After robust public support and staff conditions, board renews Pivot Charter School North Bay for five years

The Santa Rosa City Schools board held a public hearing Dec. 17 on Pivot Charter School North Bay’s five‑year renewal petition and voted to approve the renewal with continued monitoring and development of a memorandum of understanding to address identified concerns.

District staff conducted the review required by AB 1505 and the Education Code and recommended a five‑year term while flagging concerns: recent declines in English language arts and math, high chronic absenteeism, insufficient detail in the special‑education program description, and enrollment and budget assumptions that require clarification. Staff recommended renewal with focused monitoring and conditions as appropriate.

Pivot representatives said their budget and enrollment assumptions are based on historical data and conservative attendance estimates and described programmatic supports for students with disabilities, including immediate interim IEPs and a combination of in‑person and virtual services. Pivot presenters and dozens of students, parents, staff and charter advocates gave testimony about student engagement, individualized programming, hands‑on classes and successful outcomes, including students who improved grades, graduated early or gained vocational skills.

Trustees asked detailed questions about attendance and metrics; Pivot explained attendance for independent study is measured by work product and course completion, and described interventions (GradTrack, home visits, weekly benchmarks) used to reengage students. The board voted unanimously to renew Pivot’s charter for a five‑year term, with conditions and monitoring to ensure the concerns identified by district staff are addressed.

Next steps: staff and Pivot will develop the MOU and monitoring plan specified in the staff recommendation and report back to the board in the coming months.