An Oceanside Campus parent, Samantha Schiro, provided a response on behalf of the Pep Squad parent committee regarding concerns about recess and elective scheduling. She shared that the committee created a parent/student survey to gather feedback, noting early results indicate that over 75% of respondents were unaware students must choose between recess and electives, and 100% of responding parents favor a policy change. Full survey results will be shared after one week.

Samantha addressed the school’s previous email point-by-point, stating:

• The current 30-minute lunch period does not satisfy state requirements for recess, as it is not outdoor playtime and is not separate from mealtime per SB 291.
• The additional 30-minute TK block should be dedicated recess, and students should not have to choose between free play and access to arts/athletics electives. She expressed concern that this structure limits students’ exposure to both.
• After reviewing the charter, she does not believe the school is meeting its physical education obligations and noted the charter’s emphasis on the academic benefits of physical activity.
• School marketing materials imply art and PE access without mentioning the recess/elective trade-off.
• Most after-school clubs are restricted to grades 3 and above, limiting arts/PE exposure for younger students.

Samantha reiterated that parents are willing to collaborate on solutions and hopes for continued discussion once more survey data is available.

Board Chair, Charles Friedrichs, acknowledged receipt of her written response and noted it will be reviewed by the director and executive team.

     Principal Chantel Van Pool, along with several students, provided an update on the successful opening of the new Scholarship Prep Upland campus.

     She highlighted the strong launch of the school year, noting high family engagement and enthusiastic scholar participation from TK through 8th grade. Early events—such as the family picnic, Meet the Teacher, and the first Back to School Night—helped establish strong school-family partnerships and introduced families to available resources and supports.

     Scholars are actively engaging in academics, electives, free after-school programs, clubs, and hands-on learning in the new STEM lab. The Junior Achievement program was a major highlight, transforming classrooms into a “mini-economy” where students learned about careers, budgeting, and financial literacy with support from local banking volunteers.

     Community events such as Trunk or Treat and on-site dental care provided by Big Smile Dentist further demonstrated strong community involvement and support.

     Charles Friedrichs asked who the student presenters were, and Chantel explained that they were identified as leaders in their classrooms and have been doing an excellent job day in and day out.

Taylor Ellis, Chief Academic Officer, presented the newly released 2024–25 California Dashboard academic data, focusing on schools with prior-year results (Oceanside, Orange County, and South Bay). Data was reviewed using the state’s Distance from Standard (DFS) metric, which measures achievement and growth.

Orange County

• Students outperformed Santa Ana Unified in both ELA and math overall and across all significant subgroups.
• Students experiencing homelessness outperformed the district average in both subjects, demonstrating alignment with the organization’s mission.

Oceanside

• Students outperformed Oceanside Unified by more than 45 points in ELA, with similarly strong gaps across all subgroups.
• Students experiencing homelessness significantly outperformed the district average, with a 113-point advantage in math.

South Bay

• Despite demographic differences and the size of LAUSD, South Bay students outperformed LAUSD in ELA for all subgroups and were within four points of the district overall.
• In math, South Bay showed significant growth across all student groups and is closing performance gaps with LAUSD.

Three-Year Growth Trends (Post-COVID Baseline)

• All sites demonstrated meaningful growth in both ELA and math since 2021–22.
• Oceanside showed consistent, strong gains (24+ points ELA; ~27 points math).
• South Bay demonstrated significant annual growth each year.
• Orange County showed improvement following the influx of new students in 2022–23, with increased alignment and accountability contributing to improved performance.

Program Strengths Identified

• Strong wraparound supports and SEL practices.
• Data-driven decision-making at all levels.
• Rigorous, standards-aligned curriculum implemented.
• Differentiated coaching and support for principals, teachers, and staff.
• High expectations and accountability for students and staff.

Focus Areas & New Initiatives

• Increased alignment between home office and site leadership.
• Strengthened accountability measures, including walkthroughs and observation/feedback cycles.
• Addition of instructional deans at all sites and expanded math intervention programs to accelerate student progress.

Jason Watts, Executive Director, provided the organization update. 

Parent Concerns (Oceanside):
Following the October board meeting, the team consulted with site leadership, legal counsel, and home office personnel involved in scheduling, facilities, and staffing. A formal email response was sent to the parent on October 30. A new parent email was received shortly before the current board meeting; staff will review and provide a follow-up response after the Thanksgiving break, including arranging additional conversations if needed.

Enrollment Update:
Enrollment trends show a typical mid-year dip across most campuses except South Bay. Enrollment remains generally aligned with June 30 budget projections, with expected variances at Riverside and Upland due to earlier site access and budget assumptions. South Bay remains steady.

ADA Update:
ADA continues to track closely with budgeted projections. Schools are maintaining strong attendance percentages, supported in part by robust independent study programs. South Bay and Orange County are particularly strong in this area.

Charter School Growth Fund Update:
Scholarship Prep’s network ranks highly among California portfolio networks evaluated by the Charter School Growth Fund.

• Math: Scholarship Prep ranks #2 with an SSM percentile score of 79, outperforming most comparable schools.
• ELA: Scholarship Prep ranks #1 with an SSM percentile score of 81, indicating the highest performance among similar networks. Staff credited strong instructional support and coaching provided by the academic team.

The performance comparison reflects network-level averages, not individual schools. Scholarship Prep’s six school sites are aggregated into a single network score for these rankings.