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Eden Elisse (left), Celeste Alisse and Rell Gentzler pretend to be bunnies as they wait for face-painting at the Spring Eggstravaganza in San Francisco. Photo: Alex Washburn / The Chronicle

Have you and the little ones in your life been longing for community Easter egg hunts? Well, its time to dapper up, don your frilliest frocks and dust off that Easter bonnet, because they are back in full force in 2022.

For those seeking sweets with less hunting involved, note that many local bakeries plan to offer special spring and Easter-themed treats. Take for example, the limited-edition doughnut hole Easter eggs and other seasonally inspired flavors that North Bay native Johnny Doughnuts will be whipping up just for the holiday weekend. Be sure to check in with your favorite neighborhood shops and support local businesses.

Check out The Chronicles guide to the Bay Areas public Easter egg hunts, which cater to the under-12 set along with their adoring caregiver paparazzi.

Easter 2022: Carnivals, Hunky Jesus comeback and more ways to celebrate in the Bay Area

Bring the family out for an afternoon event featuring an Easter egg hunt for the little ones, with eggs hand-painted by members of the SOMA Pilipinas community, a photo booth, Easter egg tag and scavenger hunt, a petting zoo and more.

1-4 p.m. Sunday, April 10. Free, registration required for egg hunt. Kapwa Gardens, 967 Mission St., S.F. kapwagardens.com

A morning event featuring egg hunts, face-painting, carnival games, balloon animals, live music, candy and a visit from the Easter Bunny.

9 a.m. Saturday, April 16. $5 donation. Livorna Park, Livorna Road and Miranda Avenue, Alamo. 925-718-6601. alamorotary.org

Enjoy a day filled with fun activities, including a petting zoo; a visit with the Spring Bunny; arts and crafts activities; an interactive kids carnival; and Bunny Hop dance lessons. Participating youths will receive a basket to collect their goodies. There will be egg hunts for kids ages 1-10 and a scavenger hunt for prizes for children over 10.

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Williard Park, 2730 Hillegass Ave., Berkeley. 510-981-2489. cityofberkeley.info

The Easter Bunny will lead a parade with young participants wearing their homemade bonnets. A bonnet competition with multiple categories and an egg hunt will follow the parade. Bonnet contest participants must be 6 years old or under, and bonnets must be worn by the participants during the parade to qualify.

9 a.m. Saturday, April 16. Free to attend. Registration required to march in parade and enter the bonnet competition. Kennedy Park, 19501 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward. 510-881-6768. haywardrec.org

Enjoy springtime fun with egg hunts at 9, 10:15 and 11:30 a.m.; visit and take photos with Peter Rabbit and Flopsy, participate in arts and crafts activities, games and more.

9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16. $15-$18, registration required. Heritage Park and Museums, 6600 Donlon Way, Dublin. 925-833-6650. dublin.ca.gov

The annual spring-themed event will feature a community parade, live entertainment with Andy Z and the Puppet Art Theater Company, magic shows, egg hunts for those ages 4-9, Easter Bunny photo ops and more.

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. Registration required for egg hunt. Central Park, 50 E. Fifth Ave., San Mateo. cityofsanmateo.org

Take photos with the Easter Bunny and participate in an egg hunt divided by age for kids under 11.

9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16. Free. Corte Madera Town Park, 498 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera. townofcortemadera.org

Kids ages 3-10 are invited to bring their own baskets and help the bunny find 10,000 eggs hidden around the park.

9:15-11 a.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. Twin Pines Park, One Twin Pines Lane, Belmont. 650-595-7441. belmont.gov

Event will feature childrens games, arts and crafts, story time, a silent auction, live music and an egg hunt.

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Sports Field at Memorial Park, 1325 Portland Ave., Albany. 510-600-3416. albanypreschool.org

Get an Easter egg right from the big bunny after they arrive to the outdoor site by helicopter at 11 a.m.. The after is also set to include face-painting, a bounce house and slide, and a model train display.

10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16. Included with museum admission. Registration encouraged. Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos. hiller.org

The parade begins at 10 a.m. down Caledonia. Lineup begins at 9:45 a.m. at the Johnson Street Fire Station. The egg hunt starts at 10:15 in Dunphy Park, followed by live childrens music with In Harmony Music and an 11 a.m. Easter bonnet competition judged by the Sausalito Womens Club.

