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FACT: In the past 5 years, over 3,500 students in 8 schools in Southwest Detroit have experienced school closure. At the same time, 6 new schools have opened, and there are plans for as many as 5 more in the next couple of years.
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Background:
In 2011, the Michigan Legislature lifted the cap on the number of charter schools that could be opened. By June 2012, charter school authorizers were planning at least 7 new schools to open in Southwest Detroit despite a 20% decrease in the school-age population over the past decade.
Community members worried the neighborhood would be flooded with too many schools or unproven operators. Too many schools for too few students, they reasoned, would mean that eventually some would have to close, disrupting students' lives and further blighting Southwest. But the law gave them no say in these decisions.
In 2011, the Michigan Legislature lifted the cap on the number of charter schools that could be opened. By June 2012, charter school authorizers were planning at least 7 new schools to open in Southwest Detroit despite a 20% decrease in the school-age population over the past decade.
Community members worried the neighborhood would be flooded with too many schools or unproven operators. Too many schools for too few students, they reasoned, would mean that eventually some would have to close, disrupting students' lives and further blighting Southwest. But the law gave them no say in these decisions.
Lighthouse Academies: A First Step
In 2012, the charter school office at Grand Valley State approached Excellent Schools Detroit about a school they were planning to open in Southwest, looking to get community feedback. Soon thereafter, representatives from Chadsey Condon Community Organization, Congress of Communities, the Consortium of Hispanic Agencies, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Southwest Solutions, and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives met with leadership from the charter school network to ask them about their intentions and their track record. They also visited existing Lighthouse schools in Indiana.
Ultimately, the group agreed to support the new school if they could place two community representatives - Aaron Barndollar and Elizabeth Santos - on the board and participate in the principal selection, to which Lighthouse agreed. They also formed a community advisory board that meets bi-monthly with school leadership to monitor and support the school's progress.
In 2012, the charter school office at Grand Valley State approached Excellent Schools Detroit about a school they were planning to open in Southwest, looking to get community feedback. Soon thereafter, representatives from Chadsey Condon Community Organization, Congress of Communities, the Consortium of Hispanic Agencies, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Southwest Solutions, and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives met with leadership from the charter school network to ask them about their intentions and their track record. They also visited existing Lighthouse schools in Indiana.
Ultimately, the group agreed to support the new school if they could place two community representatives - Aaron Barndollar and Elizabeth Santos - on the board and participate in the principal selection, to which Lighthouse agreed. They also formed a community advisory board that meets bi-monthly with school leadership to monitor and support the school's progress.
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Replicating the Model: Mixed Success
Encouraged by their experience with Lighthouse, the group reached out to other schools - charter schools, Detroit Public Schools (DPS), and Education Achievement Authority (EAA) schools - that were trying to open, expand, transform, or close in Southwest and asked them to participate in a community vetting process. There were 5 schools planning to open and 1 planning to close in Fall 2014:
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