Clarification: This story has been updated to provide additional details about a board member’s remarks about where the charter school organization holds its meetings. State education code requires such boards to meet wherever the majority of their students reside.
Voices College-bound Language Academies, a Richmond charter school, is opening its second campus a second building — a move that was approved by the WCCUSD school board despite concerns about its transparency, diversity and governance.
Last week, the WCCUSD board unanimously approved Voices’ request to purchase another building for its transitional kindergarten and kindergarten programs, with the possibility of adding first-grade classrooms. The building, at 2354 Andrade Ave. in Richmond, is roughly a mile away from its current campus at 201 28th St. Voices WCC is a dual immersion English and Spanish K-eight charter school.
Jaime Mata, Voices WCC chief business officer, said the sole reason for the additional site is to provide a more comfortable and accommodating learning environment for students and staff.
“This expansion will not impact the District, as Voices WCC will maintain its current enrollment cap of 504 students, as authorized by its Charter,” Mata wrote in a letter to the school board. “The District will continue to authorize and monitor a single school.”
But the move raised the eyebrows of board trustees, in part, because the purchase of the second location could impact WCCUSD’s revenue if the charter school’s enrollment increases.
California school districts, including WCCUSD, receive about $9,500 per student on average, but this amount can be higher based on the specific needs of the student population. Voices WCC, which can enroll up to 504 students, had 343 students last year, so theoretically now it has more room to accommodate additional pupils. If that happens, the WCCUSD, which has faced significant budget shortfalls in recent years, could stand to lose some state funding.
“While there is a potential fiscal impact due to TK and K enrollment, that concern alone does not warrant denial under ed. code,” said Margarita Romo, WCCUSD business services coordinator. “The educational program is not unsound and demonstrates a strong likelihood of successful implementation.”
Voices charter renewal looms
Romo, however, did note that Voices WCC will return later this year to renew its charter petition, “which will provide another opportunity for the board to review the school’s overall performance and long term plans.”
WCCUSD board trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy said if the charter school doesn’t make notable changes by then, he would vote against the renewal petition. He said the school has violated a number of Brown Act laws (state laws that guarantee the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies), pointing out that agendas for Voices WCC board meetings are not posted online, and meetings are not recorded. He also noted that board meetings have been held in cities such as San Jose or Stockton, making it inaccessible for Richmond residents.
The charter school organization disputed his implication that the location of board meetings violates the Brown Act, pointing out that California Education Code requires charter boards to meet in the county where the majority of students reside.
The charter school also updated its site to list its agendas online, however it does not have a complete list of its minutes or recordings posted (which is required by the state education code).
“That’s a huge concern for me when it comes to governance,” Gonzalez-Hoy said at last week’s meeting. “Your board meetings are also really far away so the only way for community members in this area to (attend) is by doing it online.”
Concerns over diversity and inclusion
In addition to transparency concerns, board trustee Jamela Smith-Folds raised concerns about the school population’s diversity. Of the 343 students enrolled last year, she said there were only three black students, two Asian students, two Filipino students and one white student. The rest of the students were Latino.
Representatives from Voices WCC said those numbers are expected to improve because they are targeting outreach to those underrepresented groups, but there won’t be significant change in the coming year.
“I think sometimes the community hears Spanish and thinks that might not be for me, but half of our kids are English-dominant speakers, which means (this school) is for everybody,” Mata told Richmondside after the meeting. “We’re a very open community and we do have some students from different demographics, and they feel at home.”
He added that multiculturalism is a pillar of the school’s dual-language model: “The more cultures we have, the better — so we can all learn from each other.”
Tatiana Cafaro, who works in Voices WCC’s special education department, said the bilingual model is what makes the school so special.
“(It’s) a space where language, culture and identity are not just accepted but celebrated,” Carafo told the school board. “We are one of the very few bilingual schools in the area, and it’s what makes us essential … families want this kind of learning environment.”
Financial and student retention questions
Board President Leslie Reckler was concerned about Voices’ finances and student retention.
“In 2019-2020 you had 57 grade one students but as you tracked all the way through to 24-25 that same cohort group is now 39, so it seems to me that you are not retaining the students who enter,” Reckler told Mata during the meeting.
Mata attributed the drop to COVID-related declines but said recent data shows retention is improving.
Voices WCC is part of a Bay Area-wide charter network. Its parent organization purchased the new building for $1.8 million and is leasing it to Voices WCC, increasing the school’s lease costs to $170,000 per month. Mata said roughly 70% of that is expected to be reimbursed through the state’s Charter School Facility Grant Program (SB 740), which helps eligible charter schools cover rent.
The new building was purchased before Voices WCC received WCCUSD’s approval, which Reckler criticized at a July school board as well.
Still, WCCUSD’s budget review found no immediate red flags, according to Romo.
Reckler said she expects clearer budgeting information to be available during the school’s upcoming charter renewal and confirmed that the school does not plan to attempt to raise its enrollment cap of 504 students.
Mata told Richmondside that he is “a little nervous” about all the concerns the board raised, but is confident those issues can be resolved by the time Voices WCC comes back for renewal. He also added that the opportunity to move the younger students to the new campus may offer unique opportunities to bring in “furniture and equipment that’s tailored to the younger kids and more to the play-based kind of learning environment.”
About 50 parents, educators, and students attended the meeting to support the expansion.
“Our school is very good. They’ve taught all of us a lot, and they’re very supportive,” said Sophia, a fourth-grader who didn’t give her last name. “I’m very proud of how far they’ve gone … I think it would be a good idea to open another building for our school.”
See our guide to WCCUSD schools to learn more about how the school district is run.
