Officials deadlock over approval of Hebrew school in Santa Clarita Valley

A proposal to open the first Hebrew-language charter school in the state was dealt a major blow Wednesday when school trustees in the Santa Clarita Valley deadlocked over the project’s approval.

Two members of the governing board of the William S. Hart Union High School District voted against allowing the school, while two voted in favor of the institution. A fifth board member abstained from voting.

The proposed Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences is being touted by organizers as an institution where the Hebrew language would be a key component of the curriculum, but other languages such as Latin, Greek and Arabic would also be taught. Students would pursue a rigorous college preparatory program.

But school board members raised several concerns, including whether the school would be a religious institution, targeting Jewish students,  and violate the separation of church and state. Questions were also raised over whether the appropriate number of petition signatures  were acquired; whether efforts would be made to ensure ethnic diversity; and whether special needs students would be given sufficient support to cope with the intense language-learning requirements.

“We have no objection to the concept of the academy,” said school board member Steven M. Sturgeon, who moved to deny the petition for the Hebrew language charter school Wednesday. “The question is whether or not it meets the obligation of a public charter, and the district has said no.”

Hart School District Supt. Jaime Castellanos told the board members there was “enough doubt” not to approve the school.

Leaders of the proposed school said they had gone out of their way to address the board’s concerns, working late into the night to revise the charter. They insisted that the school would be open to children of all faiths, and would have no basis in religion or ties to a synagogue. They were disheartened that board members were not fully persuaded.

“It’s a mixture of confusion, frustration and disappointment,” said Rabbi Mark Blazer of the Newhall-based Temple Beth Ami, who is leading the effort. “Our goal was to provide something special for our district. The district had the opportunity to work in partnership with us.”

That opportunity would now go Los Angeles County, Blazer said. He planned to appeal to the county’s Board of Supervisors for approval of the school.
 
Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Mike Antonovich had sent letters to the Hart school board, confirming their support for the school.

“(It) will offer the type of interdisciplinary educational experience, especially in the language arts, that will afford students the ability to broaden their world views and understanding of a multitude of cultures,” Yaroslavsky wrote.

If approved, the school would open with 225 students in grades 7 through 9, adding 75 students each year until reaching full capacity at 450. The student body would ultimately expand to include the 12th grade.

Leaders of the school said they had received more than 350 requests for information and said a public lottery would be held to select enrollees.

--Ann M. Simmons

Comments

[davidozone]

Gee,and all this time I thought their was supposed to be a seperation of Church and State?Obviously we have a double standard here.

[Drivelphobe]

Why is Hebrew even offered in a USA public school? It seems Spanish, Latin and French meet the demands of education. This is purely a religiously based interest and a direct conflict with separation of church and state. Who speaks Hebrew other than Jews? What's next, every language under the sun?

[xenatorres]

Are you kidding me? Obviously, the self proclaimed racist on their city council isn't alone...now they are not only racist against immigrants, but also the Jewish faith...which has been obvious for years. How many Jewish deli's are there in Santa Clarita? That sad excuse of Danny's Deli or whatever it's called now doesn't count. Santa Clarita should take a cue from Woodland Hills, Calabasas, and Agoura Hills areas and encourage as much Jewish culture as possible, they are a wonderful and welcome addition to any community.

[Jack]

xenatorres is right....almost. Many in Santa Clarita are against ILLEGAL immigrants. Get it right please.

Against the Jewish faith in a school funded by tax dollars? Right again. I find it funny the Jews are the ones calling this a religious issue the loudest. I guess you skipped over the state required signatures part. You must of also skipped over the diversity part. Since you don't want to serve special needs students you will never read that part.

Wow ---- A Santa Clarita without illegal immigrants and Jews. What's to miss!

[Evangeline Shaw]

Thank you to Rabbi Blazer, as the only Santa Clarita Valley clergyman, who visited my not-Jewish mother when she was critically injured and a patient at Holy Cross Hospital.

The foreign languages our government needs its employees to learn, for national security purposes, are NOT Spanish, French, German and Latin.

For those who do not know, Hebrew and Arabic are very similar in linguistic structure.

Perhaps with a little revision, to make this an academy teaching "languages needed for national security" like Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Persian (Farsi) and the other languages of people whose main goal in life is to kill Americans, this academy might be better received.

I absolutely guarantee that the William S. Hart High School District is NOT going to turn out many fluent "national security language speakers" in any given graduating class.

[Mik]

Jack, Jack, Jack, I guess history hasn't taught any lessons. Throughout the ages any locality that got rid of their Jewish population went into a major decline. I guess some people just never learn...

[ferenc]

this school is a wonderful idea, for a PRIVATE SCHOOL. i wouldn't mind if my grandkids learned hebrew or arabic, they already know spanish. the state of ca should look into operating language schools, like they do in europe and asia, but not involving religious orders on the public dole.

[nanaofone]

Maybe they should have said they would only educate gay children that wanted to learn Hebrew.

[Annabeth713]

I will probably be a student at AEA next fall, and personally I think the school is a great idea. I really like doing things that other kids might not, so learning languages other then just Spanish is a big plus for me. I also like the electives offered; they seem to offer many opportunities that may get students interested in different careers. I also like the focus on the humanities--I'm really into Greek Mythology so learning Greek will be really exciting for me--I'm sure we'll go over the myths in a Greek class. I think this a refreshing change from the other schools in this district that quite frankly have no characteristics that stand out to students who are creative and like change and challenges in the classroom. I definitely think that AEA will be popular among middle school and high school ages students, and it is the perfect opportunity for collage bound students such as myself.

[Annabeth713]

I will probably be a student at AEA next fall, and personally I think the school is a great idea. I really like doing things that other kids might not doing, so learning languages other then just Spanish is a big plus for me. I also like the electives offered; they seem to offer many opportunities that may get students interested in different careers. I also like the focus on the humanities--I'm really into Greek Mythology so learning Greek will be really exciting for me--I'm sure we'll go over the myths in a Greek class. I think this a refreshing change from the other schools in this district that quite frankly have no characteristics that stand out to students who are creative and like change and challenges in the classroom. I definitely think that AEA will be popular among middle school and high school ages students, and it is the perfect opportunity for collage bound students such as myself.

[Annabeth713]

I will probably be a student at AEA next fall, and personally I think the school is a great idea. I really like doing things that other kids might not enjoy, so learning languages other then just Spanish is a big plus for me. I also like the electives offered; they seem to offer many opportunities that may get students interested in different careers. I also like the focus on the humanities--I'm really into Greek Mythology so learning Greek will be really exciting for me--I'm sure we'll go over the myths in a Greek class. I think this a refreshing change from the other schools in this district that quite frankly have no characteristics that stand out to students who are creative and like change and challenges in the classroom. I definitely think that AEA will be popular among middle school and high school ages students, and it is the perfect opportunity for collage bound students such as myself