The Piru Charter School petitioners feel that education reform is the civil rights issue of our time. A good education is inextricably linked to our rights as American citizens. We are disappointed that Ventura County Board members have not supported our vision of quality school choice. Their denial of our petition is in clear opposition to the intent of the Charter Schools Act and the vision of educational reform recently outlined by the Governor of California and the President of United States. Quality education is a fundamental right and if given a chance charter schools can play an important part in erasing the “achievement gap” that exists in many “low performing” schools including Piru Elementary.

It is fundamentally unfair that Americans’ educational opportunities are so heavily influenced by dysfunctional school districts like Fillmore Unified School District where because of poor leadership and a reluctance to implement educational reform strategies each of their four elementary schools and their only middle school find themselves currently identified as a “low performing” school by the California Department of Education.

The Ventura County Board of Education had an opportunity to support Piru Charter School and make a clear choice to promote educational reform in Ventura County now and for generations to come. Many families and students will be disappointed as they learn that their wishes for quality school choice were ignored. To these parents we suggest you hold the Ventura County School Board members who voted against the charter petition accountable at the polls during the next election. As parents and voters you deserve more than “business as usual” from your elected officials.

Piru Charter School petitioners will appeal this decision to the State Department of Education. The Obama Administration has said it will withhold discretionary federal education dollars from states that block the creation and growth of charter schools. We support President Obama in his efforts to hold officials accountable.

PCS Petitioners