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