10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 16. Free. Johnson Street Fire Station, 333 Johnson St., Sausalito. Dunphy Park, Bridgeway and Napa streets, Sausalito. 415-289-4152. sausalito.gov

Join the family-friendly East Cut event with egg hunts for kids 5 and younger and 6 to 12, food and beverage vendors, live music, craft activities, photos with Mr. Bunny and more.

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free, registration required for egg hunts. The Crossing at East Cut, 250 Main St., S.F. 415-536-5880. theeastcut.org

Visit the farmers market on Easter weekend and pet chicks and bunnies, work on some Easter crafts for kids, pose for a photo with the Easter Bunny and more.

10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free, registration required for Easter bunny visits. Marin Country Mart, 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur. marincountrymart.com

The free, fun and educational event organized by UC Berkeley students consists of activity booths, live performances and egg hunts, with the goal of inspiring younger children to explore the benefits of higher education. The event is wheelchair-accessible, and there are hunts especially suited for toddlers and children in wheelchairs.

10 a.m.-noon, 12:30-2:30 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free, registration encouraged. Campanile Esplanade, UC Berkeley. 510-519-1856. eggster.org

Enjoy vendor booths; bounce houses; childrens arts and crafts activities, including egg-decorating, Easter bunny visit and photo op; egg hunt; raffles; Fur, Scales and Tales live animal show; live music and more.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $5, registration encouraged. Marina Park, 13801 Monarch Bay Drive, San Leandro. 415-571-9718.

Get the jump on registering the kids for summer camp and swim lessons. Enjoy local food vendors; Oakland mobile library; free bicycle tune-ups; community resources; youth arts and crafts activities and more.

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free, registration required for egg hunt. Emeryville Center, 4727 San Pablo Ave., Emeryville. 510-596-4300. ci.emeryville.ca.us

Score a table for brunch and enjoy live entertainment, Easter bunnies and treats. If there are no seats, visit with the Easter Bunny for a photo op and factory tour from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., April 8-15 and 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 16. Limited seating; email jbevents@jellybelly.com to reserve a table. Jelly Belly Visitor Center, One Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield. 707-399-2390. jellybelly.com

A spring event for the family features egg hunts, live entertainment, official city trucks and vehicles to explore, kids activities and food trucks. Free bike valet parking courtesy of the San Francisco Bike Coalition.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. Crocker Amazon Park, 799 Moscow St., S.F. 415-831-6834. sfrecpark.org

Experience a display of beautiful blooms and celebrate with the Easter Bunny, as the zoo hosts a holiday event with four egg hunts organized by age (for those 3-8) featuring chocolate treats and toys. Learn fascinating facts about different animal eggs while strolling around the grounds and take a crack at prizes with their online Eggs Gone Wild quiz.

11 a.m. Saturday, April 16. Included with zoo admission. Reservations required. San Francisco Zoo, Sloat Boulevard at the Great Highway, S.F.415-753-7080. sfzoo.org

Both events include a private Easter egg hunt and basket scavenger hunt, buffet-style breakfast or afternoon tea and snacks, unlimited rides on the carousel, visit/photos with the Easter Bunny.

9-11 a.m. breakfast; 3-5 p.m. tea party Sunday, April 17. $35-$55, reservations required. Tilden Park Merry Go Round, Central Park Drive, Berkeley. 510-559-1004. tildenmerrygoround.org

Join the Easter Bunny and hunt for surprises where the Pacific Ocean meets up with Golden Gate Park. A holiday menu with Easter- and spring-inspired specials will be available for dine-in or to-go dining. The restaurant will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

10-11 a.m. Sunday, April 17. Free for egg hunt, registration required. Dining reservations are highly recommended. Park Chalet, 1000 Great Highway, S.F. 415-386-8439. parkchalet.com

The event includes an arts and crafts event at Unity, followed by an Easter egg hunt across the street in the mini-park.

