A year after submitting their proposal to the Charlottesville School Board, backers of a character school have withdrawn their proposal, Sarah Barry writes in today’s Progress. Bobbi Snow and Sandy Richardson had planned for a grade 5-8 arts-based school for at-risk kids. Twice the Charter School Review Committee rejected the proposal (wanting to see a curriculum defined and a proper budget), leading the school board to ask the pair to enhance their plans and resubmit the proposal. Citing frustration, they’re looking to propose the school to the Albemarle school system.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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What a disappointing turn of events.
I’m aware of the concerns that some people have about charter schools, but when so many kids are falling through the cracks of our school system, we’ve got to try different ways of reaching those kids. This charter school proposal aimed to do just that, and now it looks like we’ve lost out on this opportunity. Sad.
I too find this disappointing. I don’t think that the mainstream public schools can be all things to all kids; it makes sense for some public money to go towards developing truly innovative approaches to education for those kids for whom mainstream schools just don’t work. It sounds like the city’s loss might be the county’s gain–Snow and Richardson may float this by the county.
Rumor has it that they pulled out of the city because the county welcomed them with open arms. (something they had never received in the city). The City School Board would never meet and talk with them in over a year, yet the Albemarle Board met with them the first meeting and loved their innovation. They want to use the charter middle school to feed into the successful Murray School. This was the City’s to lose, no matter what excuses the school board has.
Not true dirtmagnet. As much as I feel the current school board is lacking in a lot of areas, they gave the charter advocates several chances – most recently choosing not to poo poo the idea but to table the vote after giving Bobbi Snow et al a laundry list of flaws in their proposal. Honestly, it’s one of the wisest things I’ve seen the school board do in the past several years. They didn’t jump at a sales pitch. In an idyllic world, this proposal was great but it had serious issues and would have become the sacrificial lamb had the board approved it. The enrollment lottery itself was a joke. I can see why the county’s “successful Murray School” would accept it…success being the operative word.