K-12 charter school planned

A group of business leaders, educators, and grass-roots activists -- most notably from Brockton's Cape Verdean and Haitian communities -- is pushing for a charter school that would offer a rigorous college-preparatory program, rich in multiculturalism and character-building.

The Sabis International Charter School of Southeast Massachusetts, which would eventually enroll roughly 1,300 students in kindergarten through Grade 12, would most likely be based at a former elementary school building in Brockton, but would be open to students in about a dozen communities, from Randolph to Middleborough.

"It will be an exciting and welcoming opportunity for students to not only explore subjects, but who they are," said Aminah Pilgrim, chairwoman of the proposed school's board of trustees and vice president of the Cape Verde Association's board of directors. The founders agreed that the charter school "is something not just needed in Brockton, but the whole region could benefit."

The proposal, announced last week by the state Department of Education, is among 10 new charter school proposals under review by the department, including an elementary school in the Attleboro area and another in Boston, where some suburban students south of the city could attend.

Charter schools often are trumpeted by supporters as a way to offer innovative education without the constraints of teacher unions and other rules. But the schools are frequently criticized by public school administrators, teachers' unions, and taxpayers for taking state money away from districts that lose students to charter schools.

Of the 60 or so charter schools in the state, only six are in Southeastern Massachusetts, ranging from urban centers in Brockton, Fall River, and New Bedford to the more affluent areas of Foxborough, Norwell, and Plymouth.

Pilgrim said she believes having another charter school in the region would provide parents and students with more choices. Although Brockton already has the Champion Charter School, it educates students only in grades 9-12, while the proposed charter school would open as a K-5 school and would add a grade level each year to become a K-12 school.

"Charter schools add something special to a community. It provides a lot of hope and encouragement to students," said Pilgrim, who is a history professor at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and has volunteered at an Uphams Corner charter school in Boston.

And the international charter school would offer something unique for many older students in the Brockton area: small classes. Each grade level at the international charter school will have about 100 students, while at Brockton High School grade levels range between 870 and 1,300.

"It will allow for close relationships between faculty, staff, and students, and that may make a difference in academic success," Pilgrim said.

The international charter school would be run by a national for-profit education corporation, Sabis Educational Systems of Minnesota, which operates charter schools in Holyoke and Springfield. It also ran the Foxborough Regional Charter School until five years ago, when trustees there decided to take over daily operations.

By teaming with a national corporation, local leaders hope to tap the company's academic expertise and a network of 50 schools in 14 countries. All the schools teach a similar curriculum that attempts to prepare students for a global economy. Students start taking a foreign language in kindergarten, while faculty and staff from various schools meet once a year to share best practices.

Lessons, however, are tailored to meet state academic standards so students don't falter on state exams.

"Our focus is on graduating students who are well-prepared for college and a global economy," said Robert Giordano, director of business development for Sabis Educational Systems.

"In Massachusetts, just look down the street in Springfield: every single student is accepted into college."

Springfield students at the Sabis charter school typically score well above their peers at Springfield High School on state tests in English and math, according to the company.

The board of trustees pushing for the new Brockton charter school is diverse. It includes Fred Fontaine, a trustee of South Shore Haitians United for Progress; Virginia Warn, Champion Charter School's former principal; Sunita Mehrotra, principal of John Avery Parker School, a public school in New Bedford; and Robert Gass, board chairman for the South Shore Charter School in Norwell.

A spokeswoman for Brockton Superintendent Basan Nembirkow said last week that he was still reviewing the charter school proposal and unable to comment. Other area superintendents said they too were studying the proposal before commenting.

But one superintendent, John McEwan of the Whitman-Hanson district, said the proposed charter school looked like an interesting venture, but said he didn't know how many students in his district would consider attending.

"I wish them the best," he said.

As for the two other charter school proposals, the Little World Development Center, most likely to be in Boston, would encompass a district to include Brockton, Braintree, Milton, Quincy, and Randolph.

The school would offer programs to 360 students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.

The Victory Leadership Charter School, most likely in Attleboro, would accommodate 300 students in kindergarten through Grade 5 from six communities, including Norton.

The state Board of Education will consider the proposals in February, should the education department give local charter school organizers the go-ahead next month to file a full application.