State renews contracts for YCS, Eagle Heights

By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two city charter schools will continue to operate after the state board of education has agreed to renew their contracts after their first five-year evaluations.
Youngstown Community School on Essex Street and Eagle Heights Academy on Market Street are among nine of Ohio's original charter schools.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Sister Jerome Corcoran, founder of Youngstown Community School, about the decision regarding that school. "Because their grades are good and they behave and all that stuff. But it sure is good to get the formal word."
Alex Murphy, superintendent at Eagle Heights, was unavailable.
The state board agreed to renew seven of nine contracts statewide, postponing votes on two schools until next month to allow administrators to answer questions raised during visits to the schools, said J.C. Benton, an education department spokesman. None of the other schools are in the Mahoning Valley.
Created by a 1997 law, charter schools are publicly funded but privately run schools that are eligible for some startup costs but no construction money.
Under the law that created charter schools, each school has to pass an evaluation before the state will agree to negotiate new contracts.
Reaction to renewal
"We're very excited," said Sister Mary Dunn, principal at Youngstown Community School. "That's wonderful. That is really wonderful.
" ... I think the reason we were renewed is a credit to everyone involved, Sister Jerome, the boards, teachers, parents and, of course, most importantly, the kids themselves ... for giving their best."
She said the renewal will allow the school to expand to add fifth-graders to its current kindergarten-through-fourth-grade mix and to add sixth-graders later.
It also allows them to begin the process of accepting applications in February.
"We're hoping we'll be here for a long time," Dunn said. " ... It's so wonderful to work with inner-city children. It's so rewarding. I wouldn't trade it."
Charter schools are supported by GOP lawmakers who see them as an alternative to traditional public schools, which they say have been allowed to fail long enough without other options for students.
Most Democrats and teachers unions oppose charter schools, saying they pull state funding from needy public schools. They also criticize charter schools for having low proficiency test scores and point out that several schools have closed because of financial problems.
'Continuing drain'
Lock P. Beachum Sr., president of the Youngstown Board of Education, said local charter schools are "a continuing drain on public school funds," with the state giving them $8 million or $9 million each year.
He said providing an education has become a competitive business.
"As far as I'm concerned it only tells us we have to continue to make our schools better," he said. "I think once our schools come out of academic emergency, people will be looking less at transferring to charter schools from public schools."
Beachum said there is a perception that charter schools are better, but some, including Eagle Heights, have lower proficiency test scores than the city schools.
The education department now will begin negotiating new contracts with the seven charter schools' governing boards.
Benton said school evaluations included one- to two-day visits to each school and interviews with governing board members, parents and teachers. The department also analyzed hundreds of pages of paperwork from each school.
The state paid Boston education consulting group SchoolWorks $72,000 to help develop the process.
More than 120 charter schools are expected to be open this year, enrolling more than 28,000 pupils. The state is expected to provide charter schools more than $180 million this year, or about 2 percent of Ohio's annual school budget.
XThe Associated Press contributed to this report.