The Baltimore city school board is considering four charter school applications that includes two new schools that would open in two years.
Applicants presented their visions to the board Tuesday, the first step in an annual process where the board considers expanding the district's portfolio.
Among the applications is the expansion of an existing school, Creative City Public Charter School, to add middle grades and the conversion of a neighborhood school, Frederick Elementary, to a charter. If approved, both charter programs would begin next school year.
The conversion of another neighborhood school to a charter -- the board has approved several in the last few years -- generated the most questions from members.
The Baltimore Curriculum Project, which runs four conversion charter in the city, wants to add Frederick to its portfolio. The organization took over another neighborhood school, Govans Elementary, last year and has successfully and unsuccessfully run charter schools in the district for 20 years.
School board members questioned the BCP about their motivations for the conversion and asked the school's principal about why she supports it.
In past years, board members have raised concerns that neighborhood schools have begun to believe that converting to a charter school is a panacea to issues plaguing the school system that the district needs to overcome to better serve all schools.
Meanwhile schools have said that conversions afford them more money and less bureaucracy and more success for their students.
"We honestly can't afford to keep converting schools, so I always want to know what are you going to get that you can't get now," said Commissioner Cheryl Casciani.
Laura Doherty, president of the Curriculum Project, said the organization would bring "tremendous enthusiasm" and a "strong track record" to running Frederick Elementary School, which would receive "laser-like focus and tremendous support to address their needs."
The school's Principal Yozmin Draper said that the Southwest Baltimore school, due to receive a renovated building in the district's 21st century buildings plan, could use more of what BCP had to offer: better teacher training, more community partnerships and an effective reading model.
"A new building is not going to support that by itself," she said. "I believe BCP has a good track record of connecting us with the right partnerships that are going to support us."
Additionally, two new charter schools have applied to open in 2018.
The Curtis-Sharif STEM Academy, would serve students in grades pre-K to five, and offer students an extended day focusing on a science, technology, engineering and math curriculum with arts, sports, reading, Chinese.
Although it would be the third all-male program to open in the city, applicants said it was unique in that reached students earlier, and that "the end goal is to demonstrate that these students are valued."
The Uncommon Dreams Public Charter School is proposing to serve students in grades six through twelve in a Park Heights location and focus on physics. According to the school's application, it "plans to use personalized instruction and to teach college level physics to students starting at grade six," and implement a model that gives a laptop to every student and three times as much planning time to teachers.
The school board is scheduled to vote on the applications June 14.
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