Charter Advocates Make Their Case on BNN

Jon Clark, Executive Director of Edward Brooke Charter School, interview on BNN 7/2/2014;

• 1000 families in 3 Brooke Schools want a high school.
• They want a rigorous high school, to be challenged, placed in great college, and graduate
• Brooke cannot have a high school because of the cap on charter spending at 18% of budget.
• We have 5000 families on Brooke waiting lists right now looking for kindergarten spots and cant get it.
• If we're doing our job right as teachers, we're responsive in our communications with parents
• A 5% cap lift adds 3000 charter seats
• We (Brooke? Charter Association?) want to see the cap doubled from 18% to 36% of budget
• If we were able to double the cap, our analysis says the 8th grade math achievement gap, that Boston has with the state, would be closed
• We (Boston charters) have several high-performing schools. This would be a team effort
• "Kids come to us achieving significantly below grade level. Their growth rates are through the roof. They're working extremely hard. Our teachers are working extremely hard. And we're all on the same page about delivering great teaching to our kids and then making dramatic progress as a result. So yeah, there's no question that's why the waiting list are so long. There's families that know that this an opportunity for their kids to achieve at a much high level then they've been achieving at."
• "There are great moms all over the city who are desperate for great schools."
• Charter kids are at school from 7:30 to 4:30 rather than 9-3.
• They get a rigorous education. They get a lot of individualized attention.
• "The [new MassINC] poll actually showed that there are NOT a lot of parents in Boston who worry that charters are taking money away from districts school, in fact it was only 21-22% of parent who said they think the cap should NOT be lifted, and 62% who said the cap should be lifted. And that number went up to 70% if it were lifted just for schools with a proven record. Those result are very much in line with a WBUR poll that was done last year. There's no misreading that message. Parents are overwhelmingly in favor of lifting this cap."

Yolanda Howe (sp?), Parent of 3 in district and charter;

• 2 kids at Brooke Roslindale. 1 at BCLA, HydePark
• She said she's a supporter of charter school education and not a supporter of BPS
• Why? Top reason: Charter school teachers communicate better with parents
• BPS says go on Aspen. "I want teachers to return my phone calls."
• Yolanda Howe is for increasing funding to charters and decreasing funding to public schools because: "I see a great thing. Charters school provide what we need. We need an institution where we know our children will be safe. Our children will have an education. And, you know, if it's not a charter school then let's make it school that can be one, like UP Academy. We're not asking for money to be taken out anywhere or from children in district schools, we just want everyone to have a quality education where they're going to perform and actually be merited."