The Christina School Board voted 4-3 Tuesday night not to submit plans for its three Priority Schools to the state Department of Education.
One key issue is a line the Board removed from its negotiated Memorandum of Understanding with the state, saying the MOU takes precedence over all other agreements. DOE says it won’t accept removing that line without seeing completed school plans and an agreement with the teachers’ union.
Board Vice President Harrie Ellen Minnehan voted against submitting the plans, citing her calculations that the Priority Schools initiative would ultimately cost the district around $25 million to implement. Board President Fred Polaski has countered that the number may not be so high, as some changes can be made by reallocating existing funds.
DOE has said failure to submit plans would result in the schools, Bayard Middle and Bancroft and Stubbs Elementary, closing, being takeover by an outside management company or converted to charter schools. Minnehan says she doesn’t think the state will do that.
"What are they going to do, are they going to come riding into town, with guns blazing, telling us that the schools are now theirs? I don’t think so."
She added that the DOE and Secretary of Education Mark Murphy are hugely unpopular in the current climate, and don't have enough political capital to pull off a school takeover.
Minnehan also expressed frustration over what she views as DOE’s shifting expectations and requirements.
"We were in a meeting once and Penny Schwinn from DOE said, 'you know, you owe me x, y and z by Monday.' And we said, 'Well, what happens if we don’t give it you?' I said to her, 'Are there any consequences?' And she said, "Well, yes, we’ll step in and take the schools.' Ok, fine. That day came and went, we never heard anything from her. Then we got another deadline and another deadline."
Minnehan adds that other board members are equally frustrated, noting that Shirley Saffer said at Tuesday's meeting that she was tired of the process and even claimed she would give Governor Markell the keys to the schools in question immediately.
Board President Fred Polaski is offering a different perspective. Polaski voted in favor of submit the plans to DOE, but he said that's not because he agrees with the spirit of the Priority Schools project.
“I would prefer that we weren't in this situation, but since we are, my position is let’s do the best we can within this system” to avoid school takeover, he said.
The Department of Education responded to the Christina Board's vote late Wednesday afternoon.
“The school board of the Christina School District voted Tuesday night not to support the school plans developed by its district leaders, educators, families and communities members for its three Priority Schools: Bancroft Elementary, Bayard Middle and Stubbs Elementary. The state had provided feedback on an earlier draft of the plans, which included positive elements such as reduced class sizes, enrichment activities through afterschool and summer programs, and additional meals for students. The state will be in communication with district leadership in the coming days on next steps.”
DOE also announced Wednesday that it had approved turnaround plans submitted by Red Clay School District for its three Priority Schools, Highlands Elementary, Shortlidge Academy, and Warner Elementary after review by Delaware Department of Education staff and national experts. It says it will continue to work with Red Clay on those plans before they are finalized this spring and implemented in the 2015-16 school year.
“We know that many of the children in these communities face unique challenges that require more support and resources. Thanks to Red Clay’s leadership and collaboration with its school communities, Highland, Shortlidge, and Warner now will have the plans and resources to better meet students’ needs,” said State Education Secretary Mark Murphy in a statement.