Monday, April 25, 2011

Achievement First Colonial Academy

I'm working on an article on the proposed Achievement First Mayoral Academy, and after re-skimming the application and exhibits (over 850 pages...), I've come to realize this is even more screwed up than I thought. Basically, it would create a five school system of schools with 75% of the students from Providence but with a board headed by the Mayor of Cranston, one of PVD's suburbs.

In fact, nobody from the Providence Mayor's office was involved in the proposal at all, nor does the application guarantee any representation from Providence's municipal government (although this may be required by law).

Since they're going for this in one big lump instead of the usual sneaky piecemeal method, you can project the short and long term costs to the PPSD budget:

  • 2012-2013: about $1.8 million
  • 2013-2014: about $4.6 million (wiping out the savings of this year's proposed closures)
  • Over 10 years: north of $100 million

Yeah, how about that. Mayor Fung of Cranston has proposed to RIDE a plan that will cost PVD $100 million over 10 years. Only in Rhode Island.

Even if you think a Cranston/Providence Mayoral Academy is a good idea, they should have to start over and cut a better deal for PVD.

2 comments:

mchugh said...

Thank you for posting the link to the Rhode Island AF application. While there are many reasons to be troubled over this application, and the implications for Providence especially, I find I am most disturbed by the little seemingly innocuous chant proudly embedded in the application --- "Read Baby Read" ---- with references to robbing and third grade reading skills and money is power...... WTF??!!! The saddest part for me is that I do think RI is capable of having first rate schools without the McCharters, but our school leadership (top to bottom) is so uninspired and uninspiring. I feel for the teachers, students, and families of RI.

Tom Hoffman said...

I skipped over those parts... my sanity can only take so much.