davis_square | Proposed new charter school

Entry tags:

schools

Proposed new charter school

There is a proposal for a new charter school in Somerville. The state (DESE) will be reviewing the application for the next few weeks and will possibly grant the charter on February 28th. If granted this charter school will undermine the existing Somerville Public Schools by reducing school funding by nearly $5 million a year, which is almost 10% of the current school budget. This cut in funding will lead to devastating cuts in public school programs, loss of 60 -75 teachers, and potentially closure of an entire school. This would represent a huge set back for public education in Somerville, setting back much of the progress that has been made in our schools in the last 25 years.

There will be a public hearing by the DESE on this on December 14 2011 at Somerville High School. More info can be found at:

https://sites.google.com/site/progresstogetherforsomerville

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/archives/21168

http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=6532

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/education/x1638750236/Local-parents-proposed-charter-school-for-Somerville#axzz1f1VMqDim

Long story short, the superintendent seems to be totally uninterested in working with the families who want better schools for their kids, and so they decided to get together with a variety of different folks to create a program that serves their more progressive educational needs. The program will ONLY serve Somerville residents, apparently.

no, in the application Medford is listed as a feeder school.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/medford/topstories/x1626870826/Medford-School-Committee-opposes-new-Somerville-charter-school#axzz1funQHBl2

Perhaps things have changed. Impossible to know without seeing the actual paperwork.

I live to serve:
http://www.thespcs.org/home/official-documents/SPCS_Final_Application_2011-12.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Thanks!

Er, where do you think you saw this confirmed? I didn't see anything about it in the application, but the SPCS web site says this:

Who is eligible to attend?
All resident of Massachusetts are eligible to attend a State charter school. Realistically, since Somerville residents will have enrollment priority, most if not all students will be Somerville residents.

http://www.thespcs.org/home/faqs

Thanks! This was useful.

I have a kid, but she is not school-aged yet. I also have a PhD in science education (from Tufts) and as part of that spent some time doing research in both public and charter schools (mostly middle schools). My experience is that charter schools are all over the map in terms of quality. The good ones are a combination of strong thematic elements and a public/private sponsorship. The bad ones are the purely public ones that do nothing more than try to replicate a public education, but without the oversight. It's a complex issue that should not be judged as white and black.

Based on what's in this article alone, I think it sounds like a good idea. It will serve almost 500 students who have been identified as needing special help (immigrants and first generation) and provide a learning environment that is not available to public schools (native language classrooms).

As to whether Somerville should love $5 million to educate those 500 students, I can't say. I haven't looked into it in detail. But, generally, immigrant students cost a *lot* more to educate than native students because they have a higher special education rate.

I don't believe their actual proposal makes any claims that it would provide native language classrooms. (Neither does the article - it mentions an after-school program - optional and perhaps even for pay, is what that wording makes me thingk -- that would provide "instruction in students native languages", according to the Somerville Journal.) I have not read the proposal, but I am not sure that that "instruction" is acutally, you know, math lessons being taught in Spanish, rather offering enrichment classes in Spanish, French, and Portugu

The UNIDOS program in the SPS does in fact have two-way bilingual Spanish-English instruction, fwiw.

I don't believe they address how these particular most needy 500 students (iin a school that will only take 180 students ramping up to 425, btw) would get any preferential treatment in admissions or even be encouraged to apply, either. (They *can't* give them preferential treatment., in fact - charter schools have to run neutral lottery, in theory.)

In Somerville, students in need ofthe most English-language learning help are actually bused to whatever school building has the language program they need. The Charter won't provide that transportation.

Bottom line: I don't see any reason why it would

Bottom line: is missing. Sorry. Bottom line: I don't see any reason to convince me that a charter school is an effective way to specifically enroll english language learners or to provide Somerville's more economically challenged or more academically challenged immigrant community with access to more educational opportunities.

It will expand the options for families. Rather than having just one dual language program that they have to compete to get into, there will now be two, each with their own different approach.

Can you point me to the source that the charter school will have a dual language program, equivalent in quality to Unidos? I thought they were offering 1/2 hour of language instruction a day, plus an optional after school program.

"SPCS will expand our city’s educational options by offering a fully progressive, democratic school that is designed to meet the needs—and capitalize on the strengths—of Somerville’s large immigrant population."

Seems pretty much in the basic goal of the school. Plus, since it's a democratic school where the kids get to make decisions it's clear that, at least in theory, that every kid would get the kind of environment that best serves their own unique intersts and needs.

Again, this is a huge challenge to pull of, but it's at least a worthy goal that is better than mainstream authoritarian/politically governed schools.

But there won't. The SPCS as desscribed would NOT have a dual language program. It will have optional afterschool enrichment programs in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

"In the lower grades, students will have a minimum of 105
minutes each day of ELA"

Also, remember this is a democratically run school, so what the parents, teachers, and students want, collectively, is what they will do.

Plus, they specifically say they offer afterschool programs to help work with students in three different non-English languages.

Yup, that'd be the French, Spanish, and Portuguese afterschool enrichment I mentioned.

ELA is the currently used acronym for "English and Language Arts" -- What your schol growing up might have called reading or language or English class depending on grade level, decade, and what sort of school you went to. That's not unique to whether kids are learning English as a second language, proficient in English, native speakers, or what. And it's certainly not a dual-language immersion program.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Proposed new charter school

Here's a litte more info for balanced reporting. :-)

Re: Here's a litte more info for balanced reporting. :-)

I don't see an application listed there...

Re: I don't see an application listed there...

OK, confirmation: ONLY Somerville residents can attend the school

Re: OK, confirmation: ONLY Somerville residents can attend the school

Re: Here's a litte more info for balanced reporting. :-)

Re: Here's a litte more info for balanced reporting. :-)

Re: Here's a litte more info for balanced reporting. :-)

Why it will help...

is the charter really dual language?

Re: is the charter really dual language?

Re: Why it will help...

Then what is...

Re: Then what is...