For those unfamiliar with  education “reform” issues in Sacramento, let me introduce the setting and players:

Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD): A school district made up of  parts of the city of  Sacramento and parts of the county of Sacramento that are not incorporated. Not all of the city is in this district, and not all of the district is city.

Kevin Johnson: The mayor of our city, Sacramento. He is also the fiance of Michelle Rhee. His non-profit, St. Hope, runs two charter schools in SCUSD, PS7 a K-8 and Sacramento High School.

Margaret Fortune: Charter school advocate and founder. She worked on the take over of  Sacramento High for St. Hope.

Margaret Fortune would like to open a number of charters in the Sacramento County area. She is avoiding asking local districts (like mine) that have not always had a fruitful relationship with her or organizations she is associated with, by going to the county office of education with her charter request. You can read about it here.

As the article points out many of the districts, including my own, Sacramento City Unified School District, are asking the county board to turn down the application and direct Ms. Fortune to apply to the affected districts, rather than usurping local control. For those of us who know the history, the application to the county smacks of venue shopping for a pliable agency.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my school board, and Superintendent for wisely asserting the districts position that we have a right to control and monitor public schools (or semi-private ones getting public monies) in our district.