MAGNOLIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS WINS RENEWAL FOR HIGH-PERFORMING RESEDA SCHOOL
Citing academic excellence, L.A. County Board of Education voted to become the school’s new authorizer.
Jan. 24, 2018 Contact: Molly O’Brien
Larson
Communications
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MAGNOLIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS WINS
RENEWAL FOR HIGH-PERFORMING RESEDA SCHOOL
Citing academic
excellence, L.A. County Board of Education voted to become the school’s new
authorizer.
Los
Angeles – The Los Angeles County Board of Education voted 5-1
Tuesday to renew the high-performing Magnolia Science Academy-5’s (MSA-5) charter petition on appeal,
citing its strong academic performance. The Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD) had denied the school’s renewal petition in November 2017. As the County
board renewed the charter for the 6-12 grade school for five years, dozens of
supporters erupted in cheers. The school is part of the high-performing
Magnolia network of 10 public charter schools in Southern California that
emphasizes science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
Last year, U.S. News & World Report named MSA-5 the 14th
highest-performing high school in California—making it the top charter high
school in LA Unified. The school ranked 14th among all Los
Angeles high schools in its UC acceptance rate, with 30 percent of its seniors
accepted to UC schools.
“LACOE
has shown itself to be a strong and thoughtful partner interested in what
matters most: student learning. They are fully supporting schools that do
whatever it takes to provide students with the best public education in their
communities,” said Magnolia CEO Caprice Young. “We push ourselves to
continuously improve with the goal of high achievement for all our students,
but we do appreciate the board members and LACOE staff who recognized our
strong outcomes in academics as well as the soundness of our educational program
and operations.”
MSA-5
is the fourth out of Magnolia’s eight Los Angeles schools to be authorized by
the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). Magnolia Science Academies
1, 2 and 3, located in Reseda, Van Nuys and Carson, were also renewed on appeal
by LACOE in December 2016. The LAUSD board had denied those charters’ renewal
petitions in October 2016 despite evidence of academic achievement and college
acceptance rates that surpassed that of neighboring schools.
MSA-5 has a particularly large population of students with special
needs—21 percent of its student body—far surpassing the special education populations
of neighboring public schools. The school also academically outperforms those
neighboring schools. It has met the need of families with students who require additional
and often intensive supports and who are in desperate need of strong programs
that cater to students’ individual needs.
“The Magnolia team has always been compelled to do whatever is
necessary to provide every single student with a high-quality public education
that creates scientific thinkers who contribute to their communities. We’re deeply
grateful to LACOE for partnering with us in that mission,” said Magnolia Board President
Saken Sherkhanov. “Every single child, regardless of their circumstances,
should be able to graduate from high school prepared to thrive in college and go
on to fulfilling careers.”
At the request of the L.A. County Board of Education during its December
2016 meeting, Magnolia’s Board of Directors filled two vacancies in 2017 with
members of communities served by their schools, including the parent of a
Magnolia student.
About Magnolia
Public Schools
Magnolia
Public Schools is a high-performing network of 10 public charter schools in Los
Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties that provides a college preparatory
educational program emphasizing science, technology, engineering, arts and math
(STEAM). Magnolia’s mission is to prepare students to succeed in college through
a rigorous academic program while reinforcing core values through character
development classes that cultivate respect for self and others. Magnolia’s
vision is to create scientific thinkers who contribute to the global community
as socially responsible and educated members of society. www.magnoliapublicschools.org
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