BOARD HEARS CHARTER PLEA SUPPORTERS BACK SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL NEEDS.Byline: Joseph Giordono Staff Writer Several parents and educators encouraged the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Board of Education on Tuesday to approve a new charter school in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. serving special-needs and other students. The board is scheduled to vote on the petition by the CHIME Charter School, which is associated with the special-education department at California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , at its next meeting, July 24. Several board members expressed early support for the five-year charter proposal, sponsors of which have worked with district staffers for several months. ``I am excited about the caliber of the charter school that you are presenting to us,'' said board member Julie Korenstein, in whose district the school would be located. ``I am very excited that you will be part of the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. .'' Proponents of the charter school said it would be a huge benefit for students with special needs. ``This school would mean we can celebrate each child's differences and build on every child's strengths,'' said Claire Cavallero, president of the CHIME Institute and chairwoman of CSUN's special-education department. ``This school is not the product of one individual's passion, it is the product of the community's concern.'' Parents of special-needs students applauded the staff of the CHIME Institute, an existing program run out of a Washington Mutual-owned building in Chatsworth, and asked that the board approve a full charter school. ``I have been fortunate to witness this program in action,'' said Laura San Giacomo San Giacomo is a small mountain village at an altitude of 1105 meters located near the town (comune) of Valle Castellana. It is located within the Province of Teramo in the Abruzzo region of Italy. , an actress and parent of a 5-year-old son with cerebral palsy cerebral palsy (sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. . ``My son has become a valued member of his class, and this is the kind of atmosphere that CHIME fosters.'' In other action, new board President Caprice ca·price n. 1. a. An impulsive change of mind. b. An inclination to change one's mind impulsively. c. Young announced new committee assignments. The board added a new Committee on Human Resources, to focus on recruitment, retention, development and evaluation of teachers, administrators and classified staffers. The new committee will be made up of Marlene Canter, Genethia Hayes, Jose Huizar and David Tokofsky. |
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