The Boston measure would have allowed for a steady increase in enrollment at charter schools in poorly performing districts, which supporters say would have also increased educational options for families. The Massachusetts House of Representatives supported the measure in May with a 114-35 vote. However, state senators questioned the hasty expansion, as well as whether or not charter schools were truly helping develop best educational practices, and killed the proposal in a 13-26 vote

“It was always an open question as to whether the Senate was going to pass it, and as we saw today the votes are not there to lift the cap,” said Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Jamaica Plain) told the State House News Service following the vote. “The membership is just too skeptical about charter schools, but up until last night I think it was a dead heat.”

President of the Boston Foundation, Paul Grogan, in speaking with the News Service called the decision “a moment where we failed to live up to our obligations to the children of Massachusetts and their families.” However, the bill’s defeat received broad union support.

Meanwhile, Louisiana State Bond Commissioners are requesting more information about loan repayment before moving forward on a request to channel public school funds into charter school construction. According to The New Orleans Advocate, lawmakers questioned the use of the state’s Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) to repay construction loans incurred by charter schools. MFP funds currently stand at $3.6 billion and support some 700,000 public school students. These funds go largely to school maintenance as opposed to construction, which is more often funded by millages and property taxes.

Speaking with , House Appropriations Committee State Representative Jim Fannin (R-Jonesboro) remarked, “We’re going to a financial model with the MFP dollars that I don’t feel comfortable with.”

South Louisiana Charter Foundation President John Pierre countered that two communities, as well as the foundation’s partner, Red Apple LLC, have already used a variation of the method successfully to build new charter schools. The Foundation is currently requesting $1.7 million for two K-6 schools already under construction.

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The respected Brooklyn Prospect Charter School first opened to middle and high school-level students in 2009. Three years later, the school’s original 57,000-square-foot facility on Fort Hamilton Parkway received a $6 million upgrade, adding four science labs, hundreds of lockers, improved restroom facilities and a bright, uplifting paint job. The building was also outfitted with wireless Internet, furthering the school’s mission to prepare students for future technology-based learning.

Faced with an increase in admission requests, the school announced the expansion of the original Hamilton Parkway location in 2013. Loci Associates was tapped to help redesign the existing structure, adding new chemistry and biology laboratories, as well as a dance studio. As the school also shares space with a working convent, the addition injected new life and vitality into the converted Catholic school building.

At the same time, Loci also designed several classrooms and administrative offices for BPCS’s newest venture, an elementary school occupying the top three floors of nearby 80 Willoughby St. The addition of an elementary facility will allow the charter school to add one new grade each year, eventually becoming a K-5. This will also allow students to enjoy International Baccalaureate Programme education from kindergarten through high school. The 18,000-square-foot elementary, which also shares spaces with St. Joseph High School, opened in early September 2013 and will eventually serve approximately 300 K-5 students.

Daniel Rubenstein, executive director and co-founder of the Brooklyn school, which has gained both local and national attention for its commitment to racial and socioeconomic diversity, is very pleased with its progress. “Six years ago we set out to open a diverse, high-performing public school that would prepare students for a global world,” said Rubenstein. “We are proud of how far we’ve come.” Rubenstein added that the school’s new K-5 addition allows the existing 6-12 program to have an even greater impact.

The school, which holds an annual lottery for admission, was chartered by the State University of New York Charter Schools Institute and is one of only several non-selective public schools currently offering the International Baccalaureate Programme. As evidenced by the progressive and challenge curriculum, the school is committed to providing a global education. This goal is reflected throughout its IBP curriculum, which is applauded by many top universities and colleges. This unique approach to education is similar to that of a college preparatory, and fosters peer collaboration, encourages personal reflection, promotes community service and prepares students for a global workforce by developing second language fluency. “Our goal is to prepare students for success in a rigorous high school diploma program,” said the school’s co-founder and current middle school principal, LaNolia Omowanile. “It’s not about passing Regents, it’s about going in-depth in the subjects.”

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The innovative BelovED Community Charter School takes its name from a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” This philosophy resonated with Hollister Chief Executive Officer Christopher A. Johnson, who sees great value in charter school construction and expansion. “Hollister is a strong supporter of the charter school movement, so it is especially gratifying to be involved in a significant project that addresses the needs of underserved children,” Johnson said. “Our extensive experience as construction managers for educational projects allowed us to value engineer components and construction methods used in the new addition, ultimately providing enough savings to allow the school to refine their design and add an additional full floor.”

The school is located in a 12-year-old building that formerly housed Schomburg Charter School, and is also in an area that was directly affected by 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. As a result, Hollister President Kieran Flannigan said the company altered pre-existing plans to better prepare the structure for future severe weather.

The first floor of the new addition was elevated, creating a roughly 5-foot crawlspace below enclosed with perforated metal panels. According to Sander, these unique panels are designed to break away under a substantial amount of water pressure. They also allow water to recede from the building, reducing potential damage, while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the design.

This weather-ready addition will also help the school transition from a K-3 to a K-12 institution. The school plans to incorporate one new grade level per year, and will eventually comprise an elementary, middle and high school on or nearby the school’s existing campus. The expansion will allow students to remain within the BelovED educational system from kindergarten through matriculation, and administrators are also actively working to open a Greenville campus in the near future.

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