A group of parents from Prepa Tec, a charter middle school in Huntington Park, have strongly protested the possible closure of the school at the end of the school year, as the Los Angeles Unified School District Board has recommended against renewing its operating permit.

The parents directly accuse the Board of Trustees of failing them and putting the school at risk of disappearing.

“It all started when we received a message that there was going to be a meeting, as there was a possibility of the school closing. We were shocked when the superintendent announced it,” said Josie Cortez, mother of a 12-year-old girl in seventh grade at Prepa Tec.

She points out that the school goes through the renewal process every five years, and has never had this problem before.

“According to Superintendent Rachel Villalobos, they had four different plans, and she was going to try to that it wouldn't close, but when we asked him questions he just beat around the bush without giving clear answers.”

Renewal

Authorization renewal is a process that every charter school must complete to continue operating; it includes a thorough evaluation by the authorizing body, which includes data review, visits to the center and feedback from the school community.

Academic performance, financial health, and organization are evaluated, including compliance with all regulations and laws.

In the case of Prepa Tec, the renewal application is submitted to the Los Angeles Unified School District's Charter Schools Division, and the final vote is given by the district's Board of Trustees.

A report from the LAUSD Board of Trustees this month states that "it is demonstrably unlikely that the charter school (Prepa Tec) will be able to successfully implement the program established in the renewal application due to significant governance factors."

"Governance is nothing more than the board of trustees, made up of seven people who aren't even parents at Prepa Tec,But they are the ones who make the school's decisions, and according to supervisor Rachel Villalobos, they are her bosses and the ones who give her orders. The problem is that we, the real parents, aren't taken into account, and the board isn't transparent with us,” said Maribel Gonzalez, a mother whose son is in eighth grade at Prepa Tec. She emphasized that while the parents are distressed, both the supervisor and the board seem completely unconcerned and don't seem worried about the school closing. “We, the parents, want that board to disappear and for people to be elected who truly represent us and look out for our interests.” “The board has failed, and the community is suffering,” she added. Concerned Parents Josie Cortez said that Kipp Middle School, a charter school, recently opened across the street from Prepa Tec, and perhaps the board's plan is to send their children there. “We are very concerned about everything that is happening at the school. About a month and a half ago, they removed Xavier Reyes (founder and president of Alta Public Schools, the umbrella organization under which Prepa Tec operates); and there is a lot of turnover in the administrative staff. They come and go.” This mother clarified that they want the school to continue simply because it is very good, and under Reyes' leadership, that was proven. “We are very happy with the Alta Schools program. My son graduated with honors.” I have nothing bad to say, we love how things have been done under Reyes, but when the new supervisor came in, things changed.”

And she added that she helps the children a lot.

“I can only speak highly of it, my daughter gets straight A’s and B’s. We don’t understand why they want to close it.”

Prepa Tec opened in 2003, offers grades six through eight, and currently has around 309 students, mostly Hispanic.

Misinformation and lack of transparency

Maribel Gonzalez said that Rachel Villalobos, the superintendent who replaced Xavier Reyes, hasn’t really told them why they want to close it.

“What we parents have noticed is that she lacks experience and doesn’t seem interested in keeping the school running,” Maribel says.

She affirms that they want the school to continue and for Reyes to return to help them with the School renovation.

“There is no transparency about this renovation process. It’s been about a month and a half since this all started, and most parents don’t know what’s going on.”

Maribel says there will be a meeting at the School District on November 17th to decide whether the school will remain open.

“As parents, we feel we have no voice, that no one supports us,” says Maribel, who is also a volunteer parent at the School Counseling Center.

In early October, Maribel, on behalf of the parents, sent a letter to the Los Angeles County Office of Education requesting an investigation into violations of the Brown Act.

The Ralph M. Brown Act is California's open and transparent meetings law.

Frustration and Sadness

Rebeca Torres, whose 12-year-old son is in seventh grade, admits to feeling sad and frustrated about the possible closure of Prepa Tec.

“It's going to be a huge move for me. My son is a special education student, and I have a therapist who comes to the school to see him. I'm afraid my son will be emotionally affected if I move him to another school,” says Rebecca.

And she asks for the removal of the board of directors and the creation of a clean, since there are rules that have been violated.

“There was a meeting recently and they put the parents in individual rooms, and then they just came back to tell us about the suspension.”

On Thursday, November 13, La Opinion contacted Viviana Matamoros, spokesperson for Prepa Tec, requesting a comment on the parents' complaints, but there has been no response.