Post @ City Neighbors charter school

11.06 City Neighbors Foundation School

Meeting: 07/14/2009 Board Meeting
Category: 11. PROCUREMENT - CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Agenda Type: Action

Agenda Item Content
City Neighbors Foundation School
Lease Agreement

Request of the Board

The Chief Operating Officer requests the Board’s approval of a five-year Lease Agreement between the Board of School Commissioners, Lessor, and City Neighbors Hamilton Inc. and City Neighbors High School Inc., collectively, Lessee. Establishment of this Lease Agreement allows Lessee to operate Charter schools at the location known as the former Hamilton Middle School #41, 5609 Sefton Avenue Baltimore, MD 21214.

The term of this lease shall be for five (5) years, commencing July 1, 2009, and terminating June 30, 2014, with the option to renew the lease for three (3) additional five-year terms. Rent for Years 1 to 5 will be $1.00 (conditional upon planned site improvements). Beginning with the first renewal period commencing July 1, 2014, Lessee shall pay rent at the rate of $2.50 a square foot, subject to 2% annual increases beginning July 1, 2015, and for every year thereafter that the Lease Agreement remains in effect.

The Lease rental rate for the original term is conditional upon planned site improvements to be made by the Lessee, described in the Lease Agreement as Rent Reductions for Planned Site Improvements. Lessee has three (3) years to complete phase one of the planned site improvements to the Leased Premises.

Selection Methodology

N/A

Outcome Measures

Approval of the Lease Agreement will allow City Neighbors Hamilton, Inc. and City Neighbors High School, Inc. to operate a Charter School at this location for the next twenty years.

Evaluation

The Department of Facilities will monitor and evaluate all aspects of the documented improvements for rent reduction.

Financial Implications

No revenue will be captured in fiscal year 2010

Author: Paul Turner
Action Agenda Details

Motion:to approve as presented. Motion By:
Robert W Heck Second:
David Stone
Action: Unanimous

Voting Record
Jerrelle Francois Yea
Anirban Basu Not Present
James W Campbell Yea
Neil E Duke Yea
Robert W Heck Yea
David Stone Yea
George M VanHook Yea
Maxine J Wood Yea

I smell a rat,,, BCPSS has a $50million deficient, just laid off workers, stiff armed the BTU but yet can afford to gave away thousands of dollars in revenue to a supposedly independent organization....how can this be?

Good news. Hamilton needs another good school to sustain the growth we've seen in the last year.

Hamilton ES is a very good school as well. We have so many kids up in this neighborhood, we need more than one though. And parents deserve choices.

@OTT -
You're level of cynicism is astounding. If you think there's some sort of conspiracy between City Neighbors and North Ave I don't think you know the parties involved too well. I recall very hard feelings about the per child dollar allotment to charters only a few years ago. This might have mellowed to tolerance or even grumbling complements between the two parties. Back street deals, though? I think not.

To me, Dr. A's justification seemed honest - an empty school building in a neighborhood that doesn't need trendy apartments (the apartments in the Old Southern HS would never rent in the HMS location) is not an asset, but a liability. City Schools found a group to renovate it and put it to good use. Everybody wins.

For the record none of my children go there to City Neighbors.

This new use of Hamilton Middle is very welcome for the neighborhood. The bldg. is in secluded, and will be a great setting for a school like City Neighbors. There is a concern, however, that CN has bitten off too large of a chunk. Their primary setting is weathering several challenges with its teaching staff, so one hopes the construction includes an increase in CN administrative staff.

@ AP-
I sometimes astound myself...But my doubt comes from the question if there are that many enlightened and engaged parents in that area, could not they have affected change at the existing schools?

And is it just coincidence that 4 charters has opening in that area where 3 or four parochial schools have closed.
(The Archdiocese of Baltimore has closed 13 schools since 1998)
I pick on City Neighbors because by their own admission they hope to clear the path for other. But that path has been littered with lawsuit, or threats thereof. So we they are given such a cherry deal my antenna go up.

And the building was not empty until they closed it so that becomes the chicken and the egg argument.

And still core to my question is how could BCPSS afford to do this. It was AAA that stressed that the reason for some of the reductions was because of the loss of $50 million. Didn't he chastised O'Malley for cutting the systems budget and then to turn around and release City Neighbor from paying its rent.. sounds strange to me.

