I am well aware that I haven't posted in months and I apologize. Things have happened--mostly summer, three children and getting back to the real work of improving our schools.
I encourage anyone who is still considering sending their child to the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School to read Judge Welch's decision in its entirety, especially the following paragraph:
"As the court stated at the hearing on this matter, the calculus regarding preliminary injunctive relief changes markedly during the next academic school year. At that time, the traditional Gloucester public schools will suffer significant financial harm. The GCA cannot claim any justifiable reliance regarding financial commitments/staffing if this court reconsiders the injunctive request early enough to allow planning by both sides for the next academic year. Likewise, any student who chooses to attend GCA this September will be aware of the inherent uncertainty involving the next academic year. Therefore, should this case not reach a beneficial resolution before next year, this Court will hold a hearing on any renewed motion for preliminary injunction (should the plaintiff file such a pleading) in early January 2011."
gloucesterdecision
Thank you for stopping by.
Jane Cunningham
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Welcome Readers
I posted a link at the Gloucester Daily Times and have been sharing the address for Off the Charter with those who want it.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the process by which this charter was granted and about the way in which the board of trustees of the GCACS presses on no matter--with little to no oversight from the state.
If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please check out the following:
Why?
Open Letter to the People of Gloucester
Do Not Recommend Document for Gloucester Charter School as created by the Charter School Office of Massachusetts
Paul Reville's "Tough Pill" E-mail
IG Letter to Governor Patrick
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the process by which this charter was granted and about the way in which the board of trustees of the GCACS presses on no matter--with little to no oversight from the state.
If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please check out the following:
Why?
Open Letter to the People of Gloucester
Do Not Recommend Document for Gloucester Charter School as created by the Charter School Office of Massachusetts
Paul Reville's "Tough Pill" E-mail
IG Letter to Governor Patrick
Letter
Amanda sent a letter to the editor of the Gloucester Daily Times on Tuesday, March 2. The letter was not printed in Wednesday's paper. On Wednesday the GCA board signed a lease. Amanda sent an updated letter to the Times, but the original letter was printed instead.
Here is the updated letter:
I am writing to express my continued opposition to the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School . In the beginning, I was concerned about the effects the school would have on the majority of Gloucester ’s students. As time passed I was infuriated by the lack of democratic process and how many rules were broken in granting the charter. Now, as the school is working toward opening, my opposition is strongest.
I do not believe this school can open and run successfully. To date the GCAC has no head of school. The Board of Trustees has canceled five scheduled meetings and has met only once since January 13. They have signed a lease for a building in an industrial park-- a far cry from the downtown location which is the basis of much of their curriculum.
I have attended the six information sessions the GCAC has offered thus far and have found a total of fifteen families interested in the school.
The mismanagement and inefficacy of the Board gives me cause to believe this school may fail. In the information session, a good amount of time is spent on an example project from the Lowell Community Charter School . As strong as the example is, it is important to note that the school it comes from has failed. At its five-year review the state wished to revoke the charter, only to find that after adjusting to the loss of students, the public schools of Lowell were not able to accommodate all of the students returning in one year.
Our children get only one chance at their education. If the GCAC fails, we can not give back those years of learning. The rest of Gloucester ’s students will be hurt first by the cuts made to accommodate the loss of students and, if need be, by the sudden influx of students from a failed school.
This is not a victimless experiment. The GCAC will be spending $2.7 million tax-payer dollars a year. In five years we get to see what they have done with it. We deserve to know what they are doing with the money. To date there has been little to no oversight from the state.
Since the charter was granted in February of 2009 the Board has nothing to show. The risks are too great to let them have the next five years to figure it out.
Amanda Cook
Gloucester, MA
Here is the updated letter:
I am writing to express my continued opposition to the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School . In the beginning, I was concerned about the effects the school would have on the majority of Gloucester ’s students. As time passed I was infuriated by the lack of democratic process and how many rules were broken in granting the charter. Now, as the school is working toward opening, my opposition is strongest.
I do not believe this school can open and run successfully. To date the GCAC has no head of school. The Board of Trustees has canceled five scheduled meetings and has met only once since January 13. They have signed a lease for a building in an industrial park-- a far cry from the downtown location which is the basis of much of their curriculum.
I have attended the six information sessions the GCAC has offered thus far and have found a total of fifteen families interested in the school.
The mismanagement and inefficacy of the Board gives me cause to believe this school may fail. In the information session, a good amount of time is spent on an example project from the Lowell Community Charter School . As strong as the example is, it is important to note that the school it comes from has failed. At its five-year review the state wished to revoke the charter, only to find that after adjusting to the loss of students, the public schools of Lowell were not able to accommodate all of the students returning in one year.
Our children get only one chance at their education. If the GCAC fails, we can not give back those years of learning. The rest of Gloucester ’s students will be hurt first by the cuts made to accommodate the loss of students and, if need be, by the sudden influx of students from a failed school.
This is not a victimless experiment. The GCAC will be spending $2.7 million tax-payer dollars a year. In five years we get to see what they have done with it. We deserve to know what they are doing with the money. To date there has been little to no oversight from the state.
Since the charter was granted in February of 2009 the Board has nothing to show. The risks are too great to let them have the next five years to figure it out.
