"The governing board of the school district shall grant a charter for the operation of a school under this part if it is satisfied that granting the charter is consistent with sound educational practice and with the interests of the community in which the school is proposing to locate."
-- AB 1505
The North Hills community secured a step towards victory last week when the Cultural Heritage Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the house located at 15526 Plummer Street and built in 1914, be designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM). It is now up to the Los Angeles City Council to give its final approval. Securing this designation plays an essential role in the North Hills Preservation Consortium's vision to restore the house along with creating a museum and open space at this location.
Los Angeles' next Historic-Cultural Monument?
(Image by North Hills Preservation Consortium) Details DMCA
Unfortunately, the Brightstar chain of charter schools continues to ignore the community's vision for the lot. In the same week that the Cultural Heritage Commission made its recommendation, the charter school filed its plans with the city to build a "new 34,755 square foot, 28 classroom public [SIC] charter school" on the same plot of land where the community would like to create a center that would benefit many more North Hills residents than a charter elementary school serving TK-4th grade.
The city council's HCM designation for the house would not prevent the publicly funded private school from proceeding. Brightstar would just have to ensure that the house be protected from further damage. It would not have to maintain public access to the resource.
Of the two competing plans for the property, it is clear which one will directly benefit the community where it is located. The Consortium would give the neighbors, including students in the 25 existing neighborhood schools, access to a new museum and green space. This is especially important in an area that has an average of only "0.5 park acres per 1,000 people" and "is assessed in the 'very high' park need category."
Architectural rendering of the proposed museum and open space project.
(Image by North Hills Preservation Consortium) Details DMCA
The Brightstar plan would waste taxpayer money by building a brand new school facility during a period of declining enrollment. The public would be blocked from accessing the historic monument, which would be used as offices.
Publicly funded schools like Brightstar's Valor Academy Elementary School should be serving the communities where they are located, not ignoring their needs. The LAUSD Board needs to make it clear to Brightstar that it does not support this proposed facility.
You can show your support for the North Hills community by signing their petition on Change.org.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
