CharterSchool Final Application Interviews

2013-2014 Application Cycle

Springfield Preparatory CharterSchool

Questions as derived from panel and documentation review

Note: The interview summary is not a transcript of the interview audio. The order of questions and responses within the summary may not reflect the chronology during the interview.

Mission, Vision, and Description of the Community (ies) to be Served

  1. How have your personal and professional experiences led you each to participate in proposing a charter school in Springfield? How did new members come to join the group?
  • Bill Spirer - lead founder, proposed Head of School – Last year I completed a Building Excellent Schools (BES) fellowship. This year I am the Dean of Students at Troy Prep Elementary. Over the course of my career, I’ve been an educator, teacher coach, now a dean, and a child welfare attorney. I really truly believe in the power of schools to change the lives of children. We know that there is an urgent need in Springfield. It’s a very large district with a very small number of high performing charters and small number of high performing district schools. Right now the graduation rate in Springfield hovers around 50% and we believe that is directly related to the fact that only 1/3 of kids in Springfield are reading at grade level coming into third grade, so by proposing a K-3 model we think we can really address that challenge. We really believe in our capacity to found and run a great school. We’ve done a lot of work over the past year to continue to build our technical expertise, our skills and our capacity to bring Springfield prep to the south end and to bring another option to Springfield.
  • Sue Walsh - BES, Director of Academics – One of the interesting things that I think about with our work with Bill is that my work with charters actually started in the MerrimackValley and Bill started his work in social justice outside of education in Lawrence. Really what BES is about is quality education especially for children who depend on public education where limited resources exist. It really is the leadership of people like Bill and team at this table that can make that possible. BES will do everything in its power to support this school and ensure that it gets off to a successful start and that people like Jill are resources to the team. We look forward to working with them.
  • Jill Dunchick - BES, Director of Leadership Development – I’m with Building Excellent Schools. I am new to this stage of the process. Normally my work picks up once the charter has been granted. I’ve been involved for the last 18 months and spent the last year supporting the growth of three elementary schools in other parts of the country. Prior to this role I was the executive director at New School Strategy in Louisiana working in a very similar capacity to you all. Prior to that I was a principal in Philadelphia at a charter doing turnarounds, so helping them restructure their first campus because they were project based and we helped them turn into a standards based school. I also served as a principal at their second campus in south Philadelphia.
  • John Brown - member of proposed board of trustees – I have a background in finance and real estate working in acquisitions, asset management, and property development. I and others on the board will be working on our facilities search. I’m here today because of my passion for education. I think education is a key component in social mobility which we are starting to lose today. I moved from New York approximately two years ago and I saw then and I see now, Springfield Prep as a way to make a meaningful impact in the community in which I work.
  • Sonia Dinnall - member of proposed board of trustees – I currently work in Hartford Public Schools as a director of college and career readiness. However, I spent 19 wonderful years as an employee of Springfield Public Schools and I am fortunate enough to still maintain and sustain collaborative and collegial relationships with members of Springfield Public Schools. I am a product of Springfield, I still live in Springfield, and I believe in Springfield. As someone who worked closely with central office staff while I was there, I know that we have pockets of success in Springfield. I know that Springfield is doing their level best to make sure students do receive a quality education and I do believe there is room for support. Springfield Prep would provide that support. We would work alongside the pockets of excellence that are exhibited in Springfield schools, such as Tallmadge and Dryden Memorial, to ensure that other students in the K-8 model have an opportunity to excel and prepare for college and career readiness. As the director of college and career readiness in Hartford I would bring that knowledge and skill set to the work of the board of Springfield Prep. I’ve been doing this work for 23 years in an urban environment, so I would also bring that expertise and experience to ensure that curriculum, instruction, evaluations, data reviews, special education services, and all of those things that are critical to the success of all our students are implemented with fidelity.
  • James Duda - member of proposed board of trustees, proposed board chair – I am a partner at a law firm in Springfield. I was raised in Springfield and went to Springfield Public Schools. I am the prospectus chair of the board. I returned to Springfield about two years ago and I’ve been involved in a number of social economic activities. I’ve been in two different school committees since I’ve been back. I love Springfield and care very deeply about this city. I think the one single factor that can drive this city forward is the educational system.
