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"The process has already begun," Blazer said Thursday. "The important part of what we do now is to do what we've been doing all along, which is creating a school that would be a great asset and treasure for our community."
The county board will vote on the charter within 60 days once a complete application is submitted.
William S. Hart Union High School District board members deadlocked late Wednesday over whether to approve a charter with the Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences.
If approved, the school would remain in the Santa Clarita Valley and would be able to serve local students. The charter would undergo minor changes to reflect the county's role in the proposed school.
If the county rejects the plan, Blazer said he would bring it to the State Board of Education.
School founders plan to open the free, public academy in the fall with 225 students in grades seven to nine, eventually running through the 12th grade. It would be California's first Hebrew-language charter school.
If it becomes a grade 7-12 school, students would be required to take four years of Hebrew during their six years. A secondary language of Greek, Latin, Spanish or Arabic would be taken for two years.
Currently, the Hart district schools only offer Spanish.
Concerns over charter
Hart district board members were hung up on a range of concerns Wednesday night, including whether the school received enough signatures in its petition, if it could provide enough special education services and how the school would separate church and state.
Board member Gloria Mercado-Fortine recused herself from voting. She provided consulting services to Blazer last year when he began the charter school application process.
Board member Steve Sturgeon said he has reservations about how the school would separate church and state.
"They didn't really meet the requirements at a level of satisfaction for us," he said.
Blazer said he worked with the district to make the revisions requested by board members during the initial hearing in January.
"We recognize it was a major decision for the district," Blazer said.
The Einstein Academy doesn't fit the criteria for why charter schools were established, Sturgeon said.
"Charter schools were intended to improve school districts that were not delivering an adequate level of education," he said.
The Hart district has remained a top-performing school district that benefits students.
"Every charter school that we have supported is offering an education to a group of students that we are probably not meeting," he said.
Sturgeon said in 10 years, he's never had a request for Hebrew, Greek or Latin to be taught within the Hart district.
Support for school
Blazer said there has been an "overwhelming" interest from parents for the academy. The school would provide a college preparatory education that would emphasize global and cultural awareness, a growing need among students.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has pledged his support for the school, as have other supervisors.
"Charter schools increase opportunities for learning, create choices for parents and students and encourage innovative teaching practices," Antonovich wrote in a letter dated Tuesday to board President Paul Strickland. "Providing students with an opportunity for a rigorous college preparatory educational experience and an opportunity to learn foreign languages not currently offered in the district can prepare students for greater success in their future."
Board member Joe Messina's motion was to approve the charter for two years and appoint a Hart board member to the Einstein Academy's board.
"I would have rather been in a position to be an ally of the school rather than an adversary," Messina said.
He also recognizes the precedent approving a charter school like the Einstein Academy would set.
"I think this carries on to other charter schools that come to us," he said.
Messina said he thinks the Einstein Academy will eventually be approved, given that other Hebrew-language charter schools across the country exist.
And while Messina said he doesn't think the Einstein Academy is a religious school, separating religion from language and culture is tough.
"I think they're going to have a challenge," he said.
