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Residents get behind Penn Hills charter school plan

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Residents get behind Penn Hills charter school plan Empty Residents get behind Penn Hills charter school plan

Post  HopefulInPh Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:04 pm

By Tony LaRussa
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, January 21, 2011


Penn Hills resident Ed Zullo doesn't have children young enough to attend a charter school being proposed for the community.

But he likes the idea of a school that inspires competition for the local public schools.

"I think a charter school would be a good thing for our community," said Zullo, one of about a dozen people who braved a snowstorm Thursday evening to attend a public hearing on the proposed charter school.

"People in Penn Hills, and those who might be considering moving here but have some concerns about the schools, would at least have a choice if a charter school were available," Zullo said. "I support the idea."

Representatives from Arlington, Va.-based Imagine Schools are seeking approval from the Penn Hills School Board to open a school to accommodate about 600 students in kindergarten through eight grade.

The proposal calls for a school that would employ a "micro-society" approach that focuses on helping students develop skills they need to become entrepreneurs. The school would have a rigorous curriculum, uniforms, a strict code of conduct and a requirement that parents, students and administrators sign a compact outlining what is expected of them.

Imagine operates 72 charter schools in the United States, including one in Regent Square that focuses on environmental studies.

Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of local districts, but are subject to approval by them. If the school board denies Imagine's application, the company can appeal the decision to the state Department of Education.



Read more: Residents get behind Penn Hills charter school plan - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_719217.html#ixzz1BiK1qdGt
HopefulInPh
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Residents get behind Penn Hills charter school plan Empty This resident is not behind the charter plan

Post  Nosmo King Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:46 pm

Here is my take.......

If charter schools are so good, then instead of them culling the cream, let them take the underachievers, see if these students rise to the top, then maybe I'll buy in.

Any school that could limit class sizes to 15 students should do better because of the numbers.

Put the kids who have no interest in school and little or no parental involvement in the wonder school and see how it stacks up.

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Post  HopefulInPh Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:22 pm

Look at it this way, each year hundreds of parents in the district remove or refuse to put their children in the Penn Hills School District.

You have some people with young children who would never buy a home in Penn Hills solely because their children would have to attend the Penn Hills School district.

We have an old Library sitting empty (it is still empty?), Vanity outlet, and soon will have 5 elementary schools empty.

A Charter School will help keep some of those kids in the District. Have one of the schools or the Vanity outlet space being leases, bring jobs into the district and possibly keep some homes from being put up for sale. (we have enough of those sitting empty) Also, competition is always a good thing.

And most importantly IMO give parents a choice.

We can debate until the end of time if a "charter" school will provide better education than a "Public School". It will always depend on the school, the leadership, the curriculum... etc.

If the Penn hills school board decides to not allow the charter school, I am sure the New Charter School in Braddock hills will celebrate, like it or not..... parents will continue to enroll their children in charter schools, and the Braddock Hills community will reap the benefits of having children in OUR district attending a school in their district!

The District can complain a charter school will take money away from the District's Public schools..... IF that's the case, it's the case when people enroll their children in charters schools outside the district also. Have a charter school HERE so it's not a total lost!

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Post  Nosmo King Tue Jan 25, 2011 7:47 pm

Look at it this way, each year hundreds of parents in the district remove or refuse to put their children in the Penn Hills School District.

You have some people with young children who would never buy a home in Penn Hills solely because their children would have to attend the Penn Hills School district.

A Charter School will help keep some of those kids in the District.

We can debate until the end of time if a "charter" school will provide better education than a "Public School". It will always depend on the school, the leadership, the curriculum... etc.

Thank you HopefulinPh, this is the most rational explanation that I have heard for the Charter Schools.

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Post  HopefulInPh Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:51 pm

Welcome Nosmo,

I truly hope the school board is taking everything mentioned into consideration when making their decision.

BTW, does anyone know when they're suppose to give their decision?
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