  • Jennifer Gabriel - member of proposed board of trustees – I work in community relations for TD Bank. Springfield is very near and dear to me. My office is there, I live there, and I have a student in the Springfield public school system. In my position at TD, I’ve been able to see a lot of the different schools throughout the city, along with a lot of the different educational programming that other organizations are trying to provide. In that time, I’ve been able to see what kind of structures foster the growth where the children are striving and it’s usually where there is structure. There’s a certain comfort level with that, very similar to the model we are hoping for with Springfield Prep. I also sit on the Springfield Business Leaders for Education and in that position I get to see how much the poor community in Springfield really supports any educational opportunities that we can bring forth and they are very pleased with this as well. Mainly, as a parent and resident of Springfield, I have to say having worked with this group for almost two years I am very confident in what we are proposing: the commitment of the board, the school, and the school leadership. I really think that this team together will hold the school to that commitment and bring the parents of Springfield what we are all looking for, which is opportunities in education for our kids and equal opportunities for education for our kids.
  • Kelvin Molina - member of proposed board of trustees – I work at HAPHousing, which is a large non-profit organization focusing on affordable housing. I specifically work in the communityorganizing lineup business; I currently work in the neighborhoods in the South End. I am a lifelong resident of Springfield. I currently own property there. I am product of the Springfield school system along with my seven siblings. I am well versed with the issues of the Springfield school system from my time there, but I hear stories now from my eight nieces and nephews. I strongly believe there is a need for our students in Springfield. I’m also advocating for the parents who are constantly telling me about the lack of opportunity that they see for their children.
  • Kathleen Murphy - member of proposed board of trustees – I came to the board this past July and I was very intrigued with the mission. I worked for the last 12 years in urban school districts in special education and also with English language learners. I worked the last 8 years in the Springfield public schools specifically. I recently graduated with my Doctorate in Education. I’m looking forward to bringing my training and expertise to the board. I’m also really exciting about the opportunity to bring excellent education to our students in Springfield.
  • Robin Olejarz - member of proposed board of trustees – Since three weeks ago, I am the CFO of Specialty Bolt and Screw and prior to that I was the CFO at the YMCA for Greater Springfield. I’m also the wife of a high school teacher with 34 years of experience. My husband is recently retired, but I understand the challenges that go into the high school level, from kids being unprepared at the middle school level. I think it is important that we cover this gap. From my perspective we are a very strong early educationeducation. It’s something Springfield needs.
  • Gareth Ross - member of proposed board of trustees – I was approached by Bill about 2 years ago to bring my expertise in finance, strategy, data-driven management, which is what I practice at Mass Mutual, to this effort. I’m very proud to be part of this team. Everyone on this team is putting in a lot of work. I really believe in the mission.
  • Alison Turro - member of proposed board of trustees – I serve as the managing director at the Achievement Network in western Massachusetts where we work with schools and school districts around setting up interim data cycles to drive achievements in schools. Part of the reason I joined this board this summer was because of my experiences in education. I got my start as a Teach for America Corps member in South Texas and also worked as an instructional coach at a K-8 charter school just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. I was there for the school’s first two years. In both of those experiences I saw what can happen in looking in high needs areas with students when adults in front of students have high expectations and hold student accountable. In my current role with the Achievement Network, I’ve been working in Springfield for the past three years now, and part of the reason why I was compelled to move to western Massachusetts was just hearing the statistics. Hearing that just over half the students in Springfield are graduating from high school is something that is really compelling for me. As I interacted with Bill and learned more about the proposed school over the last year, I was very excited when asked to join this group of individuals and work for the students, especially in the south end of Springfield.
  • Danielle Williams - member of proposed board of trustees – I’m an attorney. I do work both commercial and residential with regard to housing and real estate. I’ve been an attorney for 10 years, mostly practicing in Hampden County, specifically in the Springfield area. I’m a former prosecutor; I spent 3.5 years in the Springfield district court and juvenile courts. Unfortunately, I saw what can happen when people don’t have access to good education, so I’m really thrilled to be part of this group.
  1. Explain the primary changes that have been made to your proposal since last year’s submission and why they were made.
