Cal Prep members advocate for charter renewal

Principal Tatiana Lim from Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy at the school board meeting on October 16th, 2019. Photo by Davíd Rodríguez.

Faculty, students, and parents from Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) urged the Board of Education to renew the school’s charter at this week’s meeting of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) at Lovonya DeJean Middle School. Cal Prep is a public charter and early college secondary school in Richmond. During…

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Student canvassers helped elect charter friendly school board

An SFER AN student fellow organizes a stack of campaign material for Miriam Stephanie Sequeira. Photo by Marian Davidson.

SFER AN and its parent organization, Students for Education Reform (SFER), present themselves as student-run, grassroots groups that advocate for change and improvement in local public education systems. But leaders in both organizations have charter school connections that appear to influence the groups’ activities, from educating eligible voters to endorsing candidates.

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Three Cheers for the Kids and Our Money

Richmond Confidential reporter Abner Hauge meets with education philanthropist Steve Chamberlin. Written and illustrated by Abner Hauge.

A comics-format examination of the power dynamics of Education Matters–a West Contra Costa County nonprofit funded by a local philanthropist–and its ability to influence school board elections and bring in charter schools.

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