BOARD MULLS NEW SCHOOL; CHARTER ACADEMY WOULD TEACH K-6.

Byline: David R. Baker Staff Writer

NORTH HILLS - The campus of a former religious school in North Hills may be reborn as a public elementary school this fall, if the Los Angeles Board of Education approves.

Classrooms at Valley Park Church on Nordhoff Street would become the temporary home of the Valley Community Charter School, under a proposal board members will consider May 9. If approved, it would become the fifth charter school in the San Fernando Valley.

The project is the brainchild of Brenda Buonora, owner of two private child development centers in the Valley. The new school, which would serve 180 students in kindergarten through sixth grade and would be run by a nonprofit organization separate from Buonora's business, would help meet a growing demand for charter schools.

``To improve public education, we need more charter schools,'' Buonora said. ``They have been a catalyst for change by using differently the same resources and funds available to all public schools.''

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate independently from their host school districts, in return for which they promise to boost student achievement and meet other goals outlined in their charters. If they fail to do so, they can be closed.

Valley Community Charter will feature a curriculum based largely on social studies, using that topic as the basis for lessons in math, science and other subjects. Buonora said the idea is to connect those topics to activities young children may have more experience with, such as teaching math by discussing shopping for groceries.

Traditional lessons, Buonora said, often fail to motivate young kids.

``We see a high dropout rate, poor test scores, poor grades,'' she said. ``Students are not motivated to learn because information is presented in a way that's really abstract.''

Board members originally had been scheduled to discuss the proposal earlier in April. But Judy Burton, Los Angeles Unified's assistant superintendent of school reform, said Buonora's application needed much more detail before the district staff could recommend its approval. In particular, Burton wanted more information on how the nontraditional curriculum would work.

``We want more clarity on what they expect to see from students in each grade level,'' Burton said. ``I know they've worked hard on it, but we don't grant the petition on how hard you've worked.''

Buonora submitted a revised petition Thursday. Those interested in the school can visit an information booth Buonora will set up near Sears in the Northridge Fashion Center, at Nordhoff Street and Tampa Avenue, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. today.

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Map: Proposed new school