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Strength in Numbers
STRENGTH in NUMBERS
How Yuba City was Able to Defend Members’ Livelihoods Against a Proposed Charter School
By Matt Murphy
There are few threats to classified workers greater than charter schools.
Even one charter school in a district can have a sweeping impact on school employees as resources are diverted and spread thinner by their addition – resources that CSEA members know are already a precious commodity.
Charter schools are publicly funded but independently run institutions. They do not have to comply with the same laws as traditional schools, resulting in a lack of transparency and accountability, and are selective in only serving a small segment of a community.
So, when Pacific Charter Institute submitted a petition to establish New Pacific School within the Yuba City Unified School District, Yuba City Labor Relations Representative Rachel Kennedy went to work.
Kennedy led an organizing effort that saw a consistent presence voicing opposition before the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools Board of Trustees. Kennedy and Yuba City Unified Chapter President Mercedes Geraldo attended every board meeting where the charter school was on the agenda. That consistency showed the district that CSEA was attentive to the situation and in support of their initial vote not to approve the charter.
A significant milestone in the process according to Kennedy was when she and Geraldo were able to speak at a Sutter County board meeting and saw their words taken to heart by board members that helped sway their decisions.
“Strength in numbers was a key factor in defending against the appeal.”
- Rachel Kennedy, Labor Relations Representative, Yuba City
One aspect that did make Kennedy’s job more difficult was when the Sutter County board made their initial recommendation not to approve Pacific Charter Insitute’s petition, they did not do so in writing. That made it more difficult to defend against Pacific Charter’s subsequent appeal in Sept. 2022, but having the local community show up in opposition proved to be a difference – despite the charter school bussing in supporters from the Sacramento area.
Through a multi-month approval and appeal process, CSEA and the community were able to show the Board of Trustees not just the harm the school would bring to the district but the many holes in its application.
Pacific Charter Institute’s charter application included numerous errors, including leaving in references to Sacramento which showed it was using the same document it used for other charter applications, listing staff at other New Pacific Schools as those planned for the Yuba City facility, and 33-student class sizes despite touting that the school would feature small class sizes.
“Our strength is in our numbers and will always be the difference when our livelihoods are threatened.”
- Rachel Kennedy, Labor Relations Representative, Yuba City
Kennedy emphasized that strength in numbers was a key factor in defending against the appeal. And not just numbers by themselves but a significant portion of those who attended spoke and were well-informed on talking points and key issues by CSEA.
Though the possibility of a charter school entering a district will always loom, Kennedy and Yuba City have shown that organization and relationships are the building blocks to defending against them.
Our strength is in our numbers and will always be the difference when our livelihoods are threatened.
