Oakland Charter School expands this summer

Nancy Herrera,
Contributor

After operating K-8 for the past eight years, the Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts, a charter school in downtown Oakland, will expand to enroll high school students in August of this year.

The first class will include 60 total students, including one freshman class and one sophomore class. The new students will be attending this August and it is the first time they will have these sets of students. Charter schools get their funding by all their students attending class every day. For every student that is attending a charter school receives approximately $7,131.

These charter schools are in control of that funding and if a student is absent or does not attend, the school is responsible for recuperating that money. Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts was in number twenty-one compared to the other 63 elementary schools.

Charter schools have been growing in Oakland and the Bay Area. There are a total of fifty-six charter schools in Alameda county but there is a total of thirty-three schools in the city of Oakland. The first school was opened in the year 1993. Charter schools have been growing from there on, and many others will be opening, The charter schools in the Bay Area wanted to focus on these students because they believe that low-income families deserve a good education for their students.

There are about 45,000 students attending charter schools and 50,000 other students are on a waiting list.

While charter schools are expanding and growing, no new public schools are opening. Oakland Unified School district has been working on educating students. New teachers are being hired and are looking for latino/latina students so the students can have diversity and students that do not speak english have communication and more understanding of the material that they are being taught.