LAKE ELSINORE - Backers of a proposal to convert an embattled magnet school into a charter school pleaded their case before Lake Elsinore school district leaders Friday at a public hearing.

A parade of the charter school's "founding members," mostly educators and parents, presented their proposal as an audience of about 125 people, many of whom support the petition, looked on.

Opposition to the charter from the district's union of nonteaching employees also emerged at the hearing held at the Lake Elsinore Unified School District's headquarters.

The group of parents and educators who wrote the charter school petition are asking that Ronald Reagan Elementary, a magnet school that employs what is called a constructivist teaching theory, be converted into a charter school by next year. They said they want to expand the use of the constructivist method, as well as have more overall control over how the school is run.

"Ronald Reagan Charter School will be the gem of the valley," founding member Rob Kent, a teacher at the magnet school, told district officials. "We stake our careers on it."

Most of those seeking the conversion are current or former teachers at Ronald Reagan, or parents of children enrolled there. About 420 "letters of intent" from parents who want to enroll their children in the proposed charter school have also been collected.

Under constructivism, the curriculum is presented with an emphasis on big concepts, students' questions are highly valued, pupils are viewed as thinkers with emerging theories about the world and students primarily work in groups. Also, students of varying ages have classes together.

In a traditional classroom, concepts are presented with an emphasis on basic skills, curriculum is strictly adhered to, students are viewed as "blank slates," they mostly work individually, and most classes are limited to students in the same age group.

On Friday, speakers touted their proposal as a way for the district to offer parents a choice, as the district does not have a charter school.

"Some parents want choice," said founding member Richard Shepler, who teaches at Ronald Reagan and who has had an accomplished career as a campus administrator and grant writer. "This allows students and families more alternatives. We would like to be your first charter school."

The presentation also touted letters of support from various agencies, and the petitioners contended most teachers at the school are supportive of the effort.

Under the petition, Ronald Reagan would become a campus that serves kindergarten through eighth-grade while continuing to employ the constructivist approach with multiage classrooms. It also calls for extended-school programs, the use of organic food, technology, academic interventions and a variety of after-school clubs, among other efforts.

Heavy parental involvement would also be a key component of the school, they said. The speakers emphasized that all of the state's educational standards - not just the ones on standardized tests - would be taught.

The impetus for the petition came from a heated June board meeting, at which dozens of parents and teachers passionately pleaded with trustees and administrators over the school's fate. They asked district leaders not to transfer the school's principal, Craig Richter, to another campus and to give the 2-year-old school more time to improve test scores. Their pleas did not stop the transfer.

The petition alleges use of the constructivist method has already begun eroding at the school and accuses district leaders of orchestrating that change starting late last spring. It cites examples such as the removal of Richter, one of the biggest proponents of the educational method, as well as the cancellation of constructivist training for teachers and the hiring of "non-constructivist educators."

On Friday, a few of the speakers reiterated those contentions to district leaders. Ronald Reagan's secretary Debbie Callahan said that when the campus opened, laughter, happiness, openness and mutual respect were commonplace. Now, she said, the campus has an oppressive, regimented feel and at least one teacher each day is in tears.

"You have boiled the life out of who and what we were," she said.

The petitioners told district leaders that they felt confident their charter would be approved either at the district, county or state level. But they said they wanted the district to approve it, citing a future with collaboration and partnerships.

District leaders had very few questions for the petitioners. Most of the questions focused on staffing, budgetary and procedural concerns. The petitioners are expected to provide the answers to officials soon.

A final decision on the proposal is expected by trustees in early November. The charter school petition is available online at www.leusdparents.com.

Whether the proposal won any support on the dais was unclear Friday, as trustees were mostly silent throughout the hearing. In June, they had voiced concerns about the magnet school and whether it was best for students. The school had posted disappointing standardized test results, but results from last year showed marked improvement.

Some opposition to the charter school has also begun to emerge. Lisa Towery, the labor relations representative for the district's nonteaching union, asked district leaders during the hearing to deny the charter. She cited myriad concerns, including that current employees at the campus are not guaranteed a job at the charter school, accrued seniority for workers would be lost, there are no specifics on the proposed pay scale, and the charter promotes contracting out many of the nonteaching jobs.

"The approval of such a charter would harm … employees," she said.