Charter school leaders antsy over delay on expansion vote
by Dale Mezzacappa on Jun 15 2010 Posted in Latest news
While the School Reform Commission is planning to vote on 11 charter school renewals Wednesday, it has announced that it won't get to the requests of 22 charters to change their grade configuration or expand. The next SRC meeting is August 15, which is late for planning for a school year that starts in September.
Charter schools are frustrated. CEO of KIPP Philadelphia Marc Mannella sent out an email Monday that said "if there is no vote on June 16, KIPP Philadelphia's high school and elementary school will not open in the 2010-2011 school year."
Benjamin Rayer, chief of the District's Charter, Partnership and New Schools Office said that SRC members want to get renewals finished before considering any expansions. Some members want to know how much money the District will get from the state and whether the charter school reimbursement rate is reduced before committing to expansions, he said.
Rayer said that 28 charter schools had applied for expansion, and 22 of them were deemed qualified.
The state has not yet approved a 2010-11 budget, and the final amount of state basic education aid is a matter of contention.
"We're trying to do it as fast as we can," Rayer said.
Mannella urged supporters of KIPP to call SRC members and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and to flood the meeting on Wednesday. "We are not going to sit idly by as the desires, hopes, and dreams of our families and communities are