"Lorain Gifted Academy" Becomes "Menlo Park" and My Commentary on "Gifted Children"

In our board meeting at 6:30 AM(!) yesterday morning, we unanimously voted to allow Lorain Gifted Academy to re-open as "Menlo Park" under new management, with a new board. This charter school had received an "Excellent" rating, but closed because the management company, Constellation, chose to withdraw its support. In record time, the parents of the students banded together and fulfilled every legal obligation, including hiring four certified teachers, so that the school can re-open on Tuesday, September 23rd.
My stance on charter schools is typically a dubious one; I am an advocate of traditional public education, as evidenced by the choice my family has made in sending our children to Springfield Local. I had a question for those who had traveled to our meeting yesterday from Menlo Park: How do these parents and educators insure that their "gifted" children receive adequate interaction with other children? (I place "gifted" in quotation marks because I firmly believe that, in one way or another, every child is gifted.) I asked this in the context of my own experience, both as a child identified as "gifted" and as the parent of a "gifted" child. They had answers: the kids play soccer, participate in scouts, etc. The response was interesting...one parent mentioned that her child did not function well in a traditional public school, did not find himself to be challenged, and felt "different." Another parent came up to me later and said that her daughter just wanted to "fit in" and couldn't do that at the traditional public school. I understand and empathize with these positions, and I support this option for these children or I would not have voted in support of the school. However, I see it differently...
...the best education I received came in diverse, public settings where I had to struggle to find a niche, where I had to stretch, grow, experience rejection and learn that academic "giftedness" is only one of many talents that people possess. I had to learn side-by-side with kids who were rich, poor, black, white, boy, girl, and yes - academically gifted or "average" or even "academically challenged." One of my good friends during elementary school was a little girl named Robin who had mild mental retardation and development delays. Robin didn't care if I was smart or dumb; she was wise enough to know that if she would push me on the swings, I would push her back. I am grateful for Robin, and all that she taught me on a daily basis. I want the same for my children. I want them to learn how challenging difference can be, and how the true servant leader can turn it from an obstacle into a learning opportunity and appreciate all stripes of human being. Last year, my son received a character award at his elementary school for "acceptance." Mr. Lee, his teacher, noted that Seth accepted kids of all kinds, and treated them all with equal respect. My son has been identified as academically "gifted," and that's cool - but the fact that my son can "hang with his homies" and love 'em all the same - whether their IQ is over 127 (the official number designating "gifted") or under - is, in my opinion, the greatest "gift" of all. I hope that he never, ever changes.

Charter School Ratings; The Roof; Official Support for Some Levies and Not Others

The September meeting took place on Tuesday the 9th... it has taken me a few days to blog since I am buried under my first round of student essays (which are quite good!) from BGSU.
I want to hit the important highlights here.
First of all, charter schools - the report cards are in, and overall charter schools did not fare as well as traditional public schools throughout the state. There are 311 charter schools in Ohio; of those 311, only 25 received the ratings of "Excellent" or "Effective" (none received "Excellent with Distinction"). On the other hand, 159 received the rating of "Academic Watch" or "Academic Emergency." Toledo Public outperformed these schools with its rating of "Continuous Improvement." To be fair, the 72 charter schools sponsored by the LCESC (which comprises 24% of the total number of charter schools in the state) performed better than the state averages across the board. There are many more statistics available; if you are interested, let me know and I will be pleased to provide them to you!
On to the roof: Nordstrom Roofing has been selected to complete the short-term repair for the roof at the Shuer/Challenger Center. We are in the process of selecting a design architect who will guide us through the selection of the company which will complete the overhaul of the roof due to take place next year.
And the levies! We voted to publicly support the levies at Anthony Wayne, Maumee, Perrysburg, Washington Local and TPS, as well as the Lucas County MRDD levy. COSI, on the other hand, did not gain the official support of the board, although several board members expressed their personal support of COSI and the great value it brings to the community. The board reasoned that as a 501c3 organization, the levy fell outside the scope of the LCESC.
A special meeting may be happening next Tuesday to discuss another charter school with which we have been a sponsor - the Lorain Academy for the Gifted, which closed (despite receiving an "Excellent" rating) due to financial losses. Parents are seeking to re-open the school under the name of "Menlo Park." I will keep you updated here!