charter schools

One charter school's unfair advantage

adamg — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:46:12 +0000

Our own John Keith writes about a charter school that used state funds to help buy a Bay Village building, sell it at a tidy profit and then use not just that money but more state aid to move to a rehabbed building in Hyde Park.

New charter school to open in Jamaica Plain rather than in old Fort Hill convent

adamg — Sun, 08 May 2011 02:34:40 +0000

The sisters of St. Margaret Convent have sent a letter to neighbors that plans by the Bridge Boston Charter School to buy the convent have fallen through:

The process worked as it was intended with Bridge Boston doing their due diligence and determining that they could not make the site work for the special transportation needs of a school. They will be renting space in Jamaica Plain instead.

The letter does not say where in JP. The sisters want to sell off the convent because it is too large for them now and they could use the money to help support their work in Haiti.

Charter schools to get first dibs on closing Boston public schools

adamg — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:02:09 +0000

The Globe reports on a compact to be announced today between the city and publicly funded but privately run charter schools. In exchange for consideration on reusing closed public-school buildings, the charter schools will focus their student recruitment on the geographic area around them, in an attempt to cut the city's school-bus costs. City and charter schools might also team up on cost-saving measures, such as bulk purchases of supplies.

The privatization of public schools in Boston

adamg — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:51:14 +0000

On Blue Mass. Group, Jamaicaplainiac worries about plans to turn over closed public schools to charters:

Charter schools in Massachusetts have almost no accountability to the public. They are governed by self-appointing boards and are reviewed by the (decidedly pro-charter school) Board of Ed only once every five years.

So who are they accountable to? By and large, the corporations who fund the grants that allow charter schools to exist. Many of these corporations have seats on the aforementioned self-appointing governing board.

So what this is about is not just union busting. It's an attack on the very idea of government controlling the services it provides for the public good. What we'll end up with in Boston is a corporate-controlled, publicly funded school system.

Are charter schools making public schools worse?

adamg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:25:52 +0000

Chris Faraone considers the arguments by the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Yoon would open City Hall late; McCrea would oppose more charter schools

adamg — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:14:44 +0000

Mayoral candidate Sam Yoon wants City Hall to take a page from banks and stay open past normal business hours at least once a week so people who work for a living could have a chance to conduct city business. In a statement, he says:

One of the most appealing solutions is to shift hours to offer later services on Wednesday and close earlier on Fridays. We would stay open until 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and close at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays. We would also be able to move the regular City Council meetings to Wednesday evening to allow more people to attend.

Charter schools and re-precincting, oh my

adamg — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:52:59 +0000

Over at the Dorchester Reporter, Mike Deehan and Gin Dumcius have started a podcast on this fall's elections. In their first 'cast they talk about the mayoral candidates' differing approaches to charter schools and take a look at "reprecincting" - turns out that some precinct lines haven't been redrawn in 50 years, so some precincts are humongous while others are minuscule. Podcast feed.

Obligatory disclosure: I do Web stuff for the Reporter folks.

Now Tom Menino supports charter schools

adamg — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:57:52 +0000

To seek legislation to expand the number of charter schools in Boston; move comes the day after opponent Michael Flaherty called for more charter schools and the day before opponent Sam Yoon planned to call for more charter schools.

But unlike their plans, Menino's proposal calls for the charter schools to be overseen by the Boston School Committee.