California Charter Schools Assn. head expected to step down

An update: A charter schools spokesman called to let us just how many charters there are. When Caprice Young took over her position five years ago, there were 436 charters in the state. This fall there will be 750, including 25 new charters within Los Angeles Unified. 

Caprice Young, head of the California Charter Schools Assn. and former Los Angeles school board member, announced this morning that she is stepping down to take a new job at an education company.

Young is credited by both critics and supporters of charter schools with spearheading the movement in California, which grew during her five-year tenure to more than 300 publicly financed, independently run campuses.

Young has accepted a position with Knowledge Universe, a global education company based in Santa Monica that serves students here and abroad and online. It was founded by Michael Milken and his brother Lowell Milken. Young will be vice president, business development and alliances, with Knowledge Universe.

Young was a school board member and president before she was ousted in a tough election in which the teachers union ran a candidate against her. She was part of a bloc of board members supported by then-Mayor Richard Riordan to reform the troubled Los Angeles Unified School District.

-- Beth Shuster

Photo courtesy California Charter Schools Assn.

Comments

[Smiley]

One thing's for sure, there would be a lot more money for charters in LAUSD if Ms. Young hadn't saddled the district with the Beaudry Building. How much is the new HS at Temple and Grand costing us? Explain to me again how that site was inadequate for the School Board?

Over $300 million and counting on that decision.

[Not Smiling]

Right on Smiley!

What about the lame duck Superintendent the current board has saddled us with? The public will not forget during election time how in an effort to thwart the Mayor, this school board selected a person with no educational experience (and I won't even delve into the race politics) to manage a brken system, and now we are paying for both him and Cortines AS iF we could afford to do so.