If responding to misinformation were a sport, we’d be in the playoffs by now. (Sorry, touchy subject in San Diego right now.) This latest article reads a lot like the last few: dramatic, inaccurate, and missing some key facts. Think Groundhog Day, but with charter schools instead of Punxsutawney Phil. And for some reason, we at Method Schools keep catching strays.
Recent claims published in East of 52 under the pseudonym “Lizzie Bly” present a misleading picture of Method Schools and our work. While we respect healthy debate and thoughtful oversight of public education, this article contains significant inaccuracies and omissions that we need to respond to. Our mission has always been to provide students across Southern California with innovative, high-quality learning opportunities, and we believe open discussions about public education are essential. But they should be grounded in facts.
Because most of the article isn’t directly about us, I’ll skip the line-by-line rebuttal. There are inaccuracies and ed code misinterpretations that I won't spend time on because they don't relate to Method. Instead, we want to make a few important points clear — facts that actually reflect who we are and how we operate.
We’ve always grown at a slow-to-moderate pace, with the one exception being the COVID-19 era, when many school districts were unable to respond effectively to the crisis. As a result, our largest enrollment numbers came during 2020 and 2021. Beyond that, we’ve steadily and deliberately focused on the student experience and academic results, not unchecked growth. (See chart/data below for our San Diego charter.)
Beyond extensive. At times it can feel excessive. But we comply with every requirement. We work with our authorizers, third-party oversight organizations, county offices of education, the California Department of Education, and independent auditors that must be approved by the state every single year. In nearly every year of operation, we’ve had no audit findings. This year we had one — for a $1 typo on a legally required family income form. We share this not as an excuse, but as a window into just how strict oversight is, and how seriously we take compliance.
California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP) is California's leading charter authorizer oversight organization. Our Method and Summit charters (authorized by Dehesa) are subjected to an extensive and time-consuming oversight process every single year, which is above and beyond the standard (and also extensive) independent audit which is also required annually.
Even though our enrollment is modest, we’re at full capacity on the Dehesa campus. The agreement is simply one required early stage step in a thoughtful, multi-year plan to address facility needs. While many schools and districts are losing students, our partnership with Dehesa School District is focused on meeting an existing and growing need. We’ve learned that the best way to grow enrollment is to listen to what families want — and do our darndest to deliver.
It’s no secret that California’s charter sector has seen bad actors in the past, and those scandals deserved the accountability they received. But those situations are not today’s reality at Method Schools or at Dehesa School District. We serve actual students and provide real educational programs that families choose because they work for their children. Contrary to the article’s implication, charter schools don’t create additional costs for taxpayers. In fact, evidence shows charter schools actually save the public money.
Whether a student attends District A, District B, or a public charter school, the state pays the same per-student allocation. Charter schools are not private; they are public schools governed by state law, subject to rigorous oversight, and open to all students. Painting them as “private benefit” programs, or using phrases like "taxpayers foot the bill" are talking points designed to provoke outrage, not inform. It's rage bait that ignores both how funding actually works and why families choose schools like ours in the first place. And yes, choose is italicized for emphasis.
The article ends with “A System Crying Out for Reform,” and on this point, we couldn’t agree more. California’s current charter authorization structure is outdated and increasingly dysfunctional. Imagine a small business trying to open but needing permission from its largest competitor to do so. That’s essentially how charter authorization works in California today. Reform is needed, not to avoid oversight, but to make it more logical, transparent, and fair. You won't find a single charter school in California that isn't on board for new authorizing channels. Only those entities that hate school choice are against opening up new ways for charter schools to become authorized.
Going to school districts for charter authorizations is kind of silly, if you think about it. But it's the only way to do it in California. Right now, anyway. There needs to be other ways to open up new school options that families are demanding. For additional context, here’s a piece written by Method Schools co-founder and CEO Dr. Jessica Spallino back in 2021: Public Education Is an Industry Ripe for Reform.
Comments or questions? Hit me up below!