3 Baltimore schools, including 2 charters, recommended for closure

Three elementary schools will close at the end of this school year if the Baltimore City school board follows the city school system’s recommendations.

The schools on the chopping block including Edgewood Elementary School in Mt. Holly, Creative City Public Charter School in Towanda-Grantley and Southwest Baltimore Charter School in Washington Village/Pigtown. The first is a traditional school, while the other two are charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run. These schools, of which there are more than thirty in the city, must receive a charter from the school board in order to operate.

The district rated 19 schools in this year’s annual evaluation, which aims to ensure all students receive a high-quality education. Eighteen of those, double the normal number, were charter schools in need of renewal.

Executive Director of Southwest Baltimore Charter School, Inc. Timothy Smith said the board’s recommendation was “incredibly disappointing,” especially considering the school is celebrating its 20th anniversary. He said that while the school is concerned about the “disadvantages of the current charter system,” their first priority is maintaining equity for the Southwest Baltimore community by keeping the school open.

“Closing schools destabilizes communities,” Smith said. “It takes away the very people who need them most.”

In her letter to the Southwest Baltimore Charter School community, Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises said the recommendation to close the school after this school year was based on an “ineffective” rating of the school’s overall academic performance and the history of the school. three-year charter extensions. The three-year extension, as opposed to five- or eight-year terms, is extended to schools that are making progress but still need to improve.

The recommendation to close Creative City Public Charter School was also based on low ratings, a lack of consistent improvement in academics and a lack of progress toward the pre-conditions of the charter renewal. According to the district, the school also struggles to effectively care for its students with disabilities.

In June 2023, the city school system emerged victorious after seven charter school operators accused the district wrongly withhold part of their funding.

The district also recommended that Edgewood Elementary close after this school year and send students to Gwynns Falls Elementary School and Windsor Hills Elementary/Middle, which have space and are within walking distance for students zoned for Edgewood. Four citywide special education programs housed in Edgewood would be relocated. The school building would be added to the city’s surplus properties after the closure.

In its recommendations, the school system said Edgewood “has for many years been the smallest school serving students in grades pre-kindergarten through 5 in city schools” with continued enrollment declines. Still, the recommendation recognized that the school performed well on recent state tests.

“In recent years, the school has required additional resources each year to meet basic budget requirements,” the summary said. “If schools rely on additional funding to meet basic needs, they will not have the resources necessary to provide the rich and robust programming that students are entitled to and can access at other schools.”

On November 21 at 5:30 p.m., members of the Edgewood community can gather at the school to share their feelings about the possible closure.

Another decision, for the New Song Academy, is still pending because the school system wants to know more about the school’s finances; the recommendation will be shared at the December 10 board meeting. Six charter schools received renewal recommendations with conditions the schools must meet before the next charter renewal.

Angela Alvarez, executive director of the school system’s Office of New Initiatives, said the investment of everyone involved in children’s education makes it difficult to share negative recommendations.

“It may not always work,” Alvarez said, “but we have dedicated people who really do their best.”

Charter operators can make their case to the board during a virtual public work session on December 5.

Community members can tell the board their thoughts on these potential closures during virtual meetings on December 12 and January 9. The school board will vote on the recommendations on Jan. 14.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, a community-funded journalism program that gives parents the tools they need to make decisions about the way their children learn. Read more.