New Charter School Approved in Cambridge

Cutting through three years of "red tape," Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld '66 yesterday granted his approval for a new math and science school to open in Cambridge in the fall of 1996.

The Benjamin Banneker Charter School, one of seven charter schools recently accepted by a state advisory committee, will be Cambridge's first. The founding coalition includes parents, teachers and administrators, as well as Harvard Law School Professors Charles J. Ogletree, Law '78 and Charles R. Nesson, Law '66.

"It's been very tedious," said Ogletree of the application process, which has taken three years to complete.

With the capacity for 200 students in grades three through eight, the Banneker School will offer a curriculum focused on math and science, with a strong emphasis on multiculturalism. Although planners have not yet chosen a site, they are considering the building formerly housing St. Mary's Catholic School, on Harvard Street near M.I.T.

"It's a multicultural school that's going to be placed in an area that can definitely benefit from a model school. There are a large number of single parents and below-median income level families," said Ogletree.

Nesson's role lay primarily in developing the cyberkey technology and multimedia process the school hopes to implement, he said. He is involved in similar efforts to develop more interactive learning techniques at the law school.

The school plans to invest heavily ininteractive computers for students. Nesson citedthe example of elite private schools which offerextensive resources for students as a model forcharter schools to imitate.

"I'm very excited about the approval. We hopeto follow the lead of the Dalton School in NewYork, with its very ubiquitous technologicalenvironment for young kids," said Nesson.

Nesson worked closely with William McLaurin,assistant principal of Cambridge Rindge and LatinHigh School, who has co-authored a reportdocumenting the disproportionately small number ofminority students represented in upper levelclasses. The report attributes this disparity toinequitable education minority students receive ingrade school.

"This is just another attempt to try to dealwith this particular problem of children that arenot prepared to take advantage of what's happeningat the high school," McLaurin said. "We have agreat high school, but kids can't take advantageof it."

Coalition Chair Kathy Reddick, who is also themother of three elementary-school-aged children,is still allowing the news to sink in.

"After three years, we're worn out and elatedat the same time," she said. "We're finally ableto breathe, and I think we're still getting usedto that."

The reaction of Cambridge School CommitteeMember Denise Simmons was markedly different. Thecommittee, which was involved in neither theapproval nor the planning of charter schools, wasinformed of the decision early this week, andSimmons argued that the charter coalition wasasking the state for too much.

"We operate in the dark; we have no control.There is concern that the charter school systemwill debilitate the public school system," saidSimmons.

The city must pay the Banneker School $10,000,the average expenditure per student in the publicschool system, for each Cambridge student whoattends.

However, Simmons noted, the average cost isinflated by students with special needs whoconsume a disproportionate amount of resources.Because the charter schools will probably attractstudents with no special needs--who will thereforecost less than $10,000 to educate--the Cambridgeschools will be losing money by paying that amountfor them to attend, Simmons said.

"We have to pay tuition for students to gosomewhere else," she added. "I'm trying to beoptimistic, but the impact on our school system isunknown."

Ogletree expressed surprise that the schoolcommittee has not been better informed. He hopesto form a "friendly coalition" between Banneker'sfounders and community members, he said.

"I have no doubt that the school committee willsee that the charter school is in the schoolsystem's best interest. All of us put the childrenfirst," he said.

Reddick finds comfort in the public supportexpressed by the mayor and the school department."Although some members have spoken up in fear ofwhat the school will do to the city, I hope we'llbe able to work well together," she said. "In 1997I hope to see the school up and running."

Executive Director of the Harvard Project onSchooling and Children Katherine K. Merseth, Ed'81, was consulted by the grade school's founders.Although Merseth was not a member of the foundingcoalition, she represented the Project in thecharter schools program by offering consulting oncurricular issues.

"We're all very excited about the BannekerSchool as an institution to further education, andwill do everything we can to support theirefforts," she said.

