Parents to make choice on neighborhood school
Neighbors offered choice on proposed school at Pontiac near Anthony -People living in Southeast Fort Wayne are getting an opportunity they rarely get when it comes to potential development in their neighborhood. They’re getting the chance to make a choice before people outside their neighborhood make any final decisions.
The question is whether a multi-million dollar investment should be made to locate a neighborhood school at Pontiac Street near Anthony Blvd. Imagine Schools is launching a major survey blitz in the area to find out whether residents are interested in having a new public charter school in their neighborhood. If the community says yes, school organizers will ask Ball State University, which oversees public charter schools in Fort Wayne and throughout Indiana, for permission to locate Imagine Bridge Academy at 2001 E. Pontiac Street. Currently, Imagine operates two schools in Fort Wayne, Imagine MASTer Academy at 2000 N. Wells St., and Imagine on Broadway, 2320 Broadway.
“The process has already started,” says Ra’Chelle Spearman of Imagine Schools (pictured right). “We have people who have been distributing survey cards and letters to different organizations. I’ve personally taken information to my church and to people I know, and we’ve already gotten quite a few responses. We want to be able to present this information to Ball State as soon as possible.”
“So far, the responses I’ve gotten have been very positive. This is an opportunity to bring more life to the community.”
The property at 2001 E. Pontiac Street is the former Fruehauf Building which has been vacant for about two decades. If people living nearby agree that a school would be a positive addition to the neighborhood, and Ball State University gives final approval, Imagine would invest more than $4-million to renovate the building. The new school, consisting of three levels with eight classrooms per floor, could accommodate as many as 600 students. Initially, the school would serve students K-through 5th grade. Each year, the school would add one additional grade until it becomes a K-through 8th grade school.
However, while the prospect of putting a long-vacant building to a positive use might appear to be an obvious choice, a lack of understanding about charter schools in general, and questions about Imagine Schools in particular, might cause some residents concern.
Undoubtedly, one of the challenges facing organizers of the survey will be making sure people can sort fact from fiction when it comes to public charter schools.
Although some people mistakenly believe that charter schools are private schools, charter schools are actually public schools. Because they are funded by public tax dollars, students don’t pay tuition. Also important is the fact that public charter school enrollment is open to all children. There are no district boundaries. All Imagine public charter schools are tuition-free and offer transportation from locations throughout the city.
Additionally, charter schools are schools of choice. The choice of whether to send their children to a public charter school is 100% up to parents.
“Choice is so important because parents know their children best,” Spearman says. “Parents are able to choose the environment where they feel their child is best suited and will be able to grow in all areas.”
Like all public schools, charter schools are held to high academic standards. They are required to participate in state testing programs, hire certified teachers, and publish annual reports to the public. However, there is also a high expectation of accountability.
“One of the biggest questions I’m asked is whether charter schools are accountable,” Spearman says. “We are held accountable, not only by the Indiana Department of Education but by Ball State and also by Imagine Schools.” (Imagine Schools operates more than 70 schools in 11 states and the District of Columbia)
“A lot of people just don’t know much about charter schools so they stray away from them,” Spearman adds. “We’re in a position where we have an opportunity to not only share the great things that we’re doing but to also share information about the people who hold us accountable.”
According to the state’s charter law, an authorizer must oversee a public charter school in Indiana. That authorizer and the actual operator of the school sign a performance contract (the “charter” in charter schools) that spells out what the school will be expected to achieve in terms of academics, student enrollment, financial management and several other measures. The authorizer can shut down a charter school that fails to meet accountability standards for school operations, academic achievement and/or financial stability and sustainability.
Local examples of charter school accountability are not hard to find. In the most extreme outcome, by revoking or declining to renew a charter, an authorizer can effectively close a school. That’s what happened in 2004 when charter authorizer Ball State University pulled its sponsorship of Urban Brightest Community Academy citing lower than projected enrollment and financial problems.
A more recent local example of an authorizer holding a school’s feet to the fire happened earlier this year when questions were raised about the actions of the board of directors governing Imagine MASTer Academy. Ball State ordered the board to take immediate steps to ensure that its procedures and practices were transparent and open to the public. The board was also required to undergo intensive board governance training for current and prospective members, and to develop a policy manual clearly spelling out the expectations of board members. Taking the mandate seriously, the school board completed all of the required steps months ahead of schedule. (Editor’s note: INK editor Vince Robinson is an Imagine MASTer Academy board member and a past member of the organizing board of Imagine Bridge Academy)
While rigorous, the demands of increased accountability have their rewards for public charter schools and their students. In exchange for more rigorous accountability measures, public charter schools have more freedom to offer innovative approaches to teaching that can be tailored to the specific needs of individual students. According to Imagine Schools, that approach to meeting students at their individual level is what draws most parents to Imagine.
Ra’Chelle Spearman is uniquely qualified to help people better understand public charter schools in Fort Wayne. Her resume includes teaching at Timothy L. Johnson Academy, the city’s first public charter school. She also taught at Urban Brightest Community Academy during its year of operation. Spearman has been with Imagine Schools since starting on the ground floor with Imagine on Broadway, which recently completed its second school year. Spearman spent her first year at Imagine on Broadway as a third-grade teacher but by her second year she grew into the role of assistant school leader.
“At first I thought, ‘I’m leaving my babies in the classroom!’ That was my first thought,” Spearman says. “I didn’t want to leave them because you develop a relationship with your students. But (as assistant school leader), I’m now able to impact and have relationships with more students. It was scary at first, but it was a good transition for me. It’s a lot of fun.”
Spearman flatly rejects the notion that the growth of charter school signals a problem with traditional public schools. A Fort Wayne native, Spearman says proudly that she is a product of Fort Wayne Community Schools and she applauds the great things happening in FWCS under Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson. However Spearman explains that just as children (and adults) have different learning styles, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to education.
“That’s why choice is so important, not just for the Bridge Academy but for all of our Imagine campuses,” Spearman explains. “We allow parents another option so that they can determine what is best for their child.”
“We create a safe learning environment where children can grow and blossom,” she adds. “When they come through our doors, it’s all about learning.”
“The promise of our school is that we’re going to meet your child where they are academically. We’re going to meet them at their level. Not only are we going to grow them academically but socially as well. We’re going to help them make good decisions. We want to grow good decision-makers. That’s what Imagine is all about.”
The Imagine Bridge Academy survey is being made available to families via a mailing of survey response cards, neighborhood canvassing, publication in newspapers and posting online at www.imagineschoolsindiana.com
For more information about Imagine Bridge Academy, contact Dianne Tulley at (260) 745-8395 or Dianne.tulley@imagineschools.com
