NORWALK, Conn. The Rev. Lindsay Curtis dream of a charter school in South Norwalk has been put of hold. Last month, the State Board of Education denied the schools application for a charter, which would have authorized its operation. I was tremendously disappointed, says Curtis.
But he remained optimistic. A denial is not defeat, says Curtis, pastor of Norwalks Grace Baptist Church and the visionary behind the school.
Curtis can also take comfort knowing that the state rejected all nine applications for charters. Seven were rejected because of problems in the applications, and two were rejected because of a lack of funding.
The South Norwalk Community Charter Schools application was rejected because of concerns on its proposed curriculum. They asked us to flesh out the math curriculum a bit more, says Curtis. It was a very strong application. We had several independent reviewers look at it.
The application put forth a plan for a K-8 school with 360 seats, two classes per grade. Curtis says the school would start with kindergarten and first grade in the initial year and then add a grade per year. Admission would be based on lottery. The school day would be longer than the typical school day.
Curtis plans to submit a revised application to the state as soon as it puts out a request for proposal, which may be as soon as this fall. Curtis and state officials believe the expansion of charter schools was hampered by the state budget woes.
"I think the rate of growth of charter school programs has been limited because of limited resources," Robert Kelly, charter school program director for the state, said in an article in the CT Mirror website. "There is a huge demand, but there's also a recognition that the financial component is not there."
Six years ago, Curtis started thinking about a charter school in South Norwalk. I wanted to create a school of excellence that served disenfranchised young people on the lower end of the economic spectrum.
Curtis brought together a board of educators, lawyers and community activists a couple of years ago to help him realize his vision. Mayor Richard Moccia is one of the many supporters and donated $20,000 raised at his annual charity ball to the charter school.
Curtis envisions a school such as KIPP Knowledge is Power or Achievement First, charter schools that are making academic strides with kids from economically disadvantaged areas. Currently, Connecticut has 18 charter schools, which run independently of local school districts. They are not governed by local boards of education and they typically hire non-unionized personnel.
Side by Side Community School, founded in 1997, is Norwalks only charter school. These schools are considered public schools because they receive state funding about $9,000 per student, as opposed to the $15,000 typically spent on a local districts student. Charter schools augment that allotment through grants and fundraising. "We obviously can't replace the local schools. We can complement them, though," says Curtis.
Although the school is on hold, Curtis has partnered with Norwalks Rotary Club to make a literacy library in the basement of the Grace Baptist Church, which will eventually become a resource for the charter school. The library, which is scheduled to open in September, will have books, electronic readers and computers.
Curtis is reluctant to secure a space or principal before he has a charter in hand. I want to get the charter first.
What do you think of a charter school in South Norwalk?
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