Great news Brockton!!!

The state has approved a charter school for Brockton giving our students an option. It is about time that competition comes to Brockton and innovation. We have done all we can to avoid this great day but it is here!! Time to celebrate that our children can find the right place for their future!!!!

I would like to know more about Charter schools. Gov. Baker supports them and I support Gov. Baker.

I like that our children will have options! We all love having more than one supermarket to shop at!! Brockton High does a poor job of serving some of its students. I saw on the Department of Education site that fewer than 20% of our graduates are considered college ready while 76% of the state's students are. I think BHS is a great school for some; but it's strength is helping children learn how to pass a MCAS and not learn in general!!

There's a big argument on the Brockton Hub against the Charter School. Carpenter is against this one although if I remember correctly, he championed one in his first term. Personally, I think competition is good. The issue I guess is that money is diverted from State chapter 70 funding when a student applies to a charter. But then again, chapter 70 takes a hit when a student applies to an out of town school too. We have state vouchers that also add to the whittling away of chapter 70 funding. My opinion: We need to stop relying so much on the State to fund our schools. Brockton has become to dependent on welfare from the state. We need to start opening Brockton up to industry. we need to start using the resources and commodities we have, IE: Water, Sewerage, Power. These are what will bring hi tech industry to Brockton.

Daisy I am happy at anytime to discuss charter schools with you.

If our schools were so great then people would move here to attend them. Also, if they were so great then no one would want to leave them. Let the market decide the fate of the schools. This may make the schools a bit more proactive and innovative.

henningson.....I am sure you will give the company line about how charters take the best kids away(tells you something if that is true!!) and leave us with a budget issue( the truth is the overpaid staff is the budget issue!)....The minions who run the school department want us to believe they have the answers when they have proven for many years to be nothing more than salesmen . Our schools struggle not for a lack of funds; they struggle for a lack of creativity! this system is the epitome of inertia!!

If our school system is so great, as is always being boasted about, why can't half these kids read nor write?
How did they ever make it to high school? Who in hell passed them?

Our school system is only considered great to people who believe the Kool Aid. There is so much evidence that we are a very mediocre district with some positives. However, would you rather send a child to even an average school like Oliver Ames or Hanover.....or Brockton?? Property values say the people prefer those other places! But we do have an ability to spend a ton of money on a lot of people who seem to do little!

A few statistics I could get from the state;
BPS Administration Salaries average 121k...................Easton average 97k
BPS Teacher Salaries average 74 k Easton average 61k
Average Teacher Load( amount of students per 4 classes) BPS 67 Easton 92
BPS Football Coach 13k Easton 7k
Clearly the issue is not the amount of money for the schools; it is how it is spent!!!

Daisy anytime you would like I can speak to any question you may have. Always happy to. You know how to reach me.

I guess I wonder how is it bad? Someone told me that the teachers don't have to be certified teachers as in public schools and teacher unions have issues with that. Not sure if true, but I wonder where is the motivation behind to keep them out of the city? Why does Gov. Baker support the schools? Is it another layer of education we can offer?

Is $$ the force to not have Charter schools?

I've heard good things about charter schools, especially related to the achievement of the students. Last year there was an episode on WCVB's Chronicle highlighting a particular charter school in Boston that addressed the student teacher interaction and how motivated the students were. It appeared to be a very positive environment for the student which, I would assume, should be the point.

While it's a foregone conclusion, the State Hasn't approved a Brockton Charter. The DESE Commissioner has recommended that the Board approve his reco. So while it will probably be approved especially with the pressure Baker is putting on it, it hasn't yet been approved.

I don't know ... I have three who graduated Brockton schools from K to BHS and achieved great things academically. I also know teachers from other school systems who would kill for the chance to teach here. I don't know where Capt found stats that suggest 50% of the kids and Brockton cannot read or write; it is completely untrue. I also know many out-of-towners who would, indeed, move to Brockton for our schools if the other things were not dragging us down (unfortunate third-world mentality, crime, deteriorating neighborhoods, welfare, etc.) Once the children are educated, however, that is also why they flee. When did Brockton's Champion Charter turn into Champion High School? Admittedly I do not know much about a charter school, however, isn't converting a habitually non-performing school into a charter part of the No Child Left Behind Act? I think of charters as geared to minorities, those with lower incomes, and those who are not performing well in publics.

