District/School Administration Administration
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Charter Renewal - Initial Discussion for Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter Public School

This month, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) will vote on the charter renewal application of Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter Public School (RMH), located in Springfield.

Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter Public School

RMH, a Commonwealth charter school, opened in 1999 and is chartered to serve grades K-8, with a maximum enrollment of 180. The school is currently serving 184 students in grades K-8. RMH received its first charter renewal in February 2004 with five conditions, including one for academic concerns and four regarding continuing issues related to the governance and financial management of the school. The school obtained an opinion from the State Ethics Commission concerning a potential violation of conflict of interest law, hired a governance consultant, and revised its bylaws, but did not cooperate with the Office of the State Auditor, meeting all but one of the conditions imposed at the time of renewal.

The school's mission statement reads: "The mission of the Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter Public School is to provide urban students in Springfield, Massachusetts with the opportunity to achieve academic and personal excellence by offering an intellectually challenging curriculum and a supportive environment. Students will graduate from the school with a deep respect for learning and the strength of character required to become future leaders in society."

Basis of Recommendations Regarding the Renewal of Charters

The charter school regulations state that "[t]he decision by the Board to renew a charter shall be based upon the presentation of affirmative evidence regarding the success of the school's academic program; the viability of the school as an organization; and the faithfulness of the school to the terms of its charter" 603 CMR 1.12. Consistent with the regulations, recommendations regarding renewal are based upon the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (Department) evaluation of the school's performance in these areas. In its review, the Department has considered both the school's absolute performance at the time of the application for renewal and progress the school has made during the nine years of its charter.

The superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools, the district sending students to RMH, was invited to submit written comment to the Department regarding the renewal of the school's charter. No written comment was received from the superintendent.

The accountability process for charter schools recognizes that in exchange for increased freedom, a school must demonstrate results within the term of its five-year charter or risk non-renewal. The summary document that follows this memorandum compiles the school's record for the term of this charter.

Recommendation for Renewal

Based on the evidence gathered in the attached Summary of Review, and as further summarized below, it is my recommendation that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education grant a renewal with conditions to RMH. I further recommend that the conditions imposed require among other things that, by 2010, the school demonstrate academic success by achieving growth in student achievement against standards set by the Department or by making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2009 and 2010; and that the school comply with term limits and the minimum number of board members as stated in the school's bylaws, with appropriate expertise in education and finance.

Areas of Charter School Accountability

1. Faithfulness to Charter
   • RMH operates in a manner that is consistent with and faithful to the school's mission statement.
   • RMH has created a stable school culture and an environment that is respectful, orderly, and conducive to student learning.
   • Current school operations are inconsistent with several elements of the RMH amended charter, including Saturday school, creation of individualized learning plans for each student, an annual performance audit, and individual professional development plans for teachers.
   
   
2. Academic Success
   • RMH did not make AYP in the aggregate and for subgroups in English Language Arts (ELA) in 2008.
   • NCLB status is Improvement Year 2 for Subgroups in ELA and No Status for mathematics.
   • Composite proficiency index (CPI) trajectories show uneven performance for both mathematics and ELA:
     • ELA scores declined in 2005, 2007, and 2008, with a CPI of 78.4 in 2008.
     • Mathematics scores declined in 2006 and 2007, but showed an increase of 15.8 points to reach a CPI of 74.6 in 2008.
   • Documenting and addressing weaknesses in the school's academic program is a major focus for the administrative team who arrived at RMH in 2007. The school has created a school improvement plan, called the School Academic Plan, and is systematically monitoring progress on the plan.
   • The school's leadership team has created clear expectations for teachers and instituted daily classroom monitoring procedures.
   • Throughout the term of the school's charter, site visitors have observed varied effectiveness of instructional practices.
   
   
3. Organizational Viability
   • Over the charter term, various site visit teams have found that the board of trustees has overstepped its role by making decisions that are more appropriately addressed by the administrative team.
   • The board of trustees is facing the retirement of four, founding board members. In July 2008, sixteen months after revising bylaws to comply with a Department requirement of three (3) consecutive three year terms, board members requested an amendment to return to original term limits of four (4) consecutive three year terms. The amendment request was denied.
   • RMH is currently a fiscally viable organization. The school has met enrollment targets each year, hired a business manager, and recorded annual surpluses during this charter term.
   • Over the course of the charter, teacher turnover has ranged between 38-50% each year. Additionally, the school's administration has consistently reported that the recruitment of qualified teachers has been a concern during the current charter term.
   
   
4. Dissemination
   • In the school's eighth year, RMH established partnerships with three Springfield public schools: a district middle school, a vocational high school, and a charter middle and high school. The partnership, called the Springfield Urban Schools Consortium (SUSC), intends to share successes and resources with the goal of having teachers at each school meet the definition for "Highly Qualified Teacher."
   • According to the Application for Renewal, the school has created two models for replication, an after-school MCAS support program and the SUSC professional development initiative.
   
   

If you have questions or require additional information, please contact Jeff Wulfson, Associate Commissioner, at 781 338-6500; or Mary Street, Director of Charter Schools, at 781 338-3200; or me.

   Summary of Review