By Jeff Murphy,
October 30, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO (Oct. 30, 2017) – While agreeing to extend charter school contracts
for Scuola Vita Nuova and Gordon Parks Elementary schools in Kansas City, the University
of Central Missouri Board of Governors voted Oct. 27 not to renew UCM’s sponsorship
for Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy of Technology (BBCAT). Deficiencies that impair
a quality education for Benjamin Banneker’s students were cited in the board’s decision
to let the contract expire June 30, 2018.
A letter notifying the school’s Board of Directors of the UCM decision has been sent
by the university. Currently in its 18th year of operation, Benjamin Banneker Charter
School of Technology is located at 6401 Rockhill Road in Kansas City and serves 320
Pre-K-8 high-risk students through an active, student- and community-centered learning
environment.
“UCM is proud to sponsor numerous charter schools in Kansas City, and we take seriously
our responsibility to ensure that students in these schools are getting a quality
education,” said Robert Lee, dean of the College of Education. “A recommendation
was made to our Board of Governors after serious deliberation and review of data demonstrating
that despite sincere efforts to serve high-need students, Benjamin Banneker has not
been able to meet the academic criteria that Missouri statutes have established for
public charter schools as well as UCM guidelines.”
Among reasons cited for the university’s decision not to renew charter sponsorship
for BBCAT are:
- Benjamin Banneker’s Annual Performance Report (APR) percentages, which are results
from the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP); student engagement criteria generated
by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and scores on additional
assessments have shown a steady downward trend since the school’s last renewal in
2012.
- BBCAT has not achieved APR Progress points in English language arts (ELA), math, and
science in 2015 and 2016, and internal projections indicate it is unlikely to achieve
APR Progress points in these areas in 2017.
- The school has not been above the Kansas City APR percentage for three out of the
last four years.
- Benjamin Banneker has not met the criteria required by the remedial plan implemented
last year.
- Retention rates for teachers and students have been persistently low, resulting in
ever-changing teaching staff and student population.
The school has not implemented any significant teaching or learning initiatives since
its last renewal.
Lee noted that UCM is making its decision months prior to the charter sponsorship
contract’s expiration in order to enable students and their parents to have ample
time to seek educational opportunities at other schools in the Kansas City area. A
transition team will be assembled as quickly as possible to aid students and their
families in pursuing education elsewhere. Benjamin Banneker’s school board also has
the option to seek another sponsor, and UCM announcing its decision now gives the
board time to pursue this possibility.
“UCM’s Office of Charter Schools will immediately begin working with Benjamin Banneker’s
personnel to organize the transition team. This team will play a vital role in answering
questions from teachers, parents, and students; working through the school’s closure;
and helping students and teachers to have a smooth conclusion to their academic year
with ample time to transition to a new school,” Lee said.
UCM’s Office of Charter Schools is prepared to assist and meet regularly with Benjamin
Banneker staff and its Board of Directors. The Missouri Charter Public School Association
and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education also will be available
to offer assistance. Individuals who have questions can call the university’s Office
of Charter Schools at 660-543-4723.
UCM Board of Governors’ action related to other charter schools included renewal of
charter sponsorship for Scuola Vita Nuova, 535 Garfield, for a 10-year term, from
July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2028, and renewing the charter agreement with Gordon Parks
Elementary, 3715 Wyoming, for a five-year term, July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2023. Scuola
Vita Nuova has an enrollment of 252 students in grades K-8. Gordon Parks serves 179
students in grades
K-4.
Having a strong reputation for its teacher education programs, UCM became the first
public university in Missouri to sponsor charter schools in 1990, the same year Benjamin
Banneker opened. Including Banneker, the university currently sponsors nine charter
schools in Kansas City serving more than 5,000 students cumulatively.
