The on-going controversy surrounding charter schools —Do they unfairly siphon crucial money away from already struggling local schools to serve a self-selecting group of families? Or do they offer important models of educational innovation, and serve kids not well served by more traditional schools? Discuss.—has done little to slow down the rush of applicants eager to start new charter schools.
According to the state Department of Education, 42 groups have recently submitted prospectuses to start their own schools, the largest number since 1997. That rush of interest is spurred by new education reform legislation that will incrementally raise the cap on how much districts can spend on charter-school funding, from the current nine percent to an eventual 18 percent.
The new law applies specifically to school districts whose MCAS scores fall in the bottom 10 percent statewide, a list that includes Springfield. The recent fiasco at the Robert Hughes Academy charter school—a mess that included an MCAS cheating scandal, the hiring of a convicted felon to a leadership position, and nest of sticky conflict-of-interest questions, and that led to the DOE’s decision to shut down the school—has apparently not scared away would-be charter school founders in the city, however. Of the 42 prospectuses, eight would be based in or serve students from Springfield.
While DOE has a list of all applicants on its website, it does not include the full prospectuses. Fortunately, the Springfield Institute has collected and posted all eight prospectuses on its website. Among the applicants: The Barbara Rivera Regional Community Action Charter School, named for the late North End activist and run by the New North Citizens Council, her base of power for many years; the college-prep Collegiate Charter School, to be affiliated with American International College; and the Excellence Charter School, with its “special emphasis on math, computers, and Tae Kwon Do.”
And if you really want to scare the slouchy pants off your slacker tween, have him or her take a look at the stern description of the Veritas Prep Charter School, which would include a “paycheck token economy system,” under which kids earn—or lose—something called DRIVE Dollars (that’s for Determination, Responsibility, Integrity, Vision, Enthusiasm). “Students earn DRIVE Dollars individually and may lose DRIVE Dollars for exhibiting behaviors that do not uphold the DRIVE values (i.e. unprepared for class, not paying attention, not doing HW, disrespect),” according to the prospectus. “DRIVE Dollars are used to purchase mission-appropriate materials (college notebooks, pens, and t-shirts) and school supplies. Students can accumulate DRIVE Dollars for rewards such as field trips and events. Paychecks are tallied weekly and sent home for parental review and signature, and are returned to school each Monday. … Paychecks tell families how students have done in the previous week in regards to attendance, behavior, and homework.”
According to DOE, “Founding groups whose prospectuses show the most promise will be notified by mid-September and encouraged to submit a full application.” Final decisions on which schools get charters will be made at a Feb. 28 meeting of DOE’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
