Applying to the GCA Charter School?

My View: Applying for charter school? Think of what we know
Jason Grow

Every responsible parent wants to make the best decisions they can for their children.

One that is especially important is where and how your child is educated.

Recently, the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School began accepting applications, and while it may be tempting to toss your child's name in the hat, take a moment to make an informed decision by looking at what we know about this school:

We know that the application submitted was deficient enough to warrant a "Do Not Recommend" rating by the professionals at the state Charter School Office charged with vetting proposals.

We know that the approval process by which the charter was granted was deeply flawed, including a violation of the regulations governing the public hearing process. And we know that there is enough concern over the legality of the process that the state inspector general and now the attorney general are investigating.

We know that the community input submitted to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) ran 10-1 against the creation of this school and that most if not all of the "partnerships" originally outlined in the application have subsequently been withdrawn.

We also know that Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester informed the BESE that community opposition was not a factor the board should consider in its decision counter to its own guidelines that community acceptance is a critical component of a school's chance for success.

We know that, prior to the vote, Education Secretary Paul Reville penned a midnight e-mail to Commissioner Chester urging him to push the GCACS as the best of three poor applications calling it a "tough but necessary pill to swallow" in order to move forward a larger agenda.

Finish reading.