Rebecca counts co-founding Larchmont Charter School among her proudest achievements. Now in its 11th year of operation, the Larchmont Schools umbrella has a $10+ million operating budget and includes two TK-8 schools and a high school on four campuses, serving more than 1200 students. LCS ranks in the top 3% of highest performing schools in LAUSD and is among the district’s most diverse, with uniquely engaged communities. It has been a model for dozens of other charter schools. As co-founder, she was at the forefront of a movement in its infancy – creating a charter school from the ground up.
During start-up and through Year 2, Rebecca developed and oversaw all communications and outreach, working with hundreds of parents and dozens of local community based organizations. She and her teams organized public hearings and town halls to address often highly controversial topics and worked closely City councilmembers. She wrote portions of the charter and numerous grant applications; created the Board’s branding committee; managed all external and trilingual internal communications including developing its logo and web site; led the LCS community through a mission statement overhaul; and chaired the school’s annual pledge drive, which has consistently raised more than $500,000. In Years 4 through the present, she has shared a rotating founder seat on the Board of Directors.
Throughout all transitions, from scrappy late-night start-up meetings to a well-oiled and governed, established and high-performing City-approved charter school, Rebecca has successfully trained her successor committees and their chairs to carry on the work and evolve it in a way that benefits the school and serves its students.