Charter Update: 80 Percent of Teachers in Favor, Proposal Given to Superintendent, Charter Document Released

teachers have overwhelmingly showed their support for converting Clayton Valley into a charter school.

Fifty-eight of the 72 teachers on campus have signed a petition in support of the charter—that's just over 80 percent.

"Compared to other charters, I don't think it's very typical for there to be that much support from the teachers," said Clayton Valley Steering Committee Co-Coordinator Neil McChesney.

The charter, along with the signatures, was presented to Superintendent Steven Lawrence on Wednesday. The Mt. Diablo Unified School District now has 30 days to hold a public hearing on the proposal.

It's unclear if the school board will be in favor of the conversion charter.

In a May 20 memo, Lawrence said that the  district would lose about $1.6 million if Clayton Valley becomes a charter school. The steering committee has questioned this number, saying that although the district will lose the state funding it gets for student enrollment, the loss will be offset by the fact it will no longer be operating the school.

Another concern is that if the school board were to allow Clayton Valley to become a charter, other MDUSD high schools might try to follow suit.

If the board rejects the charter, the decision can be appealed at the county level.

The charter document first became available to the public on Thursday, and can be downloaded here.