FAILURE TO LAUNCH: In a follow up from our profile on Rocketship's expansion, the San Jose-based charter network has officially pulled its appeal to open a school in the Morgan Hill District, south of San Jose. Morgan Hill had rejected the charter for a Rocketship elementary school at a November 2013 board meeting based on concerns over high student-to-staff ratios, the use of uncertified coaches, and that the "blended learning model was not innovative," according to the board notes. Rocketship was planning to appeal the decision to the Santa Clara County Board of Education, which had previously approved opening 20 Rocketshipschools in the county by 2020. However, on Wednesday, January 8, Rocketship confirmed that it would withdraw the petition.
