Teachers and parents are protesting the firings of seven employees at the King/Chavez Arts Academy, one of several charter schools operated by a single charter management organization in Barrio Logan.
Lisa Bellon, one of the teachers who was fired, said the terminations were unexpected and followed the appointment of a new director, Scott Worthing.
Many of the teachers had signed contracts for the next school year, but the contracts had not been signed by King/Chavez CEO Tim Wolf, Bellon said. With only seven classrooms in the school, the firings represent a wholesale turnover.
“He’s saying its because of test scores,” Bellon said. “But our test scores don’t come out until August 29.”
Like many charter schools, King/Chavez is non-unionized, limiting recourse for its employees. Such schools are independently run but publicly funded. (There are exceptions on the charter school front — check out this article about unionized charters.) The employees are consulting an attorney and will protest outside a King/Chavez meeting held at 11am Saturday.
I’ve left a message for Wolf to learn more about why the employees were fired, and am waiting to hear back about what legal recourse — if any — the charter employees might have.