| On November 8th, the voters of who live in the | | | | The number of charter schools within the state |
| Los Angeles schools district will be faced with their | | | | continues to increase, with another 20 new |
| fourth proposition, called Measure Y. The $3.985 | | | | charter schools planned for this fall. |
| bond measure, which will be paid by property | | | | The California Charter Schools Association predicts |
| taxes, is for more planned expansion within the | | | | that ten percent of public school students within |
| Los Angeles schools, allowing them to add another | | | | the state will attend charter schools by the year |
| 25 elementary schools to the current list of 160 | | | | 2014, with perhaps an even higher percentage in |
| schools that are scheduled to be constructed by | | | | the Los Angeles schools area. They cite that the |
| year 2012. Some of the money also is slated for | | | | number of charter schools would need to triple in |
| other needs, such as new school buses, repairs | | | | order to accommodate all of the students |
| and charter schools. | | | | currently on waiting lists. With the smaller size and |
| The other three bond measures were passed for | | | | flexibility of charter schools, they can be created |
| Los Angeles schools new construction and repairs | | | | and implemented in a very short time, as |
| that were long overdue. Classrooms were literally | | | | compared to the large, traditional Los Angeles |
| falling apart, and classes were excessively | | | | schools that take years to construct. |
| overcrowded with year-round schedules for many | | | | The second reason for the drastic drop in |
| schools. The previously passed measures | | | | enrollment at the Los Angeles schools is birth and |
| underwrote the current 160 schools on the list for | | | | lifestyle trends: |
| construction. | | | | ? Los Angeles County statistics have shown that |
| Many people, however, are asking if this fourth | | | | hundreds of fewer babies are being born in the |
| measure is truly needed. According to the Los | | | | county each year. The trend is expected to |
| Angeles Daily News, the traditional Los Angeles | | | | continue through to the end of the decade. |
| schools are slowly but steadily losing students | | | | ? Upper income singles and couples with few |
| from their rolls. Since the 2002-2003 school year, | | | | children have replaced neighborhoods that were |
| the traditional Los Angeles schools have lost 4,471 | | | | once inhabited by large immigrant families. With |
| students. According to Los Angeles schools | | | | the rising housing prices in the Los Angeles schools |
| officials, they expect another 4,304 to be | | | | area, most young families or families with many |
| dropped this year. There are several reasons for | | | | children can no longer afford to live there, opting |
| these drops in enrollment. | | | | to move to areas with lower costs of living. |
| First, one in every 20 students is choosing to | | | | ? Additionally, according to researchers at the |
| attend a charter or private school, rather than | | | | Public Policy Institute of California, another trend is |
| attend traditional Los Angeles schools. The 88 | | | | smaller immigrant families. In their 2002 report, |
| charter schools within the state now enroll about | | | | they show that after the first generation, |
| three percent (about 200,000) of the public school | | | | immigrant families successively have smaller |
| students. About 35,000 of these students attend | | | | families. |
| charter schools within the Los Angeles schools. | | | | |