The facility, named for a notedeighteenth-century Black mathematician,astronomer, and scientist who built the firstwooden clock, brings the total number of statecharter schools to 21. Other schools includeAcademy of the Pacific Rim Charter School inBoston, which will focus on Pacific Rim culturesand languages, and charter schools in Chelmsfordand Martha's Vineyard.

The system of charter schools was authorizedunder the state's 1993 Education Reform Act.Schools are approved according to the followingcriteria: program quality, admissions policies,budget, curricula development and community need.

"Each new charter school founded inMassachusetts improves the education of all ourkids," said Governor William F. Weld '66 in apress release. "Students will soon be matchingwits with one another in a whole new generation ofpublic schools.

The school plans to invest heavily ininteractive computers for students. Nesson citedthe example of elite private schools which offerextensive resources for students as a model forcharter schools to imitate.

"I'm very excited about the approval. We hopeto follow the lead of the Dalton School in NewYork, with its very ubiquitous technologicalenvironment for young kids," said Nesson.

Nesson worked closely with William McLaurin,assistant principal of Cambridge Rindge and LatinHigh School, who has co-authored a reportdocumenting the disproportionately small number ofminority students represented in upper levelclasses. The report attributes this disparity toinequitable education minority students receive ingrade school.

"This is just another attempt to try to dealwith this particular problem of children that arenot prepared to take advantage of what's happeningat the high school," McLaurin said. "We have agreat high school, but kids can't take advantageof it."

Coalition Chair Kathy Reddick, who is also themother of three elementary-school-aged children,is still allowing the news to sink in.

"After three years, we're worn out and elatedat the same time," she said. "We're finally ableto breathe, and I think we're still getting usedto that."

The reaction of Cambridge School CommitteeMember Denise Simmons was markedly different. Thecommittee, which was involved in neither theapproval nor the planning of charter schools, wasinformed of the decision early this week, andSimmons argued that the charter coalition wasasking the state for too much.

"We operate in the dark; we have no control.There is concern that the charter school systemwill debilitate the public school system," saidSimmons.

The city must pay the Banneker School $10,000,the average expenditure per student in the publicschool system, for each Cambridge student whoattends.

However, Simmons noted, the average cost isinflated by students with special needs whoconsume a disproportionate amount of resources.Because the charter schools will probably attractstudents with no special needs--who will thereforecost less than $10,000 to educate--the Cambridgeschools will be losing money by paying that amountfor them to attend, Simmons said.

"We have to pay tuition for students to gosomewhere else," she added. "I'm trying to beoptimistic, but the impact on our school system isunknown."

Ogletree expressed surprise that the schoolcommittee has not been better informed. He hopesto form a "friendly coalition" between Banneker'sfounders and community members, he said.

"I have no doubt that the school committee willsee that the charter school is in the schoolsystem's best interest. All of us put the childrenfirst," he said.

Reddick finds comfort in the public supportexpressed by the mayor and the school department."Although some members have spoken up in fear ofwhat the school will do to the city, I hope we'llbe able to work well together," she said. "In 1997I hope to see the school up and running."

Executive Director of the Harvard Project onSchooling and Children Katherine K. Merseth, Ed'81, was consulted by the grade school's founders.Although Merseth was not a member of the foundingcoalition, she represented the Project in thecharter schools program by offering consulting oncurricular issues.

"We're all very excited about the BannekerSchool as an institution to further education, andwill do everything we can to support theirefforts," she said.

The facility, named for a notedeighteenth-century Black mathematician,astronomer, and scientist who built the firstwooden clock, brings the total number of statecharter schools to 21. Other schools includeAcademy of the Pacific Rim Charter School inBoston, which will focus on Pacific Rim culturesand languages, and charter schools in Chelmsfordand Martha's Vineyard.

The system of charter schools was authorizedunder the state's 1993 Education Reform Act.Schools are approved according to the followingcriteria: program quality, admissions policies,budget, curricula development and community need.

"Each new charter school founded inMassachusetts improves the education of all ourkids," said Governor William F. Weld '66 in apress release. "Students will soon be matchingwits with one another in a whole new generation ofpublic schools.