Aliyya Swaby Photo
Harries, Torre, Harp at a stormy “Imagine” hearing.
“Elm City Imagine” died Wednesday—at least the version that would have had New Haven’s Board of Ed entering into a partnership this year with the Achievement First charter network on a new school.
Superintendent Garth Harries announced, through a memo sent to Board of Education members, that he has tabled the proposal.
Click here to read the memo.
Controversy over the plan had drowned out the public schools’ other efforts at improving education, Harries said in an interview. He said the proposed deal got swallowed in the broader national debate over the role of charter schools.
“This began to threaten the foundation of school change, which is collaboration on behalf of kids,” Harries said.
Both he and Mayor Toni Harp said Wednesday they hope to revisit the proposal in coming years.
Elm City Imagine began as an effort by Achievement First (AF) to design, with the help of the inventor of the computer mouse, an experimental K‑8 school of the future. AF, which runs local charter schools such as Amistad Academy, planned to open Imagine in the fall as a K‑1 at first, eventually expanding to fourth grade. Saying it couldn’t raise enough money privately to launch the school, AF negotiated a “partnership” with Harries under which New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) would provide $700 in cash and in-kind services per student for a school that AF would run and staff (not including the legally required contribution for transportation and special education services).
Proponents of the deal hailed it as a step to building a productive charter-Board of Ed relationship in New Haven that differs from the animosity found in other cities. They said the deal would ultimately save NHPS money and relieve overcrowding in traditional New Haven public schools. As part of the deal, AF also promised to address concerns about accepting mid-year transfers, about how it handles suspensions, and about its criticisms of NHPS.
Click here to read a chart Harries prepared detailing the issues raised in negotiations on the deal.
The proposed deal sparked intense opposition. Teachers began organizing against it. So did school administrators. Opponents lined up for hours at public meetings to blast the deal. They said it shifted needed money and autonomy to well-funded charters. They argued that the deal didn’t represent a true partnership—but rather the first step toward a private takeover of public schools. Teachers union President David Cicarella (in video) questioned why New Haven needed to contribute money toward a new charter school as a condition of AF addressing unrelated problems in the relationship.
Mayor Harp, while generally supporting the idea of the deal, withheld her backing of the plan, at least publicly, pending resolution of the controversy.
The unfolding events marked an unusual instance of charter proponents being outmaneuvered in the public or political arena. AF did enlist the support of 50 university presidents, politicians, and business leaders. But organizers either underestimated the public backlash, especially among teachers; or failed to rally their own broader support.
The turning point appeared to come at a public hearing last week when two school board members — including President Carlos Torre — raised skeptical questions about the deal, signaling it faced a tough road to approval. Click here to read about that meeting, and about details of the proposal.
Cicarella Wednesday said he’s pleased by Harries’ decision.
“We appreciate the fact that it was a difficult decision for the superintendent. But at the same time, it’s what we expected him to do. We’re pleased that he valued our cooperation, all the good we’ve done over the five years,” Cicarella remarked in a conversation with the Independent.
Board President Torre also praised the move: “I think that was the right decision. We liked the idea of this school. But there was something about the process that just didn’t come together well. I’d love if the process could be redone. But I don’t know if there’s willingness on the part of AF to go through a better process at this point.”
AF’s Toll issued a statement saying her organization will proceed with a plan to roll out some of the ideas behind Elm City Imagine at its Elm City College Prep school next academic year. She also expressed hope that the Elm City Imagine deal can be revived.
“This proposal truly represents bold, positive change for New Haven, but as we all know, meaningful change can take time, and sometimes a little longer than we’d like,” Toll said. “We do hope that everyone keeps in mind the fierce urgency of now that many New Haven children face today – they can’t afford to wait too long for the adults to work through the issues.”
Mayor Harp said she still supports the concept behind the deal — of testing out a school with a longer day and different instructional approaches outside the confines of traditional public schools.
The “tenor of the debate” made it impossible to reach consensus on the idea, instead turning the proposal into a “win-lose” proposition, she said. “We couldn’t get down to having discussions about the specifics.” She said she hopes to speak with opponents about their concerns in order to see if the deal can be resurrected in the future. “I’m hopeful we can create a setting where we can get rid of rhetoric on all sides and have a real conversation about this,” Harp said. “If we’re really serious about having a portfolio approach” to school reform, it must include experiments like this one.
“Counterproductive”
In his memo Wednesday to board members, Harries wrote that he hopes the board can now “reset the discussion of a potential Achievement First partnership with a stronger foundation of trust and mutual good faith.”
That ended up not being possible amid the controversy surrounding the Elm City Imagine proposal.
“[T]he tone and tenor surrounding the current discussion has become counter-productive to my goals for both the partnership and the district as a whole — it threatens the engagement and collaboration on behalf of students that is a foundation of our School Change efforts,” Harries wrote.
“Whatever the benefits of this proposed partnership, they must exist within a wider context of School Change, and as Superintendent my leadership judgment must reflect a wider set of considerations than any one initiative. Listening to district and community stakeholders in recent weeks, I recognize and acknowledge the deeply-held concerns expressed by the people who work so hard to educate our students and support our schools. While I view the proposed partnership as consistent with our School Change Initiative, reflecting both urgency and collaboration, a significant number of voices from educators and partners have not agreed.
“We have too much good work to do for New Haven students to stumble on those fractures. This partnership proposal is right now too distracting and too damaging to other hard work and hard choices necessary to pursue our goals. “
Previous coverage:
• Ed Board Slams Brakes On “Imagine”
• What Price Partnership?
• Blue Stickers Square Off Vs. Red Shirts On Charter Deal, As Harp Keeps Options Open
• On Eve Of Ed Board Debate, 50 Heavy-Hitters Back Charter Plan
• Teachers, Parents Organize Against Charter Deal
• The School Of The Future Gets A Dry Run
• Teachers Union Prez Pens “Imagine” Critique
• Charter Plans Detailed; Parents Weigh In
• Elm City Imagine Sparks Debate
• NHPS, AF Team Up On Experimental School
• Elm City Charter Eyed For Futuristic “Conversion”
• City’s Charter Network Hires San Francisco Firm To Design The K‑8 Public School Of The Future