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Charter school hopes to move from Cleary Square to new building near Mattapan line
By adamg on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 6:26pm
Architect's rendering.
The Boston Preparatory Charter Public School has filed plans with the BRA to move from rented space at Most Precious Blood in Cleary Square to a new building at 875 River St., across from the PriceRite supermarket.
The school says the 2.2-acre parcel, now home to a parking lot and some trees, would let it build a state-of-the-art 48,000-square-foot school for its 400 students in grade 6-12. The proposal calls for 56 parking spaces for staff.
The school had originally hoped to buy a parcel next to the Mattapan Square trolley station, but the MBTA backed out of the deal after local elected officials said they wanted something more residential or commercial for that space.
Boston Preparatory filing with the BRA (10M PDF).
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
Where does
all the money come from to fund this, while our public schools are crumbling?
Not BPS
I thought charter schools didn't get any facilities money from BPS (or the City), so I assume they're raising the money from foundations and individuals. According to their website, there's a capital campaign for the new school.
Ask Yancey
He's got $120m for a new high school in Mattapan. Maybe this is cheaper?
Didn't the BPS budget just get raised BTW?
No.
No the BPS budget didn't get raised. The city raised it's contribution 4% but there were cuts at state level. There is a 40 million dollars deficit, and schools are closing and personnel is being fired. They are also switching to a cheaper (and some feel) less healthy meal plan.
Looks like quite a school...
Looks like quite a school..."Boston Prep, which opened in 2004, accepts students from the city of Boston through an open lottery system. Boston Prep graduated its first students in 2011. The school notes that 100 percent of its graduates in 2011-14 were accepted to a four-year college and 100 percent of graduates enrolled in college in the fall after their senior year. 98 percent of the school’s 10th-graders scored proficient or higher on the 2013 MCAS in English/Language Arts, and 99 percent scored proficient or higher in Math.....
....."More than 40% of students come from our target
neighborhoods in Boston, 75% are eligible for free or reduced price lunch, 19% receive
special education services, and 7% are Limited English proficient."
Public schools need to do more...but...
the numbers are all part of a game that charters play. Note the extremely low ELL population and the fact that charter schools have ways of removing students who don't fit their "mold" / academic standards. With that in mind, it's easy to make the numbers look great!
The question is what is the
The question is what is the Ell % in the neighborhood which the school targets.
The "neighborhood" is the entire city of Boston
Enrollment in the school is done through a lottery open to the entire city.
quote are in the wrong place
I think you meant 'fact'. As in, this is true of some charter schools, not all, but you're assuming it's true across the board.
Look Closely
The DESE school profiles site will also tell you that they had 30 12th graders in 2014. If you only have 30 students, they better all go to college. Also, when those 12th graders were 9th graders there were 53 of them. I don't know what happened to the other 23 students, but that doesn't look like all students going to college. What's more interesting is that one page says there were 30 12th graders enrolled and then another says that there were 39 students in the 2014 cohort. Out of those, only 66% graduated in 4 years. In addition, the suspension rate for students with disabilities if above 30%, that's extremely high. I'm sure they do great things at this school, like most schools, but it's always a good idea to take a closer look at the numbers.
You think so?
Why? One would hope that they would have the education that prepares them to do what works for them - be that college or a trade. There is nothing wrong with having smart electricians, plumbers, automotive technicians, and the like. These people make a good living, too.
You think so?
Smart electricians and plumbers have a tendency to do a very good job and put other electricians and plumbers out of business. That is isn't fair. There is nothing wrong with having slightly less smart electricians and plumbers. These people make a good living too.
SketchUp for the win!
The word 'rendering' seems a little much though.