This actually seems right in line with what other charter schools get if they want to use a city building. They get charged rent and get to take over either an underutilized or empty school building. What they end up giving up is a newer building or full control over the building. OTT, I am not sure what rat you smell - the neighborhood gets a good school of choice to take over a vacant building, the school gets a building, the kids get somewhere to go, the city gets some rent. Where's the rat?

The thing that gets me is: If the board had not been so fast to close down so many schools we would not be having this conversation.
That would have kept neighborhood schools as well as this cramming of our older children into smaller schools or trailers.
We have had no money to renovate the many schools that are closing this year and last but the board can somehow justify this move.
Just don't get why all of a sudden this empty school bldg. was quickly able to find a group to help out yet other schools just closed and that was that.
Now some of you may say it was the size, grades, etc. keep thinking that way and soon we will have no schools within our neighborhoods for our children to go to.
It is disheartening to see so many young children traveling such long distances to and from school because it was decided by those who only did a quick walk through that the schools were no longer needed.
But this will continue until parents come together for the sake of the children before the schools may close.

The thing that gets me is: If the board had not been so fast to close down so many schools we would not be having this conversation.
That would have kept neighborhood schools as well as this cramming of our older children into smaller schools or trailers.
We have had no money to renovate the many schools that are closing this year and last but the board can somehow justify this move.
Just don't get why all of a sudden this empty school bldg. was quickly able to find a group to help out yet other schools just closed and that was that.
Now some of you may say it was the size, grades, etc. keep thinking that way and soon we will have no schools within our neighborhoods for our children to go to.
If you close one neighborhood school then those children have to go to another neighborhood which crowds that school, which parents then start looking for another school and the cycle continues. BCPS should have worked with what it had instead of closing and opening and playing the realty game.
It is disheartening to see so many young children traveling such long distances to and from school because it was decided by those who only did a quick walk through that the neighborhood schools were no longer needed.
But this will continue until parents come together for the sake of the children before the schools close.

@OTT & calamity -
You imply that "enlightened and engaged parents" can turn around a failing school and that no failing school should close. Change it from parent to teacher and see if you think that the statement is true. Can teachers overcome crappy administration and a violent school climate to turn any school around? Should they stay in terrible work conditions for years to make this change happen?

Assuming the school isn't so bad that there is physical danger (which was the case with Hamilton Middle, by the way) a parent is putting much more at stake by staying at a failing school than a teacher. A few crappy years out of a 30 year career isn't too bad for a teacher. A child who doesn't learn basic skills at the grade level when they should has a very good chance of never recovering. Or a child who is exposed to a climate where hatred and violence is the norm is going to be warped for life.

Hamilton Middle is in a neighborhood where it could have found support, but after many years of persistent violence and lack of education, nobody who cared about their kids, and who could figure a way out, was sending their children there. I do not believe there was a peep of protest when it closed.

@calamity:

Does anything here change your opinion about closing schools: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=7&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsba.org%2FSecondaryMenu%2FCUBE%2FConferencesMeetings%2F2009-CUBE-Meetings%2F2009-CUBE-Issues-Seminar%2FGreg-Darnieder-Presentation.aspx&ei=3t5kSqaEOoGuNtmK0Z8M&usg=AFQjCNH2JQm_90S-vRvlWa0HNllalydYDA&sig2=NVhrIN9geOh5CIdlurFwwg ? The US Dept of Ed is spending gajudles of money on the "Turnaround Schools" effort. A major requirement includes closing schools that under-perform in order to open smaller, tailored instructional settings. This seems remarkably in line with the Hamilton to City Neighbors issue. What are your considered thoughts?

@ calamity and others:

Most of the kids that went to Hamilton Middle were not from the neighborhood. This school was a remnant of attempts at desegregation. Believe it or not, that wasn't that long ago.

This was NOT a neighborhood school. No one in this community wanted Hamilton Middle to stay open. There wasn't a huge fuss. And the decision to close it was made BEFORE City Neighbors even applied to open another charter school.

Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods. And most of the kids still go to schools in their own neighborhoods.

The difference now is that, if your neighborhood school is providing an awful education to your child, your children are not sentenced to a dangerous and substandard education. You have options beyond moving out of your zip code.

@ calamity,
what i saw at the latest round of school closing hearings was that the community did come together. people did speak out and very eloquently so. but it didn't matter what they said. this board and ceo were going to do what they were going to do. the ones who said what's the point it's a done deal and stayed home were right. bcpss, it's like you keep clicking the remote, but you only get the same show.