Amanda Cook
Gloucester, MA
Of Tough Pills and Medical Centers
Charter school signs lease
Former Medical Center building to house school
By Patrick Anderson
Staff Writer
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School has signed — and this time the landlord has accepted — a lease that will allow the school to open its doors in the Blackburn Industrial Park building recently vacated by the Cape Ann Medical Center.
The building at 2 Blackburn Drive was the charter school's second choice location, targeted only after a deal to lease space in the William G. Brown Building on Pleasant Street fell through in January.
Like the proposed deal for space in Brown's Mall, the former medical center building lease will be for 15 years with an average annual rent of around $406,000.
But unlike Brown's Mall, the Blackburn space does not fulfill the goal of charter founders to be downtown and within walking distance of the city's primary cultural institutions.
The main advantages of the new site are for drivers.
A lack of off-street parking and a dedicated bus drop-off were major concerns for the Brown's Mall location. Blackburn is built for automobiles and charter officials yesterday promised plenty of parking and easy pick-up.
The Blackburn site will also allow the school to provide plenty of outdoor recess space for students and a larger gym than Brown's Mall.
After weeks of rumors that they were close to a deal, the charter school board of trustees announced they had signed a lease for Brown's Mall.
But it became clear within a few days that the owners of that building, the Montagnino family, had not signed the deal and negotiations were stalled over the cost of renovations and parking.
In early February, charter officials confirmed that the deal for Brown's Mall was dead and they had turned to a second choice "close to downtown," widely assumed to be the former medical center.
"I think it allows us to do a larger multipurpose space and there will be lots of outdoor play space here," said interim charter school Executive Director Matthew Gallup about being in Blackburn yesterday. "And parking is not an issue."
Finish reading here.
Former Medical Center building to house school
By Patrick Anderson
Staff Writer
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School has signed — and this time the landlord has accepted — a lease that will allow the school to open its doors in the Blackburn Industrial Park building recently vacated by the Cape Ann Medical Center.
The building at 2 Blackburn Drive was the charter school's second choice location, targeted only after a deal to lease space in the William G. Brown Building on Pleasant Street fell through in January.
Like the proposed deal for space in Brown's Mall, the former medical center building lease will be for 15 years with an average annual rent of around $406,000.
But unlike Brown's Mall, the Blackburn space does not fulfill the goal of charter founders to be downtown and within walking distance of the city's primary cultural institutions.
The main advantages of the new site are for drivers.
A lack of off-street parking and a dedicated bus drop-off were major concerns for the Brown's Mall location. Blackburn is built for automobiles and charter officials yesterday promised plenty of parking and easy pick-up.
The Blackburn site will also allow the school to provide plenty of outdoor recess space for students and a larger gym than Brown's Mall.
After weeks of rumors that they were close to a deal, the charter school board of trustees announced they had signed a lease for Brown's Mall.
But it became clear within a few days that the owners of that building, the Montagnino family, had not signed the deal and negotiations were stalled over the cost of renovations and parking.
In early February, charter officials confirmed that the deal for Brown's Mall was dead and they had turned to a second choice "close to downtown," widely assumed to be the former medical center.
"I think it allows us to do a larger multipurpose space and there will be lots of outdoor play space here," said interim charter school Executive Director Matthew Gallup about being in Blackburn yesterday. "And parking is not an issue."
Finish reading here.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Common Sense
To the editor:
Your Feb. 17 Times editorial exhibits common sense about the proposed Gloucester Community Arts Charter School.
Adding a new school to our district will very likely mean closing one of our existing elementary schools. That's a significant step. Given this proposed school's history and recent track record, we should ask if that would be an acceptable price to pay.
Finish reading.
PETER DOLAN
Gloucester
Your Feb. 17 Times editorial exhibits common sense about the proposed Gloucester Community Arts Charter School.
Adding a new school to our district will very likely mean closing one of our existing elementary schools. That's a significant step. Given this proposed school's history and recent track record, we should ask if that would be an acceptable price to pay.
Finish reading.
PETER DOLAN
Gloucester
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Where the GCACS Board Stands Today
February 6, 2010
Charter arts school bids for students
Registration bid comes with interim leader, but still no site
By Patrick Anderson
Staff Writer
A year ago this week, a series of late-night, long-distance e-mails between top state officials about a proposed Gloucester charter school sowed the seeds of one of the state's most enduring education controversies.
On Wednesday, with the controversy still very much alive, that school began recruiting students despite a string of setbacks that have left it without a building, a permanent head of school and — after at least one resignation this week — a key founder.
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School is seeking 120 fourth- through seventh-graders to sign up for the school by March 10, five days before a scheduled lottery to choose students in the event of over-subscription. An enrollment report to the state is due after the lottery.
Finish reading here.
Charter arts school bids for students
Registration bid comes with interim leader, but still no site
By Patrick Anderson
Staff Writer
A year ago this week, a series of late-night, long-distance e-mails between top state officials about a proposed Gloucester charter school sowed the seeds of one of the state's most enduring education controversies.
On Wednesday, with the controversy still very much alive, that school began recruiting students despite a string of setbacks that have left it without a building, a permanent head of school and — after at least one resignation this week — a key founder.
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School is seeking 120 fourth- through seventh-graders to sign up for the school by March 10, five days before a scheduled lottery to choose students in the event of over-subscription. An enrollment report to the state is due after the lottery.
Finish reading here.
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