Fresh off of losing two appointees to the State Board of Education over questions about their pro-charter school activities, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed two Southern California men whose strong links to charter schools may also invite challenges.
Benjamin Austin, 40, of Beverly Hills, and Alan Arkatov, 48, of Los Angeles, are set to step into the vacant slots on the board left by the resignation of Jorge Lopez and the removal of Rae Belisle.
Lopez, executive director of the Oakland Charter Academy, resigned from the board on Feb. 12, after reportedly growing weary over questions about his financial dealings at his school. Belisle, a former CEO of lobbying firm EdVoice, was removed by Schwarzenegger on March 18 in the wake of intense opposition from several education and civil rights groups who accused her of being culturally insensitive and wielding a pro-charter bias.
Austin, a former consultant for Green Dot charter schools and current executive director of Parent Revolution, led a successful lobbying effort that persuaded state lawmakers to give parents the power to force an underperforming school to either close, fire its teachers or convert into a charter school.
Arkatov, 48, is a public relations specialist who currently serves on the board of the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools, which operates 16 charter schools in the Los Angeles area.
The two arrive at a time where some are questioning whether the state board is becoming too heavily stacked with pro-charter advocates.
Austin, in particular, could be controversal to some due his public stances and his ties to entreprenuer Steve Barr, founder of Green Dot charter schools. Barr is president of Parent Revolution - a fact that has caused some to question whether Austin's group is really a "front" serving interest of Green Dot.
Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association, told the L.A. Times that his organization would prefer more diverse representives on the Board.
"We know a couple of these nominees as very accomplished people,” Plotkin said. “But we’re looking for a little more balance on the board."
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