Wednesday, August 18, 1999
CPS considers 9 proposals for charter schools
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Public Schools administrators are considering nine proposals for charter schools, including programs for dropouts, substance-abusers, disabled children and children with chronic behavior problems.
People interested in opening district-approved charter schools in Cincinnati next fall have until Aug. 31 to file applications with John Rothwell, the district's charter school manager. State lawmakers approved Ohio's charter school law in 1997 to force competition and give parents morechoices.
Mr. Rothwell said he has received three applications and expects applications from six other groups with whom he has “talked seriously.” The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 2651 Burnet Ave., Corryville, to hear some of the plans. The rest will be presented next month.
The three groups that have filed applications:
• The Engineering and Technology Academy. Barb Smitherman, a retired CPS principal who coordinates vocational classes at Woodward High School, and her husband, Herb, a retired Procter & Gamble executive, want to charter Woodward's pre-engineering program for students in grades 7-12.
• The Dohn School. Kate Bower, an administrator in Lakota Local Schools, wants to open a school for students struggling with substance abuse.
• East End Community Heritage School. Ruth Coon of the East End wants to open a kindergarten-through-grade-12 school to reverse dropout rates among Appalachian students. The school would emphasize peer learning, and a “grandparents corps” would tutor and mentor struggling students.
Several other East End residents and professors from the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College collaborated.
Six other groups have expressed interest in opening charter schools in district boundaries next fall:
• The New Community School. Dr. Frank Colon, past medical director of Bethesda Hospital's family practice program, proposes a school for chronically disruptive students. Dr. Colon has volunteered on the advisory council of Project Succeed Academy, the district's alternative school for students with behavior problems.
• Three community groups want to open schools for special-needs children. Lighthouse Youth Services, Children's Home and St. Aloysius plan small schools for disabled students.
• ISUS Trade and Technology Prep. Ann Higdon, who runs a charter school in Dayton, Ohio, wants to open a hands-on vocational program in which students would rebuild abandoned houses as part of their school day.
• Training Links School. Corrine Kinebrew of Avondale and Betty Warren of the West End envision a charter school for dropouts that would target teens who are parents. The curriculum would heavily emphasize job skills.
Two existing district schools — Dater Junior High in Westwood and Pleasant Hill Elementary in College Hill — also hope to convert to charter schools, Mr. Rothwell added.
The deadline to apply for a state-approved charter is Oct. 31. The Ohio Department of Education hasn't received any applications from people interested in opening state-approved charter schools in Cincinnati in fall 2000, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
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