@ BC

THE SCHOOL WAS NOT VACANT.. under performing maybe but not vacant. Its plight has been tied to the recent demographic shift in that area that some hint maybe related to the implosion of public housing in the downtown area.

ALSO THE RENT IS $1.00 A YEAR. I don't remember any other school getting this deal. I would expect KIPP supporters to began a campaign for a similar arrangement ASAP. Maybe then they can keep their excellent program intact.

THE KIDS WERE ALREADY THERE... being a zoned middle school meant that most of the students lived in the area. They have now been displaced and forced to apply to get back in the same building
...

CHARTERS ARE OPEN TO ALL. So why do people keep saying that the "neighborhood" gets a good school. I remember during the Facilities Solutions process when a group of parents from the neighborhood across from Poly/Western were asking to get a high school in their neighborhood. There assertion was that two of the best schools in the city were right at their doorsteps but their children were not guaranteed admission. So how can anyone make the assertion that CN is good for the neighborhood when it will ( supposedly) draw students from all over the city. And if the admission process is done fairly, very few may actually live in that area.

Once again a comment I submitted seems to be dropped - very frustrating! I'll see if I can recreate it...

@calamity & OTT -
You seem to be implying that with "enlightened and engaged parents" the worst failure of a school could be turned around and so no neighborhood school should ever be closed.

Let's turn that around to teachers - If there are caring and trained teachers no school should ever fail. It's a ridiculous statement, because if the administration and school climate are pushing a school to failure a few good teachers will not be able to turn it around.

Here's my take on Hamilton Middle - it was a persistently violent school with a disastrous track record, run into the by different leaders and in the end even the strongest leaders that could be found couldn't turn it around. Throughout this process any parent who cared about their child and who could figure out any alternative would not stick their child in that disaster of a school.

A teacher (assuming that they don't face physical harm) can stay in a poor school and try to change things, and even if they fail it's just a few years of a long career. A student in the same situation has a much bigger risk - not learning skills that they'll need when they leave and either being scared by an abusive situation or led into bad choices, regardless how much their parents cared for them.

Look, there are schools that need to close - Hamilton Middle was one of them. I don't think there was a single protest from any parent or student when it happened.

A big plus about charter schools from my perspective is that they really do want those "enlightened and engaged parents" who in turn want to be able to influence how a school is operated. In my experience many established schools give lip-service to family engagement, but as soon as you want to know why decisions were madem, or if you protest things that you see as problems you are much less welcome. Once you know you're no welcome and you see things are not changing, you figure out a way to move on.

Once again a comment I submitted seems to be dropped - very frustrating! I'll see if I can recreate it...attempt #3

@calamity & OTT -
You seem to be implying that with "enlightened and engaged parents" the worst failure of a school could be turned around and so no neighborhood school should ever be closed.

Let's turn that around to teachers - If there are caring and trained teachers no school should ever fail. It's a ridiculous statement, because if the administration and school climate are pushing a school to failure a few good teachers will not be able to turn it around.

Here's my take on Hamilton Middle - it was a persistently violent school with a disastrous track record, run into the by different leaders and in the end even the strongest leaders that could be found couldn't turn it around. Throughout this process any parent who cared about their child and who could figure out any alternative would not stick their child in that disaster of a school.

A teacher (assuming that they don't face physical harm) can stay in a poor school and try to change things, and even if they fail it's just a few years of a long career. A student in the same situation has a much bigger risk - not learning skills that they'll need when they leave and either being scared by an abusive situation or led into bad choices, regardless how much their parents cared for them.

Look, there are schools that need to close - Hamilton Middle was one of them. I don't think there was a single protest from any parent or student when it happened.

A big plus about charter schools from my perspective is that they really do want those "enlightened and engaged parents" who in turn want to be able to influence how a school is operated. In my experience many established schools give lip-service to family engagement, but as soon as you want to know why decisions were madem, or if you protest things that you see as problems you are much less welcome. Once you know you're no welcome and you see things are not changing, you figure out a way to move on.

There is so much to say about the great education that my son received at the first City Neighbors Charter School but I will just mention a few things that speak to the concerns specifically raised by the series of comments.

