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After almost 20 years in Santa Ana, the Orange County School of the Arts is running into trouble getting its charter renewed.
The Santa Ana Unified School District staff issued a 37-page report detailing concerns with the school's operations, including the school's admissions policies and its funding model, which relies heavily on parent contributions. District staff said those practices may discourage applications from the neighborhood’s disadvantaged students. OCSA challenged district staff's methods and findings.
Still, the SAUSD board voted in December to approve the school's charter renewal petition – with a catch. The school would need to address concerns staff outlined in the report.
It's been a month since that happened and both sides say they still haven’t been able to agree on the conditions for renewal. So now, the school announced it is asking the Orange County Board of Education to authorize their charter instead.
We're continuing to follow and report on this story. If you have any experiences with the school – even if you didn't get in, we'd like to hear from you. You can email reporter Carla Javier or fill out the form below. We'll read everything that's sent in, but nothing will be used without your permission.