11 a.m. Sunday, April 17. Unity, 240 Page St., S.F. 415-474-0440. unitysf.com

Have your little ones, ages 1-8, bring a basket to collect treats as they disembark from rides for a meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Pixieland Amusement Park, 2740 E. Olivera Road, Concord. 925-676-9612. pixieland.com

Get your young children, ages 1-8, ready to hop into action, rain or shine, with egg hunts, face-painting, games, craft activities and a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Noon-2 p.m. Sunday, April 17. City Park, 150 Military W, Benicia. 707-580-4572. beniciakiwanis.org

Children are invited to join an Easter egg hunt to celebrate the holiday. It will take place around the outdoor plaza.

12:30-1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Free, registration encouraged. Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St., S.F. 415-749-6300. gracecathedral.org

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Where to find public Easter egg hunts in the Bay Area in 2022 - SF Chronicle Datebook

WASHINGTON The State Department says it is unable to compile a complete and accurate accounting of gifts presented to former President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials by foreign governments during Trumps final year in office, citing missing data from the White House.

In a report to be published in the Federal Register next week, the department says the Executive Office of the President did not submit information about gifts received by Trump and his family from foreign leaders in 2020. It also says the General Services Administration didnt submit information about gifts given to former Vice President Mike Pence and White House staffers that year.

The State Department said it sought the missing information from National Archives and Records Administration and the General Services Administration, but was told that potentially relevant records are not available because of access restrictions related to retired records.

The State Departments Office of Protocol reported the situation in footnotes to a partial list of gifts received by U.S. officials in 2020. The office publishes such lists annually in part to guard against potential conflicts of interest. A preview of the 2020 report was posted on the Federal Register website on Friday ahead of its formal publication on Monday.

The report notes that the lack of gift information could be related to internal oversights as the protocol office neglected to submit the request for data to all reporting agencies prior to January 20, 2021, when the Trump administration ended and the Biden administration began. However, it also noted that there had been a lack of adequate record keeping pertaining to diplomatic gifts between Jan. 20, 2017, when Trump took office, and his departure from the White House four years later.

The State Department report comes as House lawmakers have opened an investigation into reports that Trump had taken boxes of classified materials with him to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after leaving office last year. The National Archives and Records Administration has asked the Justice Department to look into the matter.

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, meanwhile, has identified an almost 8-hour gap in official White House records of Trumps phone calls as the violence unfolded and his supporters stormed the building, according to two people familiar with the probe.

Regarding the 2020 gifts, the department said it had made attempts to collect the required data from the current authoritative sources but it has confirmed that potentially relevant records are not available to the State Departments Office of the Chief of Protocol under applicable access rules for retired records of the Executive Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President.

As a result, the data required to fully compile a complete listing for 2020 is unavailable, it said.

Gift records for Trump administration officials such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Central Intelligence Agency chief Gina Haspel are included in the limited 2020 report, as are records for other senior diplomats, Pentagon and CIA officials.

Story by Matthew Lee

More articles from the BDN

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State Department: WH gift records for Donald Trump, Mike Pence missing - Bangor Daily News

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) As speculation swirls over his potential 2024 presidential run, former Vice President Mike Pence will speak about his policy agenda for Republicans at the University of Virginia next week during an event hosted by a conservative group.

Pences speech will focus on educational freedom, free speech and his Freedom Agenda platform, according to his political advocacy organization.

The April 12 event is being hosted by the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Virginia, which is tied to the conservative group Young Americas Foundation but not affiliated with the university.

Pences appearance is part of Young Americas Foundations Ken & Janice Shengold Advancing Freedom Lecture Series, which had previous stops at Stanford University and the University of Iowa. Students and other demonstrators protested against the former vice presidents appearance on both those campuses.

The University of Virginias campus newspaper, the Cavalier Daily, published an editorial on March 17 calling out school leaders and labeling Pences views on LGBTQ individuals and their rights, immigrants and minorities as dangerous rhetoric that is not entitled a platform.

The LGBTQ+ individuals Pence has attacked, the Black lives he refuses to value and the successful stories of immigration he and the former president hope to prevent these very people are our peers, our neighbors and our community members. We refuse to condone platforming Pence, the editorial reads.

The Washington Post editorial board issued an op-ed in response, saying Pence has faced backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike and deserves to be heard. They cited the GOPs attacks on the former vice president after he refused to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

Whatever ones views on former vice president Mike Pence ours have been critical theres no denying that efforts to silence and cancel him have been bipartisan. They are also unwarranted, The Washington Posts editorial board wrote.

