September 27, 2011
Community Harvest Charter School
Board of Directors: Lourdes Castro Ramirez, Jaime Maldonado, Gipson Lyles,
I am not much of a writer, but the state in which my alma mater finds itself is disheartening and upsetting. I wasn’t one of the top students at Community Harvest and was close to not receiving my diploma because of missing credits. It was C-Harv’s original teachers who had faith in me to succeed and graduate. They gave me hope and motivation. I was determined to do my best with that extra push to not let my teachers, the school, my family and myself down. How can you allow the current administration to fire those teachers that showed dedication and love to their students? Ms. Klemmer and Mr. Vann, for example, worked with me to the end not to see me fail. Ms. Klemmer gave me extra assignments, met with me one on one to discuss my grade and see what I can do to pass her class. Mr. Vann allowed me to take independent studies with him to meet my Geometry requirement and stayed after school with me as another class period because there was no other time during school hours. This is the kind of commitment teachers had to the success of their students. Now, you and the current administration are working together to see my school and current students fail. You no longer have these passionate teachers and you don’t provide any tutoring services. I don’t see how you can allow the mismanagement and the downfall of this school that at one point was one of the best charter schools in the country. Your number one priority is student achievement, and you’re letting test scores decline and not questioning the two administrators? Now you have substitute teachers starting this academic school year, individuals that don’t know the students or anything about the culture of Community Harvest, and they won’t know because all they hear are lies from the administration. At the orientation, an administrator said that all academic teacher positions were filled, and now they have job postings on the internet looking for long-term substitute teachers. When will the lies stop?!?!!
I can say Community Harvest saved my life. My behavior changed—I started taking care of homework, asked for extra assignments and stayed after school for tutoring. C-Harv helped build my character, I began being productive and began having goals for life after C-Harv. Can this really happen now when the school’s current administration is downplaying the students and their dreams/future career goals? I am not only concerned as an alumni, but also as brother of a current student at Community Harvest. I need teachers that will truly care about the education of my sister and tutoring services to help her improve her scores. I need the culture, mission and vision that C-Harv once had so that she looks forward to going to school. I need a better lunch program so that my sister, along with every other student there, can have a good and healthy meal. I need a sanitary environment for this food to be served, clean tables for students to eat. You really think eating on the floor with all the dirt is healthy? My question is, do they still care about the student’s education or do they just see my sister and others as $$$$?? Nevermind, I know the answer. With test scores dropping, they no longer have quality education! With firings of passionate teachers, they no longer have quality education! With no tutoring programs, they no longer have quality education! You get money for my sister’s and every student’s attendance and funds are available for being a P.I. status school, and you decide to waste that on transportation, repairing an old motel, and increasing the salary of the two current administrators. You along with the current administration should be ashamed of yourselves! My sister is in high school, I need her to build relationships with C-Harv teachers, not substitutes who will never get to know her. I wish to see her go to college. Who will be writing Letters of Recommendation for her?
As a concerned family member, I need the school back in Los Angeles and new administrators and a new Board of Directors that will restore the vision of Community Harvest. I want my sister and the rest of the current student body to have the kind of education that I had, to have options for all the different electives we had, to have a safe and healthy environment, and to be part of that C-Harv family that was successful in having different support outlets and to be part of what was one of the best charter schools in the country. You’ve shown that you don’t care. I ask that you please take your hands off of our school so that qualified and caring administrators and teachers can take over and restore C-Harv’s mission! I know that the current two administrators are your friends/family members, but please do what’s best for the students and not what’s best for the administrators’ bank accounts. Thank You.
Erik Carrillo
Community Harvest
Class of 2008
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