Pasadena Unified Blocks Students From Attending Arts School

Many of the students affected by this decision have never attended a PUSD school. It is unclear what PUSD believes they have to gain from denying releases to children who don’t attend their schools. – Courtesy photo / California School of the Arts

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) has rejected inter-district permit requests and the resulting appeals from at least 17 middle school students who have been planning to attend California School of the Arts (CS Arts) when it opens in Duarte this fall. CS Arts is the sister school to Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), a distinguished charter school in Santa Ana that is currently ranked second in the state of California and sixth in the country (rankings by Niche.com). CS Arts will follow in OCSA’s footsteps by offering an unparalleled arts program alongside rigorous academics. For OCSA, this program has led to a 99 percent acceptance rate at colleges and universities worldwide. CS Arts is already working hard to deliver similar results. Parents and students alike are thrilled to have an arts school of this caliber coming to the San Gabriel Valley.

Students are coming from every corner of the San Gabriel Valley and beyond to attend CS Arts, but nearly all the students whose requests and subsequent appeals have been denied come from areas serviced by PUSD (Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre). This is frustrating news to families who are caught up in the dilemma. Students in other parts of the San Gabriel Valley have had no trouble getting transfers at their district offices, while PUSD has denied every single request. Gina Cloer explains “It is apparent that most of the districts in the area understand the value of attending a school like CS Arts and welcome this tremendous opportunity.” Parents are hopeful that PUSD will change their stance and make what’s best for the students their priority.

Since filing the permit requests, parents say PUSD has begun a hard sell of their Arts Magnet middle school, Eliot Arts Magnet Academy. Parents agree Eliot doesn’t offer a program that is comparable on any level, in any discipline, to what will be offered at CS Arts. “We’ve toured Eliot,” said Katie Safford “It’s not operating at the high standard that CS Arts has planned.” Eliot is open to all students who reside in that part of the PUSD district, while CS Arts has hand-picked incoming students to fill limited spaces in ten different conservatories including Production & Design, Creative Writing, and Classical Voice, just to name a few. Eliot offers 222 minutes of arts electives each week. A student is given no guarantee as to the availability of electives in a specific discipline, and there are limited class offerings in each discipline. CS Arts offers in-depth courses with 325 minutes of instruction in a student’s chosen field of study each week. An Instrumental Music student will take Music Theory, Chamber Music, and Orchestra classes in their first year. Cori Marshall-Pelayo saw “Disney High School Musical Jr.” at Eliot in May shortly after seeing “The Diviners’” in April at OCSA, CS Arts partner school in Orange County. “Frankly, there is no comparing what they are doing at Eliot with the standards they have set for OCSA and CS Arts.” she said. The academics also appear to be no match. The proficiency scores at Eliot are troubling with reading proficiency at only 16 percent and math coming in at 12 percent. While we don’t know exactly what the future holds for CS Arts academics, Duarte Unified School District (DUSD) schools and OCSA report proficiencies that are three to six times higher so it’s safe to assume students will be better off at CS Arts.

Students who were offered a spot at CS Arts had to invest time, energy, and their hearts to get through the application process that includes: a 500-word essay, presentations of art portfolios or original writings, and performance auditions of monologues, songs, and dances. “My son worked so hard to be accepted as an incoming eighth grader and was thrilled when he got the news he was accepted into the Musical Theater Program.” Wayne Geringer explained. “I know it will be significantly more competitive if he has to reapply next year when there will be very few openings at the same time as so many kids are looking for a good high school.” While Eliot ends after grade eight, CS Arts offers backwards-mapped arts and academic education through 12th grade. Students will complete more than 150 units of arts and music classes beyond the mandated graduation requirements. A school like CS Arts will provide a substantial advantage for highly creative students when applying to colleges and universities that no PUSD high school can match.

CS Arts will serve students in grades seven through 12. Because the charter will be working in conjunction with DUSD, seventh and eighth grade students are required to get an inter-district permit from their district of residence, regardless of whether or not the student is actually enrolled in a public school in that district. In fact, many of the students affected by PUSD’s decision have never attended a PUSD school. It is unclear what PUSD believes they have to gain from denying releases to children who don’t attend their schools. Kirstin Davis was surprised by the outcome and thought getting the permit was just a formality. Her daughter has always been enrolled in a private school and will stay there if PUSD blocks her from joining the Instrumental Music Conservatory at CS Arts. “A PUSD Board Member told a friend of mine the decision is financial, but PUSD won’t be losing anything if they let my daughter go.” PUSD doesn’t receive any income for students who aren’t enrolled in one of their schools, regardless of where the student resides. Great Schools reports that 30 percent of families in the area serviced by PUSD opt for private schools, which is more than triple the statewide average.

Parents are hopeful that PUSD will come to their senses, but they are preparing for battle in the event that doesn’t happen soon. A group of concerned parents have been meeting and communicating regularly since PUSD denied the initial requests in May. Plans are underway to retain an attorney who specializes in these matters before the next stage of the appeal process, in which they will appeal to a District Review Panel. The scheduling of the in–person appeals comes at an unfortunate time for any family with summer travel plans, but parents are especially frustrated that PUSD didn’t offer them the opportunity to apply for the permit earlier in the year. At this point, families are scrambling to deal with a major hiccup so close to the opening of the 2017-18 school year when the options for a back-up school plan have become extremely limited.

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