When a child leaves a public school their Ed money follows. If a child leaves the Charter for any reason the money doesn't go immediately back. It's usually the next budget cycle putting the public school at a deficit. At least 50 if not more BPS teachers will be laid off in June due to budget cuts. 43 were never called back last year and with 50 this year that's a deficit of 100 teachers, unsustainable. Not much great about Brockton these days. The BPS is in a downwards spiral, a Charter will not help . This Charter is promising College for all. We will see. The head lives in Norton and will make $300,000. Former AG Mike Sullivan, lives in Abington, doing it for the kids. Yep. We will see. Follow the money Teachers do not need to be certified in the subject they teach. Yep, we will see. No Sports and limited extracurricular activities.'Good for some, sure. Going to be a lot of surprised parents and kids. No SPED or ESL kids. Real inclusive. We will see. Proof will be in the pudding as they say. One thing I'd like to add: wish the COB/SC including the Mayor would fight as hard For BPS teachers as they fight against Charter Schools.

It's possible that different schools define their mission differently. Not sure why the current Brockton School appears to be for students having difficulties in traditional schools. . Generally what I have heard and read is that the Charters are academically orientated that may have somewhat different approaches from what could be called traditional schools. I know several have waiting lists such as the Sturgis Charter Public School in Barnstable.

Here's some info on the Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis (Barnstable)

In 2004, the Sturgis Charter Public School became an International Baccalaureate World School, offering the Diploma Program (DP) to students in the 11th and 12th grades, along with an intensive "pre-IB" program in the 9th and 10th grades. Sturgis is one of thirteen schools in Massachusetts that offer the IB Diploma Program.[8]

The IB Diploma program of studies consists of courses taken in six groups (Language A, Language B, Individuals and Societies, Experimental Sciences, Mathematics, and the Arts). Courses are offered at the Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL), for the diploma, a student must complete at least three but no more than four courses at the higher level, with the remainder at the standard level. Diploma candidates also complete a thesis known as the extended essay, a course in philosophy called Theory of Knowledge, as well as participate in CAS (creativity, action, and service) activities. Students who fulfill all these requirements earn the I.B. Diploma, students who are unable to or decide not to complete the diploma earn IB certificates in the courses for which an exam was taken. The IB Diploma is earned by students who choose to pursue it, although all students Sturgis are required to take IB courses and exams during their junior and senior years.

In North America, many colleges and universities grant credit for higher level courses scored with a sufficient mark (usually a 6 or 7), a smaller number also grant credit for standard level courses.[citation needed] Some institutions, such as Amherst College, Harvard University, and Binghamton University grant sophomore standing to any incoming student who has completed the full diploma.[citation needed]

For students wishing to study overseas, the I.B. Diploma can assist in making a student eligible to apply directly, especially when the host country's secondary educational system has more stringent requirements than the United States. For example, in the United Kingdom, university bound students are required to complete 15 years of schooling, rather than 13 that is standard in the United States or Canada. Normally, American students are required to first complete an associate degree, or alternatively enroll in a Sixth Form College in the UK (and write the required A Level exams for their programme) prior to attending a British University, however the completion of the I.B. Diploma waives this requirement at most British universities (except Oxford and Cambridge).

In the last examination session, students completed the following exams: Biology HL, Biology SL, Bus.& Man. SL, Chemistry HL, Chemistry SL, English A1 HL, English A1 SL, Environmental Systems and Societies SL, French Ab. SL, French B HL, French B SL, History HL, History SL, Information Technology in Global Society HL, Information Technology in Global Society SL, Latin HL, Latin SL, Math.Studies SL, Mathematics HL, Mathematics SL, Music HL, Music SL, Physics HL, Physics SL, Portuguese A2 SL, Psychology SL, Spanish A2 SL, Spanish Ab. SL, Spanish B HL, Spanish B SL, Theatre HL, Theatre SL, Theory Knowl. TK, Visual Arts HL and Visual Arts SL.

Brockton High has an IB program.

I know a couple families who chose to send their kids to West Bridgewater. Why isn't anyone bitching about their choice to send their kids outside the City? Some people want choices. If the BPS is losing students to other schools or towns, then maybe they should start stepping up their game.

Dad of 2...............why does it make a difference where the people live? If that was a case then you'd find that 4 of the 25 Brockton administrators live in Brockton! Should t hat disqualify them?

The truth of the matter is people should have choice in their child's education. That is simple! As for the schools losing money in year 2, do you realize they will be losing the child so therefore the money is not needed!!