  • I think we really made a strong effort to address the concerns of the Department—the additions. It really brings a depth to the board that we didn’t have before, regarding education, special education, and achievement. That was the single most important thing. The second most important thing was Bill’s experience—that was certainly an issue last year. He has continued to work with BES throughout the year, but he’s also worked at Troy Prep. This was a very critical change. We also connected with Hyde Park. In terms of tools, I think we have expanded our capabilities. We’ve expanded our tools. We’ve expanded our resources. We set up our advisory council; we have some incredible talent advising. The council has provided some very poignant and on-point issues. They have been very helpful and a great group. They have indicated that they will be available to Bill, in particularly, and available to the Board as well.
  • In addition to those steps, we took to heart some of the suggestions about policy structure. For example we have proposed to start with kindergarten and first grade, to have two classes at each grade level. We also went from backfilling from K-6, all way back from 8th grade. We thought about this and talked about this a lot as board and with our advisory council and there are challenges with backfilling all the way through. We recognize those challenges and have thought a lot about them. Ultimately we are all here because if there is an open seat and a child can benefit from that seat, we want to provide that. We also thought through our promotion policy to offer a little more discretion given the diverse student body that we anticipate. A lot of this came back from reviews and you. The work I’ve been doing this year at Troy Prep has been extraordinary opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a high performing school. There are many things that we will adopt and many things that we will do differently.
  1. Please describe your anticipated inaugural kindergarten and first grade classes. What typifies your students – their strengths and weaknesses – and what predictions do you make for the progress (both academic and non-academic) made by the typical student in their first year and why?
  • In our targeted neighborhoods we have single head of household families; we have a lot of siblings. I’m anticipating the first kindergarten and first grade class to be students of minority, Latino descent, African American descent that have siblings either older or younger. The reason why I imagine that is because what happens to them throughout the year is going to impact their family overall, simply because when you are looking at the child, I’m really looking at the whole family. When we do outreach and I talk to families and I say the word “college” they are completely flabbergasted as if it weren’t even part of their vocabulary. These little kids are carrying a lot of weight because the family and the community are not going to be looking at them as the future. We’re worried about their future and getting out of poverty and all these other things that can be provided with a charter school like ours that is rigorous, not to the point that it’s a grindstone, but in a way that there are expectations because they have the ability to learn because they were born with it. That’s what I see in our inaugural class.
  • One of the things that I experienced in the last public hearing process was hearing some of the students speak about their experience throughout the year and they were advocating for our work. I wasn’t surprised, but I was energized because they were able to articulate what they were representing. They weren’t just advocating for their school, but advocating for kids that they didn’t even know. After the school year ends, I’m really thinking that these children are going to be a lot more confident in their ability to articulate, learn, be part of a culture and be much more than what, unfortunately, our city has told them they could be.
  • I think the students are going to be anxious to come back in August.
  • It’s really important to this group that our student body mirrors the student body of Springfield public schools. In terms of what they would look like at the end of their first year with us, I think that they’ll have the ability to be proud of being smart, which not every kid is encouraged to have. The greatest moments for me are when kids are proud of their academic success.
  • I’m excited about hearing from the parents throughout the school year and at the end and hearing about the changes that they’ve seen in their children.
  • Our goal is to produce kids with self confidence, enthusiasm, and pride. If we can do that, then we’ve done our job.
  • I look forward to students who will not judge themselves or value themselves based on their environment or circumstances. I look forward to Springfield Prep producing students at the end of year 1 who understand that they are not the sum total of their circumstances or experiences, the negative ones, that society says should hinder them from being all that they can be. I look forward to students who have received the support and instruction from Springfield Prep who are able to look beyond their current circumstances and see a viable future for themselves and their families and seeing themselves as contributing members of society and not seeing themselves as members of the school prison pipeline.
  • I look forward to these kids seeing the possibilities and that they can be so many things and that we as a board and a school support them in that journey.

Educational Philosophy, Curriculum and Instruction, Assessment, Promotion, and Graduation Standards

  1. What do you consider the unique challenges of an early education curriculum that is rigorous, engaging, data-driven, and individualized?
  • I think one challenge is that these are very little people; they are five years old, six years old, and seven years old.