Dear Friends,

I’m sad to be writing with bad news about our charter school effort.  As you know, the Maryland Board of Education recently issued an order directing the county school board to work with us toward approval of a charter for the Bay Arts & Sciences Public Charter School. Calvert County appealed that decision. After a hearing at the end of March, the state Board of Education voted to vacate its original order and to uphold Calvert County’s denial of our charter.

From what we can gather, the state Board took the path of least resistance, backing off from interfering too heavily in the affairs of a local board.  Calvert County made it clear that they intended to take this fight to the next level – the circuit court – and the state apparently decided this is a battle they are not willing to fight.

There was a dissenting opinion issued by one state Board member, David Tufaro, who did not agree with the majority’s ruling.  Mr. Tufaro noted the Calvert County School Board’s “pettiness” and “uncompromising and arbitrary behavior,” and asserted that the BASPCS application for a charter was “the most thorough and….consistent with local board’s standards that this Board has seen.”

 We are dismayed that Calvert County’s School Board is so set against creativity and parental choice in our public schools. The state’s ruling gives the Calvert County Board no incentive to work in good faith with BASPCS or any future charter school efforts.  In fact, the consensus by pro-charter participants attending the hearing is that the state's ruling is terrible news for charter schools in Maryland.  Local school districts will now be emboldened to reject charter applications on whatever grounds they choose, knowing that they are unlikely to be overturned by the state.

Given this reality, the BASPCS Board has voted – reluctantly - not to continue with our effort to build a charter school in Calvert County.  We believe that the state’s ruling gives us no other reasonable choice.  We will be exploring other avenues for building an alternative school focused on hands-on learning and environmental studies, in keeping with our original mission.

The BASPCS Board is still committed to creating educational alternatives for our children and Calvert County.  Please visit our website for updates on our progress.

I want to thank every one of you who has provided support, inspiration, and advice over the past three years. Thank you so much for sharing our vision - the BASPCS could not have gotten this far without you!

Karen

Karen S. Mittelman

Chair

Friends of the Bay Arts & Sciences Public Charter School