California charter school officials say close to ten new charters may open their doors in San Diego later this year. Educators say parents are responsible for fueling the local charter boom. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
The San Diego Unified School District would have close to 50 charter schools if the new campuses open. It’s now one of the top three school districts in California to have so many. Charter schools are public schools, but administrators have control of the curriculum and budget. Caprice Young is president of the state's Charter School Association. She says more charters are popping up because parents are tired of placing their kids on waiting lists.
Young: They band together and create more schools, or they band together and put the pressure on charter school leaders so that they have places for their kids to go to school. And I think that's what's driving a lot of the growth. It’s simply parent demand.
But Young says district officials don't always support or make room for prospective charters. In fact, San Diego School Superintendent Carl Cohn is currently finding ways to let other organizations to run charters such as universities. Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
