Monterey County Board of Education denies charter school application.

A proposal for Monterey County Prep, a three-campus charter school, was denied by the Monterey County Office of Education with a vote of 6-1 on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

The vote followed a lengthy hearing that drew over 200 people, including teachers, parents, administrators and students to MCOE's packed board chambers on Wednesday, Jan. 14, when the board was set to approve or deny Navigator Charter Schools' application.

Navigator, based in Hollister, had proposed Monterey County Prep as three TK-12 public charter schools serving Salinas, Marina/Seaside and Soledad/Greenfield, starting in the 2026-27 school year. Navigator's intent was to serve 3,300 students combined across the three locations within a decade.

Over 70 members of the public spoke on Wednesday night, both pro and con, with testimony lasting for nearly three hours. After MCOE staff presentations and public comment, Trustee Annette Yee Steck, who represents Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Cachagua, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and parts of the city of Monterey, moved to deny Navigator's application. The denial passed 6-1, with board president Heather Owen dissenting. 

MCOE staff did not recommend approval or denial, but in a report to the board stated Navigators Charter Schools’ plan wasn’t innovative, would contribute to the declining enrollment local school districts are facing and worsen their financial deficit. 

All the districts that received notifications from Navigator about its proposed schools are facing financial challenges, ranging from $2.8 million at Greenfield Elementary School District to $17.8 million at Salinas Union High School District. 

Additionally, the number of low-income students and English-language learners is lower at Navigator Schools, 56.6 and 29.6 percent, respectively, when compared to schools overall in Monterey County. At Alisal Union School District, 91.4 percent of students are low-income, and 56.2 percent are English learners.  

According to Navigator Superintendent Caprice Young, the target students for Navigator are low-income students and English learners who are underperforming. 

Yee Steck says a larger population of Navigator students are students who are easier to teach and she didn’t think they have done enough to attract students with greater need. 

“The navigator petition didn't show how they were going to serve the population of students that we have in our county, meaning all of the students, all of the different types, and the most challenging student populations that exist in our county,” Yee Steck says, noting it’s easier to achieve better outcomes if Navigator classrooms have lower numbers of English learners, special educations students, or unhoused students as compared to local districts. 

The board’s decision was received with cheers from the audience. 

“We are very happy, very happy and it showed that our efforts did not go unnoticed, that they listened to us," SUHSD Superintendent Zandra Jo Galvan says. "They stood with the community, and what the voices of the community shared in knowing that our schools are robust, and that our schools are serving the needs of our students.”