Pences recently unveiled Freedom Agenda provides a framework for Republican congressional candidates for this years midterms, including proposals to cut taxes, enhance the US Navys fleet and make investments in new technology. The agenda also sticks with far-right talking points, including a goal of ending woke culture in the military.

While he has not made any announcements, the release of the policy agenda, Pences decision to distance himself from former President Donald Trump and his series of speaking events across the country has fed the speculation that Pence is planning a run in 2024.

The event starts at 7 p.m. and will be held in Old Cabell Hall.

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Mike Pence to speak at the University of Virginia amid uproar, 2024 rumors - WRIC ABC 8News

The Trump administration did not provide information about gifts from foreign governments in 2020 received by former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and other White House officials, the State Department said on Friday.

As a result, the department said it could not compile a complete and accurate accounting of gifts received by Trump, his family, and other officials during his final year in office.

Under federal law, government employees are required to disclose any gifts from foreign governments with a value of over $415 to prevent bribery and undue influence.

The Trump administration's failure to provide the information is the latest example of its tendency to flout rules and norms.

"It's flagrant, and it looks terrible," Richard W. Painter, the former top ethics lawyer for George W. Bush's administration, told The New York Times. "Either it was really stupid or really corrupt."

Although foreign trips were limited in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper noted that Trump visited Switzerland and India, where he received gifts including a bust of Gandhi, a marble sculpture of Gandhi's famous "three monkeys" metaphor, and a spinning wheel.

The White House was also visited by foreign leaders from at least a dozen countries.

The State Department's Office of Protocol made the revelation about the missing data in the footnotes of a partial list of gifts received by US officials in 2020, published on Friday. While run by a Trump appointee, the department said its Office of the Chief of Protocol did not submit the request for data, and the White House did not provide it.

The State Department said it has since attempted to collect the missing information from current authoritative sources but was told that "potentially relevant records" are not available because of "access rules for retired records."

It also noted that there had generally been a "lack of adequate record-keeping pertaining to diplomatic gifts" during Trump's time in office.

Ethics expert Richard W. Painter told The New York Times that by failing to disclose the gifts, the Trump White House violated the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution, which makes it illegal to take gifts from foreigners without permission from Congress.

However, the clause has no criminal or civil penalties, which he said makes it extremely difficult to hold former officials accountable.

Trump officials had a history of poor record-keeping.

Federal authorities are investigating whether Trump aides improperly removed 15 boxes of classified documents and gifts from the White House to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

It was also previously revealed that dozens of items went missing from the State Department's gift vault during the transition from the Trump to Biden administrations, including a $5,800 bottle of whisky given to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the Japanese government.

Trump officials also kept robes made of tiger and cheetah fur and an ivory dagger gifted by the Saudi royal family, despite a White House lawyer determining that the items most likely violated the Endangered Species Act. The furs were fake, it was eventually revealed.

Trump aides were also investigated by the State Department over allegations that they stole goodie bags meant for foreign dignitaries attending the 2020 G7 summit that was canceled due to the pandemic.

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Records of foreign gifts given to Trump and Pence in 2020 are missing, State Department says - Business Insider Africa

With only 1,500 students on a small-town campus in southern Michigan, Hillsdale College is far from the power corridors of government and top-ranked universities.

But it has outsize influence in the conservative world, with strong ties to the Washington elite. Republican leaders frequently visit, and Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the 2016 commencement address, calling Hillsdale a shining city on a hill for its devotion to liberty as an antecedent of government, not a benefit from government.

Now the college is making new efforts to reach beyond its campus, this time with an even younger audience. The college is fighting what it calls progressive and leftist academics by expanding its footprint in the charter school world, pushing the boundaries on the use of taxpayer money for politically tinged education.

Hillsdale has ambitious plans to add to its network of classical public charter schools, which focus on the centrality of the Western tradition. And Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee recently invited the college to start 50 schools using public funds, including $32 million set aside for charter facilities. Hillsdales network currently includes 24 schools in 13 states.

The college has also developed the 1776 Curriculum, which sets out to portray America as an exceptionally good country. During a time when education has become inflamed by divisive cultural debates, Hillsdale has been criticized for its glossy spin on American history as well as its ideological tilt on topics like affirmative action. Educators and historians have also raised questions about other instruction at Hillsdales charter schools, citing their negative take on the New Deal and the Great Society and cursory presentation of global warming.