1) CNCS is a neighborhood school. While CNCS operates by a lottery, via the State law requirement, the vast majority of families that apply for their children to attend CNCS are from the neighborhood and the vast majority of parents that have been on our waiting list of over 400 parents are from the neighborhood too. The addresses have been mapped, we know this is true.

2) Hamilton Middle was a school that the parents and community involved with the school asked the City School system to close.

3) City Neighbors found out the school would be closed and sitting empty while also knowing that there was a waiting list of 400 families who would like to be able to attend CNCS. Putting those two facts together CNCS applied to open a 2nd school at the Hamilton location.

4) The low rent for the first five years is being offered by City Schools because City Neighbors is going to invest significant dollars into the renovation of the building. The building is going to be beautiful, ADA accessible, and have its systems updated. All of these things are better for Baltimore City school children than City Neighbors paying thousands of dollars in rent.

5) There is probably a relationship between the growth of charter schools and an economic impact on local Catholic schools but I would argue that the much more pressing issue is the state of the economy. I think that City Schools has done a study and has found that the vast majority of students attending charter schools are students who transferred from other city schools.

Finally I am thankful everyday for City Neighbors Charter School. Before my son transferred to CNCS he was having a very difficult time with school and was very unhappy at school. I found CNCS through word of mouth and its existence has been an absolute blessing. My son is happy now, doing well in school, and excited to go every day. For my son project based learning, arts integration, staff who care, parents who are involved, students who are challenged and a community who is invested has made all the difference in the World.

@AP - I know your pain... Seems I&EP was correct. responses are being dropped.

Also, so by closing the school are the unengaged parents, bad teachers and ineffective admins eliminated? I think not.

And charters are not the bastions of democracy that some would think. They sell a program. So engaged parents are the ones that buy into the program.

@CNCS Parent - Thanks for jumping in. I am glad you are having a wonderful experience at CNCS.

#1 - By law, charters are to be open to all so the premise that CNCS is a neighborhood school is something that should be looked at more closely.

#2 - Hamilton Middle was part of the list of closures from Facilities Solution Phase II. At that time, middle schools were targeted and the K-8 model was pushed. So there was more of a demand to expand the feeders thereby making #41 expendable. Not the other way around.

#3 - Just about every charter, citywide, CTS, transformation has a waiting list so no brownie points there.

#4 - Was it offered by the system or requested by the school. From what I saw at the last meeting it was a request. And I would bet it is hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost revenue. Some of which could have been used to save the jobs of some of the displaced SPAR teachers at other schools.

#5 - Not an economist so won't debate. BUT there was some chest beating that charters were pulling in students from outside the system and part of the net increase in overall enrollment.

And the debate about bouquet learning should also be looked at. Once upon a time I considered a Montessori school for my child. The knock at that time was that Montessori students had to be deprogrammed once they left in order to function in a mainstream environment, so I wonder with some of the charters going K-12, how will their "success" be proven if they never have to co-exist with others.

@ OTT

"More closely examined"? Really?

The law says that the charters must be open to all. City Neighbors is. Period. There are city officials that monitor all lotteries, and they are open to the public. Check the websites after Christmas, and go pay a visit.

If most of the kids are from the surrounding neighborhoods, that is because most parents don't want to drive that far.

Which is why it is good for our neighborhood (not to mention the numerous other positive impacts a good school has on a neighborhood - no big empty building, professionals working/shopping in our neighborhood, and parents from outside the neighborhood being exposed to wonderful Hamilton).

Which is why City Schools is really trying to strategically place charters geographically throughout the city.

As for your "boutique" comment, I suggest you take a closer look at the programming at Baltimore charter schools. There are a FEW schools - i.e. Montessori - that have such a unique curriculum that it's not easily transferable to other schools.

But my criticism of charters in this city is that they are not different enough. Especially the elementary schools. Why should the school system give you a charter to do the same thing many of our traditional public schools do well?

Charters are supposed to be our R&D centers. They are supposed to experiment with new learning techniques. That's how they can best serve the system. If not, their curricular impact stays within their walls.

Thanks HP

My concern is that what is good for one neighborhood may have negative effects on another. Charters are not placed by BCPSS. they pick locations where they think they can satisfy a need. And we have to admit that there is a siphon affect on students from existing schools. So we weaken one for the sake of another.

I like your last statement because when you look at most of the "sucessful" models they are not reproducable on a larger scale so I wonder where the "experiment" is going.