Celebration and appreciation
Students at Dayton’s DECA Prep celebrated Black History Month with, among other things, a Harambee (“togetherness”) event in appreciation of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “I want to make sure that they…not only recognize [HBCUs] as an option,” said principal Chrystal Phillips, but also know that they are places “made for us by us.” Each grade level in the school is named after an HBCU and the event was the perfect opportunity to spell out their history, importance, and greatness.
Academics and extracurriculars
Ohio Connections Academy student Brogan Holt seems to love everything about his school. In this profile piece, he explains that he can take more Advanced Placement courses at OCA than at his previous brick-and-mortar school, has access to a wide variety of college classes, and can continue to compete in his beloved FIRST Robotics League events. Upon graduation, he will be a first-generation college student and he credits his OCA guidance counselor for invaluable assistance in making that dream come true.
The view from Cleveland
The process to find a new CEO for Cleveland Metropolitan School District grinds on. The search firm in charge of the effort this week released the results of its extensive survey of district stakeholders which found, among other things, that parents and residents are eager for CMSD to “keep and develop school choice programs” in the future. Relatedly, the Cleveland Transformation Alliance—which helps students and families navigate school choice and find the best fit for their needs—welcomed several new board members this week, including a parent with students attending Breakthrough charter schools.
Local funding for charters in Indiana?
In the Indiana legislature this week, an amendment to Senate Bill 398 was introduced which would make huge changes in the way public education is funded. This includes local dollars—along with state funding—following students who moved from district to charter schools. The proposal generated a storm of negative response and the bill was held in committee pending further consideration.
Straight talk from KIPP Foundation’s CEO
New KIPP Foundation CEO Shavar Jeffries sat down with The 74’s Beth Hawkins last week to talk about his priorities for the charter school network (“Delivering academic good for kids, first and foremost.”) and the challenges he faces in achieving his goals. Those ran the gamut from lingering pandemic disruptions to teacher shortages to political “food fights”. Great stuff.
Another eye-opener from the Empire State
Two weeks ago, we were surprised when New York governor Kathy Hochul advocated removing the statutory cap on charter school creation in her state. This week, it was the New York State Catholic Conference’s turn to surprise. They issued a statement (and gave testimony in the state legislature) saying that lifting the cap would have a “direct and immediate” negative impact on Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn. “We also oppose the opening of any additional charter schools throughout the state, absent commensurate support for our tuition-paying families of the Catholic schools that are adversely impacted by the opening of those charter schools,” said education director James Cultrara, who also serves as executive secretary of the state’s Council of Catholic School Superintendents.
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