LIVERMORE (KRON) — In the East Bay, the Livermore public school district is dealing with a surge in enrollments.
The district says that the majority of those new students are transfers from the Livermore’s two charter schools, which have come under intense scrutiny of late.
Parents said they are worried about the future of the charter schools.
According to the Livermore school district, approximately 500 new students have enrolled in classes this year. The district said that 80 percent of those students have transferred from Livermore’s two charter schools–Livermore Valley Charter School and Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory.
The charter schools, which are run by Tri-Valley Learning Corp., are facing accusations of mismanagement including fiscal mismanagement.
“Definitely concerned, definitely lots of talk, lots of rumors” parent Lara Bauman said.
Bauman has two kids who attend Livermore Valley Charter School.
She said that many parents have pulled their kids out, fearing that the charter’s financial woes could put their kids’ education in jeopardy.
“It will trickle down and affect their education because the teachers will leave,” Bauman said.
Bauman said she likes Livermore Valley Charter, and she has decided to keep her kids enrolled there, for the time being. She’s hoping the school can address its problems and get back on track.
She said she is hoping the school can address its problems and get back on track.
“And hoping that whatever does happen, they can keep the good things that make the charter school really good,” Bauman said.
Meanwhile, the Livermore school district said that it has been able to find space for all of the new students, and because the kids are spread out across all grade levels, class sizes have only increased by one or two students.
At this point, the district does not plan to hire additional teachers, although they said that could happen at the high school level later in the year.