PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The organization that runs one of Rhode Island’s best-performing elementary schools is seeking to grow its footprint in Providence, but the chairman of its board of directors – Mayor Jorge Elorza – has not yet endorsed the expansion.
Officials at Achievement First, the charter management organization that operates two mayoral academies in Providence along with 30 charter schools in New York and Connecticut, are in the process of finalizing an expansion proposal with the R.I. Department of Education, according to spokesperson Amanda Pinto.
Following an Achievement First board meeting Tuesday evening, Elorza told Eyewitness News he supports the organization’s previously planned growth to a maximum of 920 students at the two elementary schools, but declined to say whether he’ll back a plan to increase enrollment beyond what its existing charter calls for.
“We’ll see,” Elorza said. The board has scheduled a meeting for Thursday morning to discuss the expansion application, which is due by the end of the week.
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Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy Elementary opened in 2013, serving students from Providence, Cranston, Warwick and North Providence. The school, which now includes students in grades Kindergarten through four, drew praise in August when the latest PARCC exam results showed 76% of its third-grade students met proficiency in math, one of the highest percentages of any public school in Rhode Island.
Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Elementary opened its doors last year and currently serves students in grades Kindergarten through two. (The school will add a class each year until it is K-4.) Both schools operate out of the same building on Hartford Avenue.
Mayoral academies are similar to other publicly funded charter schools, but they are governed by a board of directors that is chaired by a municipal leader. The schools are allowed to operate independent of a traditional municipal teachers’ union contract, which supporters say gives them more flexibility when it comes to regulations such as the length of the school day or school year.
Critics say charter schools siphon resources from traditional public schools, which generally have greater fixed costs than charters. Other opponents say charters are able to cherry-pick the best and the brightest students, but supporters of Achievement First say the process for entrance is similar to the Kindergarten registration system for all Providence schools. The two mayoral academies have a higher percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch or are enrolled in English-language-learning programs than Providence as whole.
When it comes to expansion, both Elorza and Achievement First officials declined to say how many students the organization wants to serve in Rhode Island. In New York and Connecticut, the organization has built feeder systems that allow some students to attend Achievement First schools from Kindergarten through high school.
Elliot Krieger, a spokesman for the Department of Education, said Achievement First’s existing charter caps the number of students it can enroll at the two schools at 920. Any growth beyond the cap would need approval from the state Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, he said.
Krieger said the state put out a request for proposals for new charter schools or the expansion of existing ones in July.
If Achievement First does file an application for expansion, it could be among the first charter schools to test new state law that requires the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education to consider the financial impact on sending districts. (Although Rhode Island lawmakers tweaked the school funding formula this year, the majority of per-pupil costs still follow the student if they choose to attend a charter school over a traditional public school.)
As is the case with most public charter schools, the vast majority of Achievement First’s revenue comes from public funds. In its budget for the fiscal year that started July 1, Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy Elementary projected about $6.6 million of its $7.4-million budget would come from public dollars while about $809,000 would come from private funds.
The Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Elementary expects to receive about $4.1 million in public funds for its $4.7-million budget. The two schools will combine to pay Achievement First a charter management fee of about $1 million during the current fiscal year.
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Dan McGowan ( dmcgowan@wpri.com ) covers politics, education and the city of Providence for WPRI.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @danmcgowan