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Rev. Eldren D. Morrison.
A Dixwell pastor’s dream of creating a neighborhood charter school is getting a boost with a $7,500 donation from a foundation associated with Achievement First and ConnCAN.
Rev. Eldren D. Morrison, pastor of Varick Memorial A.M.E. Church, is applying for state permission to open a preK‑4 charter school called the Booker T. Washington Academy. Click here to read more about the idