Hampden Charter School of Science to open in West Springfield

March 29, 2018 | Jordan Houston
jordan@thereminder.com

The Hampden Charter School of Science will open a new branch in West Springfield. The HCSS signed a lease with the option to buy the former Immaculate Conception property, located at 475-485 Main St., from the Diocese of Springfield.
Reminder Publications photo by Jordan Houston

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Acting Commissioner of the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Jeff Wulfson has approved a new charter school to open in West Side – a decision many local officials, including Mayor William Reichelt and state Sen. James Welch, have spoken out against.

“I’m less than pleased the school will be opening,” said Reichelt. “Obviously, I’m disappointed with the decision and I’m disappointed with the process.”

Superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools Michael Richard echoed the mayor’s sentiment.

“I am certainly disappointed, but we will certainly make every effort to be good neighbors and good partners and to work toward the same goals,” said Richard. “We hope we don’t lose too many students to the charter school – we would love to continue to educate them in the West Springfield Public Schools model.”

The new school will be a branch of the Chicopee-based Hampden Charter School of Science (HCSS). It is set to open in August with 252 students in grades 6-9. Once fully enrolled, it will serve up to 588 children in grades 6-12. The school will be located at the property of the former Immaculate Conception-St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish on 475-485 Main St. in the Merrick section of the town. The parcel features a parking lot, church, school, convent and rectory. While the school will be free-of-charge to all students, local leaders fear the impact it will have on West Springfield Public Schools (WSPS). Reichelt told Reminder Publications the district is expected to lose 29 students, costing around $15,000 per student. The town is looking at a $1 million shortfall as a result of the decision, he said.

According to an official statement from Tarkan Topcuoglu, chief executive officer of the HCSS, the vision of the charter school is to increase the rate of college attendance for students. He said the school plans to provide a technologically rich environment, with a curriculum that focuses on mathematics and science education.

“At HCSS-East in Chicopee, we have developed a positive working relationship with our neighboring school districts and the broader community,” he said. “We hope to build a close relationship with our new neighboring districts to improve public education for all students.”

In February 2017, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded a charter to the Hampden Charter School of Science-West, an offshoot of the Hampden Charter School of Science-East, to serve the families of West Springfield, Westfield, Agawam and Holyoke. Charter school officials had originally applied to open the branch in Westfield, but were unable to find a location “suitable” to them, said Welch. As a result, they settled on the old Immaculate Conception property in West Springfield. The HCSS signed a lease with the option to buy the former Immaculate Conception property from the Diocese of Springfield.

While HCSS waited for the commissioner’s approval to relocate, Reichelt and other local leaders asked the state to reconsider expanding into West Springfield. They cited concerns over loss of Chapter 70 funding for the town’s public schools.

“Rep. Finn, myself and Mayor Reichelt – and many people in West Springfield – are very concerned about the possible siting of the new charter school here in West Springfield,” said Welch  during a Mar. 19 Town Council meeting. “We’ve met with, and spoke with, the acting Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and voiced our concerns about that process.”

Charter schools are funded through tuition payments made by the sending districts the students would have attended otherwise – in this case, West Springfield. The charges are equal to the average per-pupil spending in the sending district. In this case, WSPS public schools will have to pay the tuition for every student that chooses to attend the new charter school.

The state has its own reimbursement program that attempts to mitigate these financial impacts. The Legislature has funded this program at about 65 percent of full funding in recent years.

Many residents also took to the “West Springfield, MA” Facebook forum, an open forum designed for residents to connect with each other and discuss town-related events, to express their opposition.

Resident Adrienne Latham posted, “Having this charter school in our city would increase our taxes and diminish the quality of education our children receive in the West Springfield Public Schools due to less money to go around. The transportation costs and the tuition that West Springfield would be required to pay would be a significant financial burden for the city. Though this school claims to provide a superior education to the public schools, that is not true. Our public schools provide excellent opportunities for all students, including the high performing students that charter schools like to recruit.”

Multiple comments followed supporting her statement.

The commissioner approved the decision to expand HCSS-West into West Springfield on Mar. 26.

“My decision to approve the relocation of the Hampden Charter School of Science-West to West Springfield should not in any way be viewed as a reflection on the quality of West Springfield Public Schools. Rather, the decision reflects a consistent application of the laws, regulations, and policies governing charter schools in the Commonwealth,” wrote Wulfson in a letter addressed to the mayor.  

Wulfson made his decision based on public safety factors and whether a new charter school would have a “dramatic impact” on enrollment for the community.

The HCSS offered to pay for the first year of busing, but Reichelt said the gesture is “minor” in comparison to the potential loss of total funding.

“We are aware the mayor and other elected officials objected to the siting of our school based on the financial impact of having to transport West Springfield students to our school. Recognizing that we do not wish to cause last-minute financial difficulties for the district, we have agreed to reimburse the district for transportation costs for the 2018/2019 school year,” said Topcuoglu in his official statement. “We hope the district and the city’s leaders take this as a show of good faith that we wish to be partners in public education in the communities we serve.”

Reichelt said West Side residents should expect an increase in property taxes as a way to “offset” the costs for the new school.

Both the superintendent and the mayor emphasize that they are determined to continue serving the needs of the students in West Springfield.

“We will remind families in West Springfield about the quality of education that is available through our public schools through regular communication with them,” said Richard. “And celebrating the excellence that is West Springfield Public Schools and giving every student every opportunity for success.”

For more information on the charter school, click the link here.

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