On Wednesday, June 3rd, the Connecticut State Board of Education (“Board”) held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting virtually in light of COVID-19. The remaining five charter school renewals for 2020 were among the agenda items covered. This meeting was televised and is available on-demand online here. The meeting agenda and submitted public comment can be found here.
The agenda included:
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The charter renewals for Booker T. Washington Academy, Highville Charter School, Capital Preparatory Harbor School, Jumoke Academy, and the Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication
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Approval of several turnaround plans and plan extensions for schools in the Commissioner’s Network
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Appointment to the State Education Resource Center (SERC) Board of Directors and State Board Committee assignments
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The Perkins V (Career and Technical Education) State Plan
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An end-of-year presentation by the State Student Advisory Council on Education
Nearly all of these agenda items were on the consent agenda and thereby passed without discussion by the Board with the exception of the ISAAC renewal. Several public comments were submitted, all in support of charter renewals. For all five charter schools, the State Department of Education (“SDE”) recommended to the Board three-year renewals. The renewal recommendations can be found in the above links and here.
The Board voted yes unanimously to the consent agenda with the exception of the ISAAC renewal, which the Board moved to discuss and subsequently voted unanimously on in a separate vote. As we know, the Board has historically awarded charter renewals in one to five-year terms (five years being the maximum permitted by law).
Towards the end of the meeting, in a discussion led by Board Member Erik Clemons, several Board members, Commissioner Cardona and SDE staff spoke to George Floyd and the impact that current events have had on the Black community and America. He called upon the Board to be thoughtful about its response, particularly for those students traumatized by this as they head back to school in the fall. Several board members thanked him for raising these remarks, added their own observations and reflections, and committed to future action.
As we await news on an anticipated summer special legislative session, we will continue to provide you with updates as they become available. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.