Los Angeles International Charter High School 2.71

Los Angeles International Charter High School is a charter school in Hermon, Los Angeles, California, near El Sereno. It occupies the campus of the former Pacific Christian High School.HistoryClifford Moseley and Vaughn Bernandez, who taught and were coworkers at another charter school, established LA International. Moseley was raised partly in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles and partly in various other countries, and he wanted a high school with an international theme that would allow its students to connect to other countries.Originally the school operated under a four-year charter from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). It began with 80 students; Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times said that the figure is what "most charter experts would say is too few to be financially sustainable." The school began in the basement of an American Legion hall. The school was denied usage of that site, and at the last minute, it had to move into a site in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley for its second year. This led to a lot of students leaving the school, and the school's bus transportation costs became very high. The original LAUSD charter would later be renewed for one year.In March 2009 LAUSD stated that it would not renew the charter because of fiscal issues and because LA International had an academic program that it called "unsound." The school filed an appeal to the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Even though some staff members and Darline Robles, the superintendent of the county school office, had objected to the renewal, the Office of Education approved the charter. In January 2010 most students at LA International wanted to attend universities and colleges. Landsberg said that in 2010 "Today, the school has a new principal, some new teachers and a new lease on life. Students and parents speak enthusiastically, saying it is safe, nurturing and academically challenging."