Educators and families from 24th Street pack the Crown Prep board room to protest the charter operator still having the school’s fifth grade.

State Proposition 39 requires California school districts to make facilities available to charter schools. In LAUSD, over 40 neighborhood schools are forced to share their campus. The district’s implementation of Prop. 39 has historically given co-locating charter companies a lot of leeway in claiming campus space for their own, taking away much needed classroom space and programs for students attending the neighborhood school. 

Beyond losing space for IEP meetings, Special Education, STEM instruction, and extracurriculars to the co-locating charter, 24th Street Elementary is the only elementary school in the district without a fifth grade. In a 2013 agreement, the grade 5-8 Crown Preparatory Academy charter was handed the entire fifth grade, forcing 24th Street students to transfer to a new school for just one year.  

In April, fed up educators and families launched the “Fight for Fifth Grade” campaign starting with an email action and weekly pickets to pressure the district and LAUSD school board. Earlier this month, they packed the Board District 1 Town Hall and the Crown Prep board room with a sea of signs reading “5th Grade Back.” 

On May 29, they took the protest to LAUSD headquarters. Educators, parents, and students testified to the school board about how the charter takeover is disrupting 24th Street students. 

24th Street families call on the school board to give them back their 5th grade

Fourth grader and proud 24th Street Eagle Grayson Aull told the board how important consistency and stability are to him.

“I am proud to be an eagle and Autistic,” said Aull. “But next year, I don’t get to stay. I need to get ready for big changes like middle school. If I get to stay one more year, I can learn more, grow more, and be ready to leave when it is time.” 

Third grade teacher Mark Ezquivel runs clubs for 24th Street students to build skills and explore their interests.

“It’s unfortunate that our students only get to continue on up to 4th grade,” Ezquivel told the school board. “We want to reinstate 5th grade so that we can have more time with our students.” 

Now parents are left waiting in limbo for a final decision from the district on whether their kids can continue on to fifth grade at 24th Street Elementary next year. 

Send a message to Carvalho to demand fifth grade be reinstated at 24th Street Elementary.