in a temporary facility for five years. However, that temporary facility is an office building in downtown Los Angeles - not Boyle Heights. The Eastsider is now awaiting word from LA Unified to see if they will be happy claiming they build the second newest public high school in Boyle Heights in 80 years.

Top left photo by Curbed LA;Top right photo by The Eastsider

El Sereno students and residents remember a faithful friend

The building of a parking lot usually is not normally cause for celebration. But the completion of a landscaped lot behind tiny Farmdale Elementary school in El Sereno last year was the result of a lengthy community effort to transform what was often a dusty and sometimes muddy lot into a more useful and attractive piece of property. One of the key players in the transformation of that lot was El Sereno resident Robert F. Saunders. School employees remember Saunders as one of Farmdale's most active volunteers and a constant presence on the Eastern Avenue campus. But, last year, following the completion of the parking lot, Saunders passed away unexpectedly, according to school employees.

Earlier this month, Farmdale staff and students, which include one of Saunders' grandchildren, as well as residents honored his contributions by naming the parking lot in his memory: The Robert F. Saunders Parking Grove. Councilman Jose Huizar, who helped secure funding to build the lot, praised Saunders during the dedication of a plaque mounted on a large stone:

"Mr. Saunders, who passed away in 2008, was absolutely instrumental in working with me to pave over a dirt parking lot shared by families of Farmdale students and children who play sports at the adjacent El Sereno Park ... Robert Saunders is proof that one person really can make a difference and we all owe a debt of gratitude to him for never giving up on a dream. "

Bottom photo from Council District 14

Schools hold fall fundraisers and open houses this weekend

This weekend will see schools in Eagle Rock, Glassell Park and Highland Park holding special events for the public:

* On Saturday, Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts shows off its new Glassell Park school site (pictured above), which will be transformed into Halloween Town. Visitors can come in costume (best to leave that Playboy Bunny suit at home) to explore the building and take advantage of free arts & crafts, games, petting zoo and live folk music.

* Meanwhile, in Highland Park, Good Shepard Lutheran School will hold a Harvest Festival on Saturday featuring pumpkin painting, bake sale, games, prizes and, of course, a haunted house.

* On Sunday, Renaissance Arts Academy, an Eagle Rock charter school, invites residents to visit the Colorado Boulevard school and meet with the staff during the Second Annual Reception and Awards Ceremony, which this year honors resident Carl Matthes.

You better learn some economics before opening a charter school

It seems charter schools are popping up everywhere, leasing space in office parks and sharing classrooms with existing LA Unified schools. Charters will even get a chance to operate dozens of new schools the Los Angeles school district plans to complete in the coming years. But if you are considering getting into the charter school business, prepare yourself for a long and costly challenge. That's what the parents and educators behind the proposed El Rio Charter School have learned as they plan to open a school somewhere in Northeast LA.

Vivian Johnson have banded together to open a Waldorf "inspired" charter school by 2012. Their inspiration is Ocean Charter, a Mar Vista school modeled on the Waldorf style.

"The Waldorf-inspired approach to educating children is practiced in a worldwide network of public and independent Waldorf schools," Johnson said via email. "The comprehensive curriculum incorporates art, music and storytelling, emphasizing the use of the imagination to encourage critical thinking and develop exceptional writing, verbal and problem-solving skills."

No location has been selected but Johnson said the goal is open a K-8 school that will eventually enroll 460 students. But before the El Rio supporters have any chance to opening their Waldorf school they must raise $250,000 in private and state funds, said Johnson. That's way more than the $283 in donations collected at the group's first public meeting in August.

"One of the challenges we are presently in is raising the necessary seed money to get the charter and start the school," Johnson said. "The founders are a grassroots team, not professionals, and we're learning as we go. We're doing our best to get the word out about the school to the Northeast Los Angeles community."

But the founders of El Rio won't be able to relax once and if the school opens. "We will need to continue to fund raise year after year to keep the school up and running," said Johnson.

If you are up for the challenge, Johnson and the El Rio founders are holding a meeting about their school on Saturday afternoon at the Audubon Center in Montecito Heights.

Why a shot in the arm will inject some money into Mt. Washington Elementary

It looks like the PTA at Mt. Washington Elementary has found a way to turn fear of the flu into a fundraiser. The group has teamed up with a private firm to sell flu vaccinations at the school. The school gets $1 for every $25 flu shot administered on Tuesday, Oct. 27. But the PTA needs at least 70 people signed up for shots by this Monday to bring the clinic to the school, said parents Natasha Stanton Kathryn McGuire. So, roll up your sleeve for a good cause.

Photo alvi2047/flickr