Charter school application to be withdrawn

The Lawrence Charter School’s application has been effectively rejected by the State Education Department.
“The written application did not fully meet the criteria outlined in the charter school application kit; therefore it was not advanced to the capacity interview phase of the review cycle,” department spokesman Jonathan Burman said on Monday. “If the applicant does not withdraw its application from consideration, the Board of Regents will act to approve or disapprove the application at its meeting later this month.”
A group led by Atlantic Beach Estates resident Burton Sacks sought to launch a charter school in the Lawrence School District. This was its second application. Last year the group withdrew an application for its New American Leadership Charter School.
“What we’re going to do is withdraw the application and ask for copies of the evaluation, understand what the comments are and contemplate our next move,” Sacks said. “We are dissatisfied, yes, and disappointed, but we raised awareness in this district.”
There was fervent opposition to the proposed school at both public hearings held by the school district. At the April 30 hearing on the second charter application, several accomplished students spoke in defense of the district, and Assistant Superintendent Patrick Pizzarelli focused on what he called inconsistencies in the application that included mentioning a headmaster who would establish a code of conduct, but not having a headmaster listed in the organizational chart. The application stated that only teachers rated highly effective or effective would be retained the following school year, but also stated that teachers could be dismissed based on repeated ratings of ineffective or developing.

“It looks to me that someone just cut and pasted this whole part of the application, and that not one of you who think you can educate our students better than we do even took the time to proof it,” Pizzarelli said.
The Sacks-led group said the charter school was needed because of the poor performance of Lawrence students on the state assessments, in which less than 40 percent met the proficiency standards in both math and English Language Arts, and the fact that only 26 percent of the district’s high school seniors in 2014 graduated with Regents diplomas with distinction.
Sacks said he commended the high school students who spoke at the April 30 hearing, and their accomplishments. “But that is a sliver of the students who are making it,” he said. “What is happening with the vast majority of students who didn’t attend the meeting?”
District officials fired back that Lawrence is on the rise. In 2014, 36 percent of third-grade students attained proficiency in ELA, 5 percentage points higher than the state average and much higher than two other districts — Uniondale (24 percent) and Freeport (25 percent) — that have similar poverty levels. According to Lawrence officials, 70 percent of its student population receives free or reduced price meals.
Superintendent Gary Schall said that both hearings showed the community’s commitment to the school district. “Shame on the charter school board for not hearing the voices of our community after the first time,” he said. “Unfortunately, the charter school was a distraction from what is important — it caused parents, children and staff to feel that they had to come out to defend themselves.”

Have an opinion about a charter school in the Lawrence district? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.