The Daily Times

A charter school isn’t in the best interest of Blount County’s schoolchildren, according to school officials.

Innovation Education Partnership Inc. aspires to open the HOPE (Hands-On, Progressive Education) Academy in fall 2012. If approved, officials anticipate initially serving 180 students in nine classes.

Blount County Schools contends HOPE Academy will have a substantial negative fiscal impact on its budget. They expect to remit $1.15 million, or 1.45 percent of eligible state and local funds, to the charter school.

By remitting these funds, school officials will have trouble meeting their five-year strategic plan. They’re currently working to:

• Improve academic performance in reading, language arts, writing, math and science;

• Produce graduates who are college- and career-ready and prepared for postsecondary education, careers and citizenship;

• Hire, develop and grow teachers and leaders;

• Increase parental, public and private support for education.

“We need to focus our resources on meeting our mission,” said Director of Schools Rob Britt. “In order to meet or exceed these goals and move education forward, we can’t sustain all these cuts and still maintain a course to meet the goals that we’ve set for ourselves over the next five to seven years.

“We’re entering a crossroads for education in Blount County School. We have very limited resources right now, and they’ll be scarce if this is approved. We’re looking at something that will be delaying or moving us backward, which is something we’re not interested in doing.”

Many goals set

School officials have set many goals in the strategic plan:

• Develop and integrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) components throughout the K-12 curriculum. Heritage High School plans to open a STEM Academy in fall 2012, and educators will develop and implement a STEM plan for the entire district;

• Prepare for online state testing by ensuring schools have the appropriate bandwidth and support to take the test. Each school will have wireless Internet access;

• Develop a college and career counseling center to guide students through the postsecondary education process;

• Fully implement the Tennessee Diploma Project and acquire instructional materials aligned to state curriculum standards;

• Develop a comprehensive plan to increase student offerings in advanced placement courses, dual-credit courses and college- and career-transition programs. The high schools will further ensure that at least 80 percent of graduates possess the skills and content knowledge to succeed in postsecondary studies and graduate with a two- or four-year degree.

Officials also plan to develop a technology plan to outfit classrooms, train and support teachers, maintain and support the technology program and prepare for future technologies. They plan to:

• Equip all classrooms with a laptop, projector, interactive whiteboard and wireless Internet access;

• Provide students in grades 6-12 with access to iPads with electronic textbooks, individualized assignments and educational apps;

• Make laptop and iPad carts available to each K-5 school;

• Provide email accounts to high-schoolers.

Officials are committed to providing children with the best educational opportunities, Britt said. “Regardless of where children live in Blount County, they should be attending a high-performing, well-equipped school employing outstanding teachers and leaders that are motivated and capable of meeting and exceeding goals. We’ve got highly-motivated teachers and leaders in our schools, and they’re very focused on achieving the goals set forth in our strategic plan.

“They’re extremely focused on helping children reach their academic potential, which is what concerns me about the amount of resources needed for this charter school. It’ll seriously compromise our ability to move our schools forward. That’s not right. The education of our children is simply too important.”

Proven results

Blount County Schools has also shown steady academic improvement in recent years, Britt said.

All Blount County elementary schools have been in good standing relative to their AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) status for the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. The Tennessee Department of Education hasn’t released school-level data for 2010-11.

“In the 2010-11 school year, we had good academic results,” Britt said. “A lot of schools showed dramatic improvement. As a system, we showed achievement and academic growth gains. I’m pleased with where we’re headed. We’re moving in the right direction, and we’re on track. I think we’re worthy of additional revenues.”

In 2010, the system’s per-pupil expenditure was $8,284. The state average was $8,773.

“We’ve been getting above average results for below average per-pupil expenditures,” Britt said. “We’re being very effective and efficient with the resources that we have right now. However, that’s not to say we can’t get better. We’ve created this strategic plan to help us get there.”

Britt later offered a comparison. “I don’t want to think of schools as a business, because we’re not making widgets. We’re helping children develop into fully functioning adults. However, if I did look at schools as a business, I’d recognize that all high-performing companies and businesses find their areas of strength, those return on investments, and invests in them. The same is true in education, and we should be supporting those areas of strengths. We need to build on our successes and continue to implement strategies and programs that will support and enhance our school system.”

Take away resources

HOPE Academy isn’t the best use of Blount County’s resources, Britt said. “The charter school would mean taking resources from the whole and giving them to a small group. We’re currently serving them, and we want to serve them at our individual schools. We’re not convinced based on this application that the charter school could perform at a higher level than most of our schools.”

Several elected officials agree with Britt’s analysis.

“I’m not opposed to charter schools, but they have a place — and it’s not in our community,” said Denny Garner, a Maryville school board member. “I’ve read HOPE Academy’s two applications, and the group’s plans don’t offer anything above and beyond what Alcoa, Blount County or Maryville are providing right now. Not to mention, they don’t have adequate budget, food service, special education or transportation plans. I don’t see a real plan to care for children.”

“Blount County Schools has the only comprehensive high school in our county, and we offer high-quality CTE (career and technical education) programs,” said Dr. Don McNelly, Blount County school board chairman. “We also have elements of STEM throughout the curriculum. We’re continuing to serve all children and provide them with excellent opportunities into the work force and postsecondary education. Any loss of funds will have a tremendous impact on our students.”

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