Mr. Lee, a Republican, sees his new charter school expansion as part of an effort to develop what he called informed patriotism in Tennessee students.

For decades, Hillsdale College has been the standard-bearer in quality curriculum and in the responsibility of preserving American liberty, Mr. Lee told lawmakers recently. I believe their efforts are a good fit for Tennessee.

Charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run, have been more commonly promoted as alternatives to low-performing schools in urban centers. In Tennessee, they have been clustered in the states four biggest cities, where like other charters, they have been criticized for siphoning money and students out of more traditional public schools.

Mr. Lees plan envisions an expansion into suburban and rural areas where, like many Hillsdale charter schools, they would most likely enroll children who are whiter and more affluent than the average charter school pupil.

In that way, the Hillsdale schools could be something of a publicly funded off-ramp for conservative parents who think their local schools misinterpret history and push a socially progressive agenda on issues from race and diversity to sexuality and gender.

Ive been following charter schools over the last 25 years, and Ive never seen a governor attempting to use charters in such an overtly political way, said Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Youve had governors whove encouraged the growth of charters to provide more high-quality options for parents, but its highly unusual to see a governor deploy the charter mechanism for admittedly political purposes.

Hillsdale was founded in 1844 by abolitionists. In the years since, its conservative reputation has allowed the college to seed graduates throughout the political firmament. Former Trump officials like Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo have spoken there. Ginni Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Justice Thomas, once led the colleges Washington program.

The college accepts no state or federal funding, including no student grants or loans, allowing it to avoid some government oversight, such as compliance with federal Title IX rules governing sexual discrimination.

Instead, it relies partly on donations from conservative benefactors that are fueled by aggressive fund-raising campaigns, including on Rush Limbaughs radio program before he died, and in Hillsdales widely circulated digest, Imprimis, which is known for provocative articles including a 2017 piece in which President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was called a hero to populist conservatives around the world.

In a recent fund-raising appeal, Hillsdale pleaded for $17.76 to help counter leftist academics teaching a biased and distorted view of American history. The pitch cited The New York Timess 1619 project which argues that slavery and white supremacy are dominant themes in American history as an example of false teaching in schools.

Money from these pitches helps finance Hillsdales charter school operation, which began in 2010 with a grant from the Chicago-based Barney Family Foundation, endowed by Stephen M. Barney, a financial industry executive.

In addition to Hillsdales 22 member charter schools, which receive a full suite of Hillsdale curriculum and training, two other public schools are regarded as affiliates that use Hillsdales curriculum, with eight more affiliates poised to open, including one in Tennessee. Applications are filed for more schools, including three of the 50 additional schools Hillsdale has said it plans to open in Tennessee.

The Hillsdale charter schools are neither owned nor managed by Hillsdale. Instead, the schools enter agreements to use the Hillsdale curriculum and the college provides training for faculty and staff, as well as other assistance all free of charge.

By offering these services, Hillsdale seems to be trying to thread a needle creating a vast K-12 network that embraces its pedagogy and conservative philosophy, in many cases taught by its graduates, while tapping into government money to run the schools.

Hillsdales president, Larry P. Arnn, and his daughter Kathleen OToole, who runs the charter school initiative, declined interviews. But in a speech last year to Hillsdale supporters in Tennessee, Dr. Arnn outlined his vision for expansion including plans for a new masters program to train teachers in classical education, a home-school division, online students and education centers.

Its a grand adventure, he said.

At Atlanta Classical Academy, one of the member schools in Hillsdales network, the motto Virtus, Scientia, Felicitas is inscribed in the lobby, near a photograph of Frederick Douglass, the once enslaved abolitionist writer and orator, who is now lauded by American conservatives for his emphasis on self-reliance.

In its classrooms, from kindergarten to 12th grade, students are immersed in phonics, Latin, Greco-Roman culture and classic literature, all in pursuit of what Atlanta Classical calls the enduring Great Conversation of Western civilization.

In a kindergarten class in March, pupils dissected letters, like the ck at the end of the word click, reciting a rule in unison: use only after a single, short vowel.

