And while we struggle to be unified as a school system, to hear one another and work together.. look whos coming to town to divide us further? From the Herald Times this morning: 2 charter schools officially seeking authorization in Monroe County Posted: Friday, January 31, 2014 6:30 am | Updated: 6:56 am, Fri Jan 31, 2014. By Mary Keck 331-4353 | mkeck@heraldt | 0 comments It is official. Two charter schools are seeking authorization in Bloomington: Seven Oaks Classical School and the Green School, formerly known as Green Meadows. Both hope to open in the fall of 2015 and have filed letters of intent with the Indiana Charter School Board. “The establishment of Seven Oaks naturally provides a solution to offering wide-ranging programs to public school students,” said Christopher Flener, board president. The organizers of the proposed Seven Oaks Classical School hope to use traditional teaching methods to provide a classical liberal arts education to students from kindergarten to grade 12. Those attending would study Latin, rhetoric and logic and practice virtues of citizenship. While wearing uniforms, they would memorize multiplication tables, literary works and elements on the periodic table. “We want to create a culture where knowledge is the prime focus,” said Lindsey Weaver, a board member, at an informational session earlier this month. There is not yet a location planned for the school, and the number of students that would be enrolled has not been determined. “None of the founders have applied for charter school authorization in the past or been involved in starting a charter school before,” said Flener in an email. Before submitting their letter of intent, Seven Oaks gave it to others for review. As a result, Flener feels positive about the charter getting authorized. “We’re obviously very hopeful; we think our chances are pretty good,” he said. After initially seeking authorization from Ball State University’s Office of Charter Schools for a charter school called Green Meadows, organizers chose to revise and resubmit their application. According to Mary Goral, the proposed charter’s director, the organizers may continue to work with Ball State, but applying now would set back opening the school until 2016. In the meantime, Green Meadows, now called the Green School, has chosen to seek authorization from the Indiana Charter School Board, an independent state agency authorized by the Legislature to establish charter schools. They also approached local public school corporations for authorization. Goral spoke with both Monroe County Community School Corp. Superintendent Judy DeMuth and Brown County Schools Superintendent David Shaffer, but neither district has agreed to authorize the Green School. At its board meeting on Tuesday, MCCSC discussed the option, but did not vote on authorizing the Green School. If MCCSC authorized a charter, they could charge a fee of 3 percent based on the state tuition funds the charter receives for each student who attends. MCCSC would also hold the charter accountable for its performance and could close the school. The charter would have its own board and budget that would be separate from MCCSC’s, however. “There are lots of things to consider if we were to look at that kind of thing,” said DeMuth. “Tim (Thrasher, business operations director) and I can’t find the financial piece that looks like it would be profitable,” she said. “It’s just one more population we would be accountable for.” “What will happen if the law is changed while we’re a sponsor?” said Lois Sabo-Skelton, board member. “I don’t want us to get hooked up with a charter school,” she said. “I’m afraid of what the law will do to us if we are connected to one.” Sabo-Skelton said she would not support authorizing a charter school. Board member Sue Wanzer was more open to the idea. “I would like to find a way to be the authorizing agent for a charter school, but now that we have all this information ... it brings up more questions,” she said. “I’m not looking necessarily for a way for us to make money, but looking for a way that we don’t lose money when our students go to a charter program.” After the meeting, Goral said, “It would be very nice to work in partnership with Monroe County schools.” Goral feels optimistic about the charter’s chances for being authorized by the Indiana Charter School Board. “I think what we have to offer is really good for kids, an opportunity and a choice and an alternative that people in Bloomington deserve.” A charter school on the East Coast called Green Meadow asked for the name change. “We decided to honor their request,” said Goral. The Green School may have a new name, but their intended board, curriculum and methods remain largely the same. Goral said the proposed K-8 school will be arts-infused, focusing on multiple intelligences and social and emotional learning. It will offer an integrated curriculum, place-based education, universal designs, Waldorf methods and education for sustainability. “All those things we were going to be using, but it seemed like the public didn’t know that that’s what Waldorf did,” she said. The Green School does not yet have a location for its school building. Upcoming Informational Sessions: Seven Oaks Classical School on Feb. 15 from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Monroe County Public Librarys Auditorium, 303 E. Kirkwood. The Green School on March 26 at 6:30 p.m. at The Project School, 349 South Walnut St. Get more information on Facebook at Seven Oaks Classical School andThe Green Meadows Charter School Initiative. Find out more about the Indiana Charter Save Our Schools Board: in.gov/icsb/.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 12:39:19 +0000