Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/25821
‘Parent trigger’ launches firestorm in Compton I n early December, staff and many parents at McKinley Elementary School in Compton were stunned to learn that Parent Revolution, a Los Angeles-based educa- tion group, was claiming to have collected enough signa- tures to invoke the “parent trigger” law and turn the school over to an outside char- ter school operator. In a heav- i ly self-promoted move, Parent Revolution made national headlines by choos- ing McKinley as the first school to test the new law. The parent trigger law was enacted last year under a bill by state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), and was ini- tially proposed as part of a slew of measures intended to help in California’s ultimately unsuccessful bid to win feder- al Race to the Top funding. The law provides that if a ma- jority of parents at a school ranking in the state’s bottom 10 percent sign a petition, they can force the school to enter one of four reform models that follow options under Race to the Top: reconfigure the site as a charter school, bring in new staff, replace the principal, or close the school entirely. On Feb. 9, the State Board of Education moved to delay finalizing regulations govern- ing the parent trigger law until at least March. The delay was in large part due to concerns over what has been taking place in Compton under poor- ly drafted emergency regula- tions adopted last summer by the previous board. CTA has continued to pro- vide support to the Compton Education Association (CEA) and work with various state officials and agencies to make sure both the intent and the letter of the law are fol- lowed. It’s clear the law was never meant to apply to schools already em- bracing reforms and mak- ing gains. Parent Revolution’s Executive Director Ben Austin is a charter school advocate with ties to heavily financed charter and education reform in- terests. Austin, who was recently removed by Gov. Brown from the State Board of Education, has freely admitted to the stealth nature of Parent Revolution’s signature- gathering tactics, saying they were necessary to prevent op- position. “I don’t know who Parent ABOVE: Marie E. Truby, President of Compton Education Association Revolution thinks the ‘opposi- tion’ is,” says CEA President Marie E. Truby. “Informed parents? Teachers? The prob- lem with their secretive cam- paign is parents were never given the full picture or the opportunity to all be together in the same room to discuss the options available to the school. They also weren’t in- formed of the great progress already being made.” And McKinley has been making significant progress. The school is already partici- pating in CTA’s Quality Edu- cation Investment Act (QEIA) and is one of the many schools in that program showing ma- jor gains on state tests and outpacing schools with simi- LEFT: Regina Tyler-Powell teaches at McKinley Elementary School in Compton and wants to work with parents. 30 California Educator | FEBRUARY 2011 lar student demographics. Now, with the parent trigger targeting McKinley, a proven reform is in danger of being scuttled by one with no track record. “We want and need parents to play a major part in the ed- ucation of all students,” says Regina Tyler-Powell, a teacher at McKinley. “Some of our staff is hurt, and others don’t understand the attacks, espe- cially since we are helping our students move in the right di- rection.” CTA opposed the parent trig- ger law, in part because of the many flaws that are becoming apparent though the McKinley example. “Parent empowerment and involvement are key to a child’s success,” says Tyrone Ca- bell, a CTA Board member who represents Compton and the sur- rounding area. “But this law isn’t empowering parents. Instead, it’s become a tool for outsiders to come in and take over on behalf of a charter company.” Cabell notes the issue has become a po- litically charged platform for Photo by Scott Buschman