ASHUELOT VALLEY ACADEMY...

The Ashuelot Valley Academy charter school project represents the first New Hampshire group to try local approval since the late 1990s. Six (6) groups tried to advance charter schools through this model from 1995-1998. The procedures are very complex and involve (most communities) district-wide voting just so the school board can review a proposal (school boards, otherwise, can review any proposal they want at any time). These procedures, in 2006, inhibit schools from responding to their own town and school needs, e.g. growth, federal requirements for choice schools, and drop-out prevention.

Ashuelot Valley Academy's founders decided they would try local authorization, even though Monadnock Regional School District is the least likely place for local authorization guideines to work. Monadnock's district has too many towns. That means too many people in different locations who need to understand the law to understand the required vote. It's difficult to explain why the statutory wording is so confusing or why you need this vote just so the school board can review a proposal.

Quite a few professional educators were involved in this effort--the regular email list included superintendents, town officers, the Coalition of Essential Schools, national organizations, local organizations, area college faculty, area teachers, and many area residents. The discussion was open; the process was democratic. There truly was community involvement.

Voters cast 2775 votes from the 8 towns in the Monadnock Cooperative School District. The ballot question was whether or not the law would be adopted (?) so the school board could consider proposals. The group was clear that the longrange plan in mind was a small high school with several specialties including agriculture.

Here is the tally:1242 votes were cast in support (45%).

1242 votes (45%). Here is the tally:
Fitzwilliam:	225 Yes--291 No;
Gilsum:	500 Yes--504 No;
Richmond:	122 Yes-- 80 No;
Roxbury:	25 Yes--- 27 No;
Sullivan:	40 Yes--- 77 No;
Surry:	98 Yes--- 51 No;
Swanzey:	445 Yes---539 No;
Troy:	178 Yes---255 No.

 

 

Since June of 2004, many people, including educators, parents, and a variety of local citizenry had been part of the process at various levels of intensity and commitment. The AVA Planning Committee had made many friends along the way including administrators, teachers, and Board members of the Monadnock Regional School District.

A local taxpayer association misrepresented our warrant article requiring a last minute mailing on our part to over 6000 people in the region. Voter turnout was around 35-40%. The warrant article garnered 45% approval and close to 49% approval from the top four friendliest towns. This means that a large percentage of citizens are, at least, curious to see what type of school might emerge and what the benefits might be. And that even with a last-minute effort to sink our request for the board to review a proposal, we still received very close to half of the vote.

“We will still maintain our web site, www.ashuelotvalleyacademy.org, for updates, links, and as a local resource for school issues. Perhaps it will become a fantasy web-address where we pretend we came into existence and became the perfect school…”

A great need exists to revise the local authorization procedures. They are inordinately complex, confusing, and time-consuming. The Ashuelot Valley Academy initiative deserves credit for a very comprehensive and professional effort.

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Now. Below is the question voters have to understand in order to simply vote "our school board may review charter school proposals--yes/no:" Here is the 1995 version of this simple (and unnecessary) vote (working in parentheses is required on the ballot):

(1)	(A)	"Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 194-B, regarding charter and open enrollment schools?"; and
	(B)	"Shall no more than (any whole number from 0 to 100) percent of the district's current pupil enrollment
		be eligible for tuition to attend charter and open enrollment schools located outside the school district?"; and
	(C)	"Shall no more than (any whole number from 0 to 100) percent of the district's current pupil enrollment be
		eligible for tuition to attend charter and open enrollment schools located inside the school district?"; or
(2)	(A)	"Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 194-B, regarding open enrollment schools?"; and
	(B)	"Shall no more than (any whole number from 0 to 100) percent of the district's current pupil enrollment be
		eligible for tuition to attend open enrollment schools located outside the school district?"; and
	(C)	"Shall no more than (any whole number from 0 to 100) percent of the district's current pupil enrollment be
		eligible for tuition to attend open enrollment schools located inside the school district?"
	(e)	For all limitation questions, the school board shall propose a percentage limitation number. The number may
		also be proposed by petition. To change limitation percentages, a district need only act upon the relevant limitation questions. Where no limitations are to be changed, no limitation questions shall be presented to the voters.

It is almost impossible to pass the above-worded vote because it's just too confusing. A long time ago, there were actually people angry about the wording. People said they went in to vote, wanting to vote "yes" but were so frustrated by the wording they voted "no."

Until this provision is changed, no local authorization will happen in New Hampshire except, perhaps, in a city where the city council and mayor can just figure it out and vote.

 Telephone:  603.224.0366                   Fax:  603.224.8366
Postal Address:  89 South Street, Concord, NH 03301 Email:  info@nhschoolreform.org