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Panel fields questions about plans for Project School in Monroe County, Ind.
(Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Nov. 6--Principal teacher Daniel Baron called it the Project School's "coming out party."
Monday evening in the auditorium of the Monroe County Public Library, Baron and six other panelists addressed questions from an audience and a challenge from a member of the Monroe County Community School Corp.
The panel was made up of two teachers in the MCCSC, a former principal at Rogers Elementary School, two senior fellows from University of Indianapolis and a board member of the Public Charter Schools Association.
Following are a few of those questions presented by the moderator, Herald-Times Editor Bob Zaltsberg, and answers from the panel. The answers have been edited for length.
QUESTION: What is a charter school?
ANSWER: It is a public school of choice. Some of the differences will be 40 more days of instruction time than required by law; there will be team teaching -- no teacher will be isolated. Every child who walks in the doors will receive a quality education.
"We want to change the predictive factors of race, gender, sexual identity and economic status and set up any child to succeed."
Q: Is it available to any child?
A: Yes. Indiana law does not allow a charter school to "screen" children.
"And we should be judged by the performance of our most challenged students, not the cream," Baron said. "We will go door to door in the neighborhoods to reach all demographics. We want to reach the Latino community, we want teachers who speak Spanish, we want children of color."
Initially the school will only be set up for 100-120 students. A lottery system will be in place to select students.
Q: Will there be no (summer) break?
A: Not like a traditional public school. There will be several weeks of school, then a couple of weeks of break, with an extended vacation in the summer. There will be 180 days in the classroom, but 39 more days of student instruction than required by law.
Q: Where does funding for a charter school come from?
A: A charter school gets about 78 percent of the funding a public school receives. The difference is attributed to the charter school's not receiving transportation funding. (The panel said they were committed to providing transportation to any child who needed it).
Sixty-five percent of the money is state funding; the remaining 35 percent is from local taxes, most of that coming from property taxes.
Q: Will the Project School accommodate all grades?
A: Initially, the school will be K-8. As time goes by, we will observe the community and monitor the need and wishes of the people to set up for K-12.
Q: Why did the Project School team not approach the MCCSC early in its development?
A: "We wanted to make certain we came with a product we could really defend. In retrospect, it may have been a real mistake. But there was some fear involved. We had people working on the team who were also in the corporation, who had fear of retribution. Not retribution from the board and superintendent, but from colleagues in their own building. We have seen what happened in other communities. I have utmost respect for MCCSC. If we made a mistake, all I can say is I'm sorry, and now let's get over that."
According to recent guest column by Baron, the Bloomington Project School will be submitting its preliminary proposal for chartering to Ball State University at the end of January, with plans to open in 2009.
To see more of the Herald-Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.hoosiertimes.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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