Pomona rejected OPA last night - see the story at this link - I added the following comment

Of all the objections that the PUSD voiced last night to the Oxford Prep charter application, the most repeated was their concern over the ability for Oxford Prep to adequately reflect the ethnic diversity of Pomona. In particular, they stated that while Pomona school district is 80% Hispanic, the Oxford Preparatory Academy(OPA) in Chino is only 40% Hispanic. They made this “apple to oranges” comparison several times. The fact is, the Chino Valley Unified School District is 41% Hispanic, so the percentage of Hispanic children at OPA mirrors that of the District. Because OPA chooses its students by random lottery, Pomona can be assured that its diversity will be reflected in the new school.
The average API score for Pomona Unified is 731. Of its 40 plus schools only two managed to achieve an API over 900, Pantera (940 API) and Ranch Hills (921 API). These schools are 27% and 50% Hispanic reflectively. This is not representative of Pomona’s diversity either.
Oxford Prep in Chino earned a 973 API while it’s South Orange County campus earned a 993. It is ludicrous that Pomona Unified does not want to attract a program like Oxford Prep. In Chino, OPA took over a closed school in a less-than-desirable neighborhood.  It has helped revitalized the area, helping local businesses, property values, and there has even been a reduction of crime.
Apparently, the PUSD Board of Education feels that the District is doing well enough on its own and would not benefit by the addition of Oxford Prep. The Pomona Unified School District is ranked 657 among 770 school districts in California. The neighboring Chino Valley Unified School district is ranked 294 and the Capistrano Unified School district is ranked 137, but they both approved of and have benefitted from allowing OPA to set up campuses in their districts. 
PH - Blog Moderator