Oasis Charter Public School school has 30 days to appeal renewal application.

On Feb. 8, the board from Salinas City Elementary School District denied Oasis Charter Public School’ 5-year petition renewal to operate through June 30, 2026. The board voted 3-2, with Francisco Javier Estrada, board president and board member Amy Ish opposing  the denial. 

Board members Ish and Kathryn Ramirez said it wasn’t the best timing to decide the future of a charter school due to Covid-19. SCESD currently does not have charter school and the board was unsure about how it would impact the district. 

Oasis is K-6 based in Salinas that has operated for 20 years. It's permit was previously granted by Alisal Union School District. Assembly Bill 1507, enacted in 2019,  removed the exception that allowed charter schools to apply for permits outside the district  they were located in. Oasis Charter is located SCESD's boundaries meaning they had to file an application with them, instead of AUSD. 

The Oasis administration made efforts to relocate since the enactment of AB 1507 but it was unsuccessful in finding facilities within AUSD boundaries. 

According to Oasis Charter’s press release sent on Feb. 5, the school serves 250 students. In the meeting, the school said that about 80 percent were Latino; 65 percent are from low incomes families and about 50 percent live within SCESD district.

During the public comments parents and staff spoke in favor of keeping the charter school open. They said closing the school during the pandemic wasn’t in the best interest of the students. 

On Nov. 13 of 2020 the SCESD received the Oasis' renewals petition. A month later, it was accepted and the reviewing process started. SCESD found that “Oasis has not presented clear and convincing evidence of improvement over time for student performance on measures of academic progress.”

Lucy Zepeda, executive director at Oasis Charter, said they had evidence the school was meeting the criteria for renewal based on students’ achievement and community impact. 

On the other hand, the district staff said Oasis had inconsistent outcomes in English and mathematics instead of steady and positive outcomes to meet its yearly standards. They also highlighted the school was basing its success from a two-year period presenting a more favorable view of the school. The district staff analyzed a three-year data from the same Oasis Charter’s students whose cohorts that attended the school from grades 4-6; they found a decline in reading standards. 

Zepeda says the school only used the 2018 and 2019 data because in previous years the school was under a different administration.  

The charter school renewal application was denied mainly based on academic performance. Oasis has 30 days to appeal the decision at Monterey County of Office of Education and the State Board of Education.