Its a very prescriptive program, explained Matthew Kirby, the schools director, a former Navy lieutenant. Its a bit painstaking, but theyll do that every day to be explicitly taught hundreds of words in the course of a year.

Martina Svoboda, whose two children attend the school, said she applied eight years ago spurred by overcrowded schools in Atlanta and problems communicating with her sons teacher. We were frustrated through the year, she said.

Atlanta Classical has smaller classrooms, friendly teachers and direct communication, she said.

While many educators applaud the phonics and rigor, they question the infusion of conservative politics into the curriculum, particularly in history. Hillsdales 1776 Curriculum, an ambitious 2,400-page program released last year, appears to be partly an outgrowth of President Donald J. Trumps 1776 Commission which Dr. Arnn chaired.

One passage contained in the curriculum, originally from the 1776 Commission report, openly criticizes affirmative action.

The heady spirit of the original civil rights movement proved to be short lived, the passage says, giving way to programs such as affirmative action that ran counter to the lofty ideals of the Founders.

Sean Wilentz, a professor at Princeton who was one of the chief critics of The Timess 1619 Project, also criticized the 1776 Curriculum, calling it overly positive.

It talks about the enormity of slavery, but in almost every case, everything thats bad about America will be undone by what is good, Dr. Wilentz said. Almost, literally, that American ideals will overcome whatever evils may be there.

Hillsdales history curriculum also appears to take on the modern liberal state. A school curriculum guide posted in one schools charter lists the book New Deal or Raw Deal? How FDRs Economic Legacy Has Damaged America. The author, Burton Folsom Jr., is a fellow and professor emeritus at Hillsdale, and a frequent speaker at conservative conferences.

The National Center for Science Education also reviewed the 2018 science curriculum, after an unsuccessful effort by Arizona officials to adopt it in public schools.

The phrase climate change doesnt appear at all, and global warming occurs only once, at the sixth-grade level, as global warming theory, Glenn Branch, the organizations deputy director, wrote in an email.

A spokeswoman for Hillsdale said the current science curriculum included texts that discuss climate change.

Hillsdale is also quick to note that its schools have done well pointing to higher-than-average SAT scores among its students nationally. Atlanta Classicals students have some of the highest scores among schools in Georgia and a bulletin board in the schools hallway attests to its students prestigious college admissions, including Harvard and Morehouse.

The students are selected through a citywide lottery, but the schools location in affluent Buckhead may deter some applicants. In a city where 73 percent of public school students are Black and 17 percent white, Atlanta Classical Academy is the mirror image: 17 percent Black and 71 percent white, according to a 2020 state report.

Overall, Hillsdales charter school racial demographics are close to that of the Atlanta Classical students. That is a departure from charter schools nationally, which are about 30 percent white.

Theyre catering to white families and affluent families, said Charisse Gulosino, an associate professor of leadership and policy studies at the University of Memphis, whose research has found that students in suburban charter schools do not outperform their public school counterparts.

Not all of Hillsdales charter school collaborations have been successful. Hillsdale recently announced it is ending ties with Tallahassee Classical School in Florida.

The school, approved by the state despite local opposition, set out to serve a diverse student body. But two teachers interviewed by The Times said they suspected that the school was trying to jettison low-performing students, a tactic that charter schools have been accused of as a way to increase test scores.

One of the teachers, Katie Butler, who is no longer employed by Tallahassee Classical, described how a dozen students, almost all Black, were dismissed last spring, just before state assessment tests were administered.

Tallahassee Classical said in a statement that the dismissals followed excessive absences; Hillsdale said it was unaware of the dismissals until being contacted by a reporter.

Sonja Moore, the mother of two of the dismissed children, said her family had not recovered, even though a year had gone by.

Its still very much affecting our everyday lives, Ms. Moore said. I went to that school because it was a Hillsdale school. Im a conservative registered Republican, which hurt all the more.

But Hillsdale, and Republicans, sees the need to expand, and fast.

Richard Corcoran, Floridas departing secretary of education, appeared at Hillsdale last year, where he applauded efforts to move quickly in Tennessee by placing students in seats before a liberal governor could take over.

Once thats accomplished, Mr. Corcoran said, You cant put the animals back in the barn.

Link:
The Conservative College Thats Expanding to Charter Schools - The New York Times