Public Hearing - Part 1

We would like to thank our supporters who made it to the Keith Auditorium on Wednesday, March 27th.  With such a large turnout and a two hour time limit to the meeting, it unfortunately wasn't possible for everyone to speak.

We were particularly moved by one speaker who said she supported both innovation schools even though her own children wouldn't be eligible because they didn't live in the Taylor, Hannigan, or Gomes areas. 

Some Spanish-speaking parents talked about the difficulty they experience when they can't communicate with teachers and other staff their children's schools.  This is similar to the stories that were shared at a meeting for parents in July 2012.

Please join us again on Monday, April 1st at the Keith Middle School Auditorium at 6 pm for a continuation of the Public Hearing.  Only those who signed up on March 27th will be able to speak.

PowerPoint Presentation to School Committee

Last week, the New Bedford School Committee held a Special Meeting to allow both proposed innovation schools to present their school plans and answer questions.  You can view the Esperanza School PowerPoint by clicking the link below.  You can also watch the Special Meeting on New Bedford's Cable Access.

Esperanza School Presentation to the New Bedford School Committee on March 20, 2013

Please join us at the Public Hearing tonight, March 27th.  It will be in the Keith Middle School Auditorium at 6 pm.  If you will be speaking, please arrive early to sign up.  There is a 3 minute limit for each speaker.

New Bedford’s Innovative [sic] Schools Discussed

WBSM
http://wbsm.com/new-bedfords-innovative-schools-discussed/

By Jack Peterson, WBSM News Director

Relevant Quotes: (Please follow the link above to read the complete article.)

The designers of the Renaissance and Esperanza Innovation School proposals appeared before the New bedford [sic] School Committee Wednesday night to make presentations and answer questions.

It was the first of two public hearings on the innovation school plans. The designers were grilled for nearly an hour with questions from School Committee members. Their proposal would see a school that teaches its students both English and Spanish.


Note from the Esperanza Design Team:
Please read the post entitled Upcoming Meetings for a clarification regarding the meetings on March 20th and March 27th.

Innovation schools spark public debate in New Bedford

The Standard Times - March 21, 2013
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130321/NEWS/303210361/

By Natalie Sherman, Writer for The Standard Times
nsherman@s-t.com


Relevant Quotes: (Please follow the link above to read the complete article.)
Innovation school advocates made their case before the School Committee Wednesday night, facing questions about budget, enrollment and how their schools would fit into the district's current buildings.

"There are inequities everywhere in the district. ... Just because it's not sharing a space doesn't mean it's not there," said Jennifer Clune, one of the members of the Renaissance design team, who said there were many examples elsewhere of different schools successfully sharing space.

The School Committee is considering two proposals for innovation schools, which are part of the district but have autonomy in areas such as budget, personnel and curriculum. The committee will vote on the plans in April.

Tonight's Special Meeting of the School Committee

At tonight's meeting, the design teams for both proposed innovation schools presented information about their schools and answered questions from members of the School Committee.

The Esperanza School design team's presentation included the following topics:

• challenges within New Bedford Public Schools
• how dual language instruction can address those challenges
• an explanation of the benefits of dual language, specifically two-way immersion
• research on the educational impact of dual language instruction on various subgroups (ELLs, African American, low-income, special education, etc)
• the effect of dual language instruction on the graduation rate
• an explanation of innovation schools and how they maintain local control
• the requested autonomies

The team answered questions from the School Committee following our presentation and will look further into some issues raised during this question and answer period.

We would like to thank the members of the audience who congratulated us on a quality presentation and engaged in conversation with us about the issues discussed tonight. 


The Public Hearing will be held next Wednesday, March 27th at 6 pm in the Keith Middle School Auditorium.  This is an opportunity for members of the community to share their thoughts regarding the Esperanza School of Language and Culture with the members of the New Bedford School Committee.