ENCINITAS
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Parents and teachers at the troubled TIP Academy pleaded with Encinitas school trustees last night not to shut down their charter school.
The pleas came just two weeks before the Encinitas Union School District board votes Aug. 5 on whether to preserve the school or revoke its charter.
Parents had a lot of convincing to do at last night's public hearing. The district has accused the school's former administrators and board of numerous violations of state law, including financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest, financial improprieties and willful disregard for the state's open-meeting laws.
Most of the accusations had been levied against Mike and Deborah Hazelton, the husband-and-wife team that led the school until recently. A new board has argued that it has made several changes – including removing the Hazeltons – and deserves another chance.
Three weeks ago, Encinitas school trustees nevertheless voted unanimously to issue an “intent to revoke” the school's charter – uniformly expressing outrage at the school's former and current leaders for not doing enough quickly enough to make several reforms.
The trustees didn't speak at last night's meeting, but dozens of parents, teachers, students and others appealed for a reprieve. The school formally proposed that the district either take full control of the school and make it a formal part of the district or give it a one-year reprieve from closing it down while parents move their children to another school.
TIP, or Theory Into Practice Academy, enrolls about 280 students in kindergarten through sixth grade on the campus of Ocean Knoll Elementary School. It features a curriculum designed to differentiate instruction from student to student and offers children accelerated programs akin to those given to gifted students.
In story after story last night, parents spoke about how their children have thrived at the school when other schools failed. Tearful teachers said they would lose a once-in-a-lifetime teaching opportunity.
Richard Boger, a TIP parent, said it would be foolish to close the school because of the misdeeds of its former leaders – especially when the school is so loved by parents and children.
“Mistakes were made . . . (but) if the parents are negligent, you don't kill the child,” he said.
Bruce Lieberman: (760) 476-8205; bruce.lieberman@uniontrib.com
