Open Letter to the People of Gloucester

Dear Friends,

On Tuesday the Board of Education narrowly decided 6-5 to grant the Gloucester Community Arts School a charter. Here is a summary of the past few months. I want people to know that our efforts were extensive and that they did not go unnoticed--though it feels like they did. It is unfortunate that the charter application process is as flawed and undemocratic as it is. The fact that 6 individuals who do not intimately know the needs of our town or send their children to our schools can decide whether or not we need this school in the face of huge community opposition is unconscionable. Please take a few minutes to stroll down memory lane with me and take note of what we have been up against and what we have accomplished.

1. The school district released projections of how the charter school would affect approximately 3200 students--while 240 would enjoy capped classes of 20. One or two school closings and more teacher and staff cuts resulting in larger class sizes were projected.

2. The GCA applicants claimed to have cost-saving measures for the district; they had created a budget based on information given to them by Christopher Farmer. When it came time to reveal this budget, they would not produce it. People who have been paying attention to money in the city know that there is no "magic" budget.

3. On December 11, 2008, the state held a 3 1/2 hour (the longest the state has seen) public hearing during which 17 people spoke in support of the charter school. 7 of those people were founding board members. 48 people spoke out against the charter and 46 people were unable to speak due to time constraints. NOT ONE voting Board of Education member attended the hearing. At the 1/27/09 Board of Education meeting the board voted to waive the requirement in 603 CMR 1.04(3)(b) with respect to attendance by a member of the board at the public hearing.

4. By January 5, 2009 151 people opposing the school had written letters to Mitchell Chester at the Board of Education. 16 people wrote letters in support of the school. These numbers are especially important to take note of. Applicants claimed--after the hearing--that a lot of supporters were afraid to speak at the hearing because of the hostile reaction by a large number of people in the community. Letters, however, are different because the state does not reveal names. If our community was as desperate for a choice as the applicants say, founding members should have been able to get hundreds of people to write letters. They got 16 people, most likely including themselves as demonstrated at the public hearing. This is disgraceful. Whether applicants needed community support or not, they should have sought it. This is the spirit of community. This is the spirit of reform. This is the spirit of "together we can." To see a summary of the letter content and public hearing as produced by the DESE go here:

Summary

5. Mid-January, AFTER the letter writing deadline had passed, The Boston Foundation released a study about the Boston Public School System. THOUSANDS of charter school proponents statewide cited this study--irrelevant to Gloucester--when asking the Governor, the Secretary of Education and Commissioner Chester to lift the charter cap and approve the charter schools set to open in 2010. The well-oiled machine that is the statewide charter school lobby group is large-scale. Paul S. Grogan of the Boston Foundation is a major pro charter player. Our opposition group, small in comparison, fought on. We wrote letters to the Governor, to Secretary Reville and to the Commissioner again--even though the period for public commentary about the proposed charter had closed.

6. On February 13, 2009 Mitchell Chester issued a statement of recommendation for the GCA charter school while choosing not to recommend two other charter proposals. Many citizens of Gloucester were astonished as the GCA proposal had been misleading and dishonest. Why was the Commissioner unable to see this? Residents started calling the Governor's office and the Commissioner's office. They called again. And again. And again. By Monday afternoon, 2/23/09, the aides working at the state constituent's office were saying, "I'll add your name to the list. Yes. It's a long list. We've been getting calls all day."

7. After the successful pro charter lobby in January, Deval Patrick stopped waffling about charters and discussing problems with funding and issued statements in support of charter schools. On Tuesday, both of the Governor's men on the Board of Education voted in favor of the GCA school: Secretary Reville who wasn't actually present and Dana Mohler-Faria, President of Bridgewater State and Patrick's special advisor to education and instrumental in leading the Commonwealth's readiness project, quietly voted "yes."

8. I was told on Monday evening that--after meetings and letters and phone calls--8 board members would most likely be voting yes and 3 members would be voting no. I felt sad and defeated. I chose not to attend Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

9. Tuesday morning I learned about the final vote: 6-5. I was stunned. Two board members had changed their votes. 5 of 11 board members dismissed the Commissioner's recommendation to only consider the school's viability and voted no. They heard us--our collective voices. This is no small victory.

I'm sure that I've left out things. Please let me know what I've forgotten. Mainly, though, I want to say thank you for your efforts. Before I got involved with the process of opposing the charter, I was of the mind that most people don't have time or energy or motivation to act. It's difficult to get people to write letters. It's difficult to get people to care--especially with all the demands that are placed upon people every day. But you showed me. You showed me again and again how much you care about all of the children in our city.

The applicants may have their school (we'll see if the state writes a check), but they've lost credibility within their own community. They attained victory by riding on the backs of the statewide pro charter lobby, by participating in a seriously flawed application process that failed to produce a record of 400 petition signatures or more than 16 letters in support of the school--and by refusing to acknowledge our many voices; this is a hollow victory at best.

I am proud of all that we have accomplished in spite of serious deficits. I am proud of how hard we have fought for the district's children. And I am proud that I live in Gloucester with people willing to ask hard questions about class and inequity and a charter lottery system that favors involved and culturally and financially advantaged parents. I'm proud of the foundations that have been established to supplement our schools and make things better for all of Gloucester's students, especially those who most struggle to pass the MCAS. I'm proud of the teachers who are always innovative--who have been implementing the ideas in the GCA application for years. I'm proud of the teachers who are constantly trying to reach as many children as possible in as many creative ways as possible--though class sizes continue to grow. I'm proud of everyone who goes beyond what is expected of them. I'm proud of people who don't lose hope in the face of an enormous setback.

Thank you for all that you have done, all that you do and all that you will do for our community.

Sincerely and with great admiration and appreciation,

Jane Cunningham