A charter school proposed for Worcester is drawing fierce opposition from a broad array of educators, families, community activists and elected officials, who say the charter would undermine Worcester Public Schools, while offering no unique academic programs.
The proposed Worcester Cultural Academy will duplicate programs already available in the Worcester Public Schools, will not be able to meet the needs of all students, and will trigger damaging cuts in programs and staff by draining about $7 million annually from the public system that educates all students, according to Melissa Verdier, president of the Educational Association of Worcester.
"We are worried about the damage this charter school would do if allowed to open," Verdier said at a public hearing on the proposal held Dec. 9 by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
According to the application, Old Sturbridge Village Museum would operate the charter school, which plans to enroll 360 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The museum already operates a charter school in Sturbridge. Opening a second school in Worcester will net the museum $425,000 in management fees, according to a Worcester school finance official, who noted at the hearing that those fees are public money taken from the Worcester Public Schools to support a privately operated business.
At the public hearing, most of those who spoke in favor of the charter school were members of the OSV Board of Directors or a spokesperson for the state’s charter school industry. None of the cultural institutions purported to be partnering on curriculum with the charter, including the Worcester Art Museum, Hanover Theatre and the EcoTarium, attended the hearing to support the plan.
By comparison, opposition to the charter proposal came from many fronts, and included several city leaders. Worcester Mayor Joe Petty and state Rep. David LeBoeuf joined members of the Worcester School Committee in speaking out against the charter proposal. The Worcester City Council and School Committee have passed resolutions opposing the plan.
Worcester Schools Superintendent Rachel Monárrez and several members of her administration, along with educators, testified about the programs available to students that not only equal but surpass what the charter school plans to offer.
Members of the arts community also expressed opposition to the charter.
EAW Vice President Saul Ramos quipped during his hearing testimony: "It takes a city, not a village, to raise and educate our students."
If the charter school opens as planned, it will nearly wipe out the financial gains provided to Worcester Public Schools under the state’s Student Opportunity Act. Worcester school administrators have said that as many as 100 jobs could be cut from the public school system if the charter opens.
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is expected to vote on the charter application at its Feb. 28 meeting.
For more information about how charter schools divert resources from public schools, visit massteacher.org/charterschools.
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