The empty classrooms at Burnett Elementary School could be
filled with children once again if Superintendent Dr. Wes Smith’s
vision comes to fruition
– opening a specialized dependent charter school.
The empty classrooms at Burnett Elementary School could be filled with children once again if Superintendent Dr. Wes Smith’s vision comes to fruition – opening a specialized dependent charter school.
“We think it can provide a real asset to students and families … so we want to look at some different options,” Smith said.
The three ideas for the new charter school are: An English language development school, a visual and performing arts school, and a school for English learners through the arts – a hybrid of the first two options.
Burnett was shuttered in 2008 after the district approved closing the campus as one option to close a $3.7 million deficit, providing an annual savings of $400,000.
Students and teachers from Burnett merged with P.A. Walsh Elementary – two of the smaller elementary schools in the district – making the population nearer to Nordstrom Elementary School’s at about 600.
The board did mull over the idea of moving Charter School of Morgan Hill from the aging Encinal campus to Burnett on Tilton Road in northwest Morgan Hill, but in January voted to not move the students and staff but to make repairs to the decrepit campus.
The proposal for a new charter school will be discussed at the Morgan Hill Unified school board meeting at 6 p.m., today at 15600 Concord Circle in the district boardroom. The charter school is “dependent” because it would still be governed by the school board in the same way as other district schools but parents could choose to send their child as placement would not be based on geographical boundaries.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Pat Blanar and Barrett Elementary Principal Lisa Atlas developed the proposals at Smith’s request to open a discussion with district staff and the community about the options.
Each charter school would address “specific needs,” Smith said, with curriculum that will be based on the school’s central theme. The proposed kindergarten through eighth-grade school would call for about 25 staff members – 22 certificated, one principal, one secretary and one custodian. Classes would be 24 students to one teacher for kindergarten through 5th grade classes (two classes for each grade) and 28 to one from sixth to eighth grade. The school would comprise of 456 students, according to the proposals.
The school day for elementary-age children would go as long as the junior highs and high schools do now – about an hour longer – from 7:50 a.m. until 3 p.m.
MHUSD board president Bart Fisher pointed out that a charter school would give all students a greater opportunity to learn; for instance, students who aren’t English learners but who weren’t given as much attention by a teacher because of the wide learning curve will get more time, while English learners will get more focused coursework.
“I look at it as a win-win opportunity,” Fisher said. “I think a lot of really good work went into developing the proposals. This to me, is exactly the reason we brought in Dr. Smith for these kinds of strategies and specific-needs ideas.”
Fisher said there are many well-researched models to address English learners in a charter school environment and he is hoping for a vigorous and thorough discussion, as well as help and support from the community.
Smith’s ideal school for English learners is based on MHUSD’s latest test results and the widening gap among English learners and all other students. Just 19 percent of English learners are proficient or advanced in English Language Arts, which amounts to a 44 percent achievement chasm between English learners and English-only speakers. In MHUSD, 45 percent of students speak Spanish, a fact that has compelled the district to look at the English learners and how it can provide more “intensive instruction designed specifically for their linguistic learning needs,” according to the staff report.
The proposal outlines a curriculum that would inundate students with learning how to speak, read and write in English, emphasize non-fiction writing, celebrate achievement and create a collaborative environment among staff, parents and students.
“If we’re creating a product we want it to be marketable,” Smith said. “Not give so many options that we saturate the market. We do want to provide some options, so we want to explore it … there are some creative ways to structure charters. We want to look at all the options.”
The visual and performing arts charter option would integrate singing, drawing, painting, dancing and acting into “rigorous academic lessons in all core subject areas.” The students at this charter school would be taught growth through cultivating social skills, creative thinking and relating the arts to reading and mathematics learning.
Costs to run a charter school at the Burnett campus have not yet been outlined.
The board will also examine proposals to reduce summer school for the district to save $200,000. District families were notified earlier in the school year that summer school may not be offered, so now the board will determine which of three options are best: Keeping the status quo of summer school for all grade levels, offering it to just migrant, special education and students who have been targeted for extra help (this includes high school students) or only offer it to migrant, special education and targeted students in just pre-kindergarten and 7th grade.
The last option would save the district the most money. The district’s budget committee also recommended increasing the student to teacher ratio to 24 to one, which is what amounted to 28 elementary teachers receiving layoff notices, and reducing summer school to save another $200,000. The budget committee is formed each fiscal year of community members and district staff who meet to give their perspective on what the district could do to save money.
