Proposed new charter school

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

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

Comments

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the (maybe) news, but this post is long on alarm and short on detail. What is the name of the charter? Who is proposing it? What stage of approval is it at? If we're concerned about it, who should we speak to?

[veek.livejournal.com]

Can you provide any more details than that? Is it publicly filed somewhere? Who is behind it? Where can we get more information?

[gingicat]

What everyone else said. How is it different from the charter school outside of Union Square?

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Are you going for the award for most useless+alarmist post, here, or what?

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

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.

Thee 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

I would encourage folks to attend and support our public school system!

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

Yes, as a parent with a child at the Brown School I am very alarmed!

Editorial from the Mayor:

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

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

From the DESE site:

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

[ron_newman]

This is not a useful post without additional information or links. It doesn't even suggest a course of action for people who may agree with you. May I suggest editing the post to add appropriate links?

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Disasterous? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I can't do the whole history of this issue justice, but I can say that for every kid that leaves the Somerville Public Schools for the new charter school, the school system loses far more state aid than should be proportional. The best numbers I have seen to date suggest that the public schools will lose between $2.9 and $5 million a year once a transition period is over.

That leaves behind several thousand students in the public schools with less money to try to achieve better results. Why does the state take resources away from school systems that are challenged? Why not give them more resources instead?

In addition, I have read the charter school proposal (its on their web site, posted below) and I find it very big on acronyms and feel-good statements but short on details. On the other hand, as a consumer of what the state considers a "failing" public school, I see my child thriving.

Some web links

The Somerville Progessive Charter School:

http://www.somervilleprogressivecharterschool.org


Progess Together for Somerville (a group of parents involved in trying to use this crisis to get improvements to the public schools - one part of which is to keep the state from granting this charter this year):

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

friendly moderator note

[ron_newman]

If you edit your post to say what you just said in this comment, it will be a lot more useful.

Please include the meeting time, which (according to the Progress Together website) is 4 to 6 pm. Not very convenient for most working folks!

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

See my comments. Plenty of info and links there.

Proposed course of action:

check out the links. There is plenty of info there.

If you agree that this is a really bad thing, then attend the hearing and speak your mind, or write to the DESE, Alderman, Mayor, State Senator and Rep, expressing how you feel.

This whole issue just became public a few short weeks ago, and in a few more weeks the state will make a decision. Considering the huge amount of money involved, it is a disturbingly short period of time for the community to process its implications and voice their opinions.

[ron_newman]

I saw your comments. I now suggest that you edit some version of them into the original post -- including the date, time, and location of the public hearing.

disasterous

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

dis·as·trous/diˈzastrəs/
Adjective:
Causing great damage.
Highly unsuccessful.

Yup, right word.

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

Very. The PHA is a multidistrict charter school, so it does not take as much from any one school district.

This is a proposal for a "Commonwealth Charter" in Somerville, so the costs will be born Somerville Schools.

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

yes, do you think I have a shot at it?

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

thanks, I did not want to load the first post with too much info, so I thought I would add more in a comment. Unfortunately I do not type as fast as everyone responded!

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Totally. Nice going.

Re: friendly moderator note

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

okay, thanks, I was concerned that this would be too much for the first post.

Re: friendly moderator note

[ron_newman]

Your useful comment that I responded to above is short enough not to require an lj-cut.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

A Charter School is a public school. It is not private. It is not tuition based.

SMH

[anyee.livejournal.com]

Is this...trolling? If so, it is very interesting. I find your techniques intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, it is a public school in that it is publicly financed. But it is not a public school in the sense of a public school district (which is the term I meant to use above rather than "public school.") For one thing, a true public school district has to take all comers - a charter school has an explicit cap on enrollment and therefore more certainty as to variable costs. In addition, students that require some special education services (not all, but some) are not allowed to enroll in the charter school and instead will be serviced by the public school district, at its expense.

Doesn't seem like a level playing field to me.

[ron_newman]

It's a public school but it becomes its own little silo separate from the rest of the city's public school system.

If it draws tax money away from the rest of the schools, that can be some cause for concern, especially if the reduced revenue for the rest of the school system requires cuts in programs or curricula.

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

I am counting on your support. btw, do you have kids?