Each of the three schools in San Diego made dramatic changes in staffing and governance when converting to charter schools. Strong leaders led the way with the support of board and community members.

With the opportunity to hire new staff, school leaders worked diligently to ensure that new staff embraced the mission of the school.

In designing the new charter school, leadership roles and responsibilities changed and the charter proposal outlined the new school structures and plans. One school changed from a single large elementary school to four small learning communities sharing a campus. Freed from the limitations of union contracts, these schools expanded the roles of teachers and staff.

Each of these schools developed a local governing board to oversee the policy and implementation of the charter school program. Budget priorities reflect the central role of the school mission, supporting new structures and ways of organizing staff and operations.