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Start our own Charter School.
Topic Started: Dec 22 2005, 09:58 AM (5,861 Views)
Administrator
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I am making no plans as of yet, because it is becoming clear that we have a good chance of hiring our new board. I think we may need to think about who would like to run!! When did Livonia change to the current configuration, and how did people feel then??
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Elisa
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I think that parents looking at charters need to carefully evaluate them just as they would any public school district. Some are doing a great job (I posted Canton Charter's Meap scores and results of a detailed statistical analysis on Heritage Academies near the start of this thread). Remember, a lot of charter school horror stories come out of urban settings, where the charters are getting students who are at severe deficits. But I would also concede that there are charters that are just poorly run and organized. Edison charter schools would be an example. If this district continues to shut parents out of the decsion making process, more and more parents will turn to alternatives. I agree, we need to question our candidates for BOE much more thoroughly. The BOE should function as a check and balance system within the district, not simply an extension of the administration. Unfortunately, the people who were elected are apparently incapable of acting autonomously.
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NFarquharson
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Unfortunately, some of the best charter schools have long waiting lists. Canton Charter Academy, which is K-8 and has better MEAP scores than the local district, has a waiting list that has more kids than the entire school can house. They have a lottery system to fill any new openings, but the odds are not good.
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fyi
Principal
Does anyone know when Livonia changed the configuration from 7-9/10-12 to 7-8/9-12? What was the reason for doing it? I think the old configuation keeps kids with their peer groups. I have heard that 9th graders are harassed in high school.
Having a school for 5th/6th graders segregates them from their peers. If 9-12 are a peer group, then peers for this group would be 3rd and 4th graders (the soon to be 9th and 10th graders). It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't benefit the kids. So....who does it benefit????

As far as charter schools, I believe people are dissatisfied. We should have choices. If the public school is not going to listen to the community, people will look for other options. I support a recall because this Board ignored the community. It's very sad that we have to resort to this, but it is our right. There is no check and balance system with this Board.

What is the purpose of the BOE? Why is a BOE necessary? Why are they elected officials from the community? When you answer the above questions, it is easy to support the recall process.
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2 kids
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fyi
Dec 29 2005, 01:26 PM
Does anyone know when Livonia changed the configuration from 7-9/10-12 to 7-8/9-12? What was the reason for doing it? I think the old configuation keeps kids with their peer groups. I have heard that 9th graders are harassed in high school.
Having a school for 5th/6th graders segregates them from their peers. If 9-12 are a peer group, then peers for this group would be 3rd and 4th graders (the soon to be 9th and 10th graders). It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't benefit the kids. So....who does it benefit????

As far as charter schools, I believe people are dissatisfied. We should have choices. If the public school is not going to listen to the community, people will look for other options. I support a recall because this Board ignored the community. It's very sad that we have to resort to this, but it is our right. There is no check and balance system with this Board.

What is the purpose of the BOE? Why is a BOE necessary? Why are they elected officials from the community? When you answer the above questions, it is easy to support the recall process.

fyi - I am not sure exactly when it changed to 9-12. However, these things are done sometimes so they don't have to close more high schools. They closed Bentley, but by adding 9th grade to HS, it added population to them and it allowed them to close some middle schools (Whittier, Lowell . . .). If they pull 9th graders out of high schools and back to middle schools . . . Hmm, something to consider. They would need to keep Riley open as the 4th middle schools, and they would all be very large schools. The high schools would have a lot less students, but they are overpopulated as is . . . especially Churchill. With the continued downward trend in enrollment, this would lead to a closure of one of the high schools in some time, maybe 3-5 years from know

This is a whole different can of worms . . . Maybe when we cross this crazy K-4 hurdle.
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NFarquharson
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fyi
Dec 29 2005, 01:26 PM
Does anyone know when Livonia changed the configuration from 7-9/10-12 to 7-8/9-12? What was the reason for doing it? I think the old configuation keeps kids with their peer groups. I have heard that 9th graders are harassed in high school.
Having a school for 5th/6th graders segregates them from their peers. If 9-12 are a peer group, then peers for this group would be 3rd and 4th graders (the soon to be 9th and 10th graders). It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't benefit the kids. So....who does it benefit????

As far as charter schools, I believe people are dissatisfied. We should have choices. If the public school is not going to listen to the community, people will look for other options. I support a recall because this Board ignored the community. It's very sad that we have to resort to this, but it is our right. There is no check and balance system with this Board.

What is the purpose of the BOE? Why is a BOE necessary? Why are they elected officials from the community? When you answer the above questions, it is easy to support the recall process.

They put 9th grade in high school between my 2 little sisters. Okay I guess none of us are "little" any more since we're all over 40. One did 9th grade at Dickinson like me but the youngest did 9th grade at Stevenson. That would put it sometime between 1976 and 1980.
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bmom
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fyi
Dec 29 2005, 01:26 PM
Does anyone know when Livonia changed the configuration from 7-9/10-12 to 7-8/9-12? What was the reason for doing it? I think the old configuation keeps kids with their peer groups. I have heard that 9th graders are harassed in high school.

Dickinson closed in 1980 I believe--The first year Dickinson/Holmes merged was 1980-1981 school year---9th graders went to Stevenson in 1981-1982 school year.
My friends and I were that 9th grade year at Stevenson. It wasn't too bad. We were much older than a 5/6 grader and better equipped to handle the transition. Things are so much different now and our children face more things then we ever had to (in the olden days).....
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fyi
Principal
livoniarecall
Dec 26 2005, 10:35 PM
Elisa
Dec 22 2005, 10:52 AM
Steps to starting a charter school.  We definetly have the power to do this...





http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/r/steps.htm

Forgive me if I attempt to draw a little attention back to the topic of this forum.
:)

Great topic. Let's keep this one going.
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fyi
Principal
This seems like a really "hot" topic.
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Grant
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I wonder how long it would take...to get a charter school off the ground and running? Also, it would have to be housed in a Livonia School correct? And would Livonia allow that to happen?

I would love to explore the Charter School option.
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fyi
Principal
I think Elisa said that we would need a sponsor. I have read that charters often
come into cities that are unhappy with the public schools.
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NFarquharson
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Grant
Dec 29 2005, 11:37 PM
I wonder how long it would take...to get a charter school off the ground and running? Also, it would have to be housed in a Livonia School correct? And would Livonia allow that to happen?

I would love to explore the Charter School option.

On the first page of this thread, Tom Bailey says that LPS would not lease an empty school to a charter school. Any new charter school would need to find or build their own facility.
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fyi
Principal
No, it doesn't have to be housed in a Livonia school. Mr. Bailey said that LPS
has a policy (written or unwritten?) to not lease to a charter school. It stands
to reason because a charter would take away from LPS.
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fyi
Principal
Do you guys see all the links to charter school info on this thread?
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NFarquharson
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I've looked at them and have looked at report cards for existing charter schools. Most are not exactly impressive. There are a few shining stars, but they have long waiting lists. It would be great if we had a new charter school in Livonia as another choice for parents. I personally would need a lot of convincing that a brand new unproven charter school would be the right option for my kids, but others may disagree. I am 100% undecided as to where my kids will go next year, but the clock is ticking and decisions will have to be made pretty soon...
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