BY CRAIG SHULTZ
Administrators are recommending the Hemet Unifed school board deny a request to start a charter on the campus of the soon to be shuttered Cornerstone Christian School. Baypoint Preparatory Academy requested permission to start a kindergarten through 12th grade charter on the Girard Street campus starting next school year. Trustees will vote when they meet at 6:30 p.m. today in the Idyllwild School gym, 26700 Highway 243. A Hemet Unified School District report on the proposal suggests denial of the charter on three grounds: Establishment of the school would constitute a conversion of a private school to a charter school in violation of the state’s Education Code; The petition does not contain comprehensive descriptions of all elements required by law; The petitioners are “demonstrably unlikely” to successfully implement the program set forth in the charter petition. Cornerstone, previously known as Baptist Christian School, has announced it will cease operations at the end of the current school year. Backers of the San Marcos-based Bayshore Preparatory Charter School quickly moved and asked Hemet Unified for approval to open at the Cornerstone site. The petition also was found lacking in areas such as curriculum for upper grades, plans for English learners and special education students and the transferability of classes to other high schools. If the charter is denied, proponents can appeal to the County Office of Education and ultimately to the state. The board meeting is being held in Idyllwild, as the sprawling district holds meetings each year at its outlying campuses. Trustees also be will asked to approve a couple measures bracing for a possible teachers’ strike. Hemet Unified and its teachers union are in a mediation phase as they try to come to an agreement on a contract. Teachers have rejected an offer of a 4 percent retroactive raise and $1,500 each toward benefits. They say the raise is not enough, as they are the lowest paid among educators in the county. Teachers are also requesting smaller class sizes. One resolution addresses efforts that will be made to keep schools open during a strike and the second would make it easier to hire substitute teachers, adjusting some of the preliminary requirements.