Editorial: Progress dictates renewing Sac High's charter

The Sacramento City Unified School Board faces an important decision: Whether to renew the charter school established at Sacramento High School.

When the board closed Sacramento High School in 2002, Sac High was one of 24 failing California high schools. The board reopened it as a charter school in September 2003.

The board should make its decision based on facts and common sense, not narrow political agendas. The board and community should examine the school's academic progress – and the district's performance in helping or hindering Sac High's success.

Though charter school opponents have won seats on the board, Sac High has met state requirements and should gain a five-year renewal. While this school of predominantly low-income, minority students is not yet where it wants to be academically, it has made progress. State data tell the story:

• The Academic Performance Index in the last year of the old Sacramento High School was 568 on a scale of 200 to 1,000. In the first year of the new charter it was 576; last year was 631, a 65-point gain. The school wants to get above the statewide performance target of 800.

• On the state's required exit exam, the old Sacramento High in its last year had 63 percent of students pass English and 50 percent pass math. Last year, the charter school had 71 percent pass English and 67 percent pass math.

• On the 2007 California Standards Tests, African American students at the charter school did better than the district average in English by 11 percent. English learners did better in English by 25 percent.

• At the old Sac High, 20 percent of students were accepted to a 4-year college. In the charter school's first graduating class of 2007, 70 percent were accepted to a 4-year college.

On one key issue, Sac High has had difficulties: enrollment. When Sac High closed in June 2003, it had 1,794 students. Last year, the charter school had 1,147 students. It would like to have 2,000.

But Sac High is not the only high school facing declining enrollment. Hiram Johnson High School went from 2,726 students in 2002-2003 to 1,925 students last year.

Sac High faces a unique obstacle. The school district has shut out Sac High from key parts of the recruiting pipeline. For example, Sac High got word from Sam Brannan Middle School last week that it would not be allowed to recruit students at the High School Fair. The district has denied Sac High access to the names of the district's 7th and 8th graders and to the January "Open Enrollment" lottery in the district's schools.

That obviously undermines Sac High's efforts. And the board is considering undermining Sac High in another way.

Though high school enrollment in Sacramento is flat or declining, the board wants to open a new, 500-student high school within two miles of the old Sacramento High School boundary – without a serious assessment of whether it is needed or wanted. In a blatantly political move, the board is considering "co-locating" this proposed new school at Sac High.

On Dec. 6, the board should delay a decision on the proposed new high school. On Dec. 20 it should renew the Sac High charter. The school has earned the right to continue.