my first exposure to charter schools was about a decade ago, when i worked for a firm that designed several campuses throughout northern california. back then i knew very little about the significance of charter schools. today our decision to enroll kylan in a charter school was an easy one. in fact, it is one of many factors that contributed to our return to california. i knew that kylan entering 9th grade would limit us to very few choices on island. although better, the status quo upon returning was not ideal either - where we initially enrolled him in the next district's public high school (although new!) where he would be one amongst 3,000 kids. LVCP will have only 110 freshmen - where he is sure to get more attention from both his teachers and peers.
coincidentally, lawmakers on guam are also currently making a big decision to establish charter schools back home and this decision will be final within two weeks. sadly, this has been dragging since 2008 while GDOE continues to be chastised. the majority of residents on island have no choice but to tolerate the public school system or sacrifice a hefty chunk of their income to send their child to just a decent (an exceptional school demands more than just a "chunk") private school. even the private schools show signs of exceeded enrollment, rising costs, and continued cutbacks. i'll stop my whining right here because admittedly, i cannot contribute to the solution but it'll be good to know where the Guam Academy Charter Schools end up. it is transparent that it will be worth a shot if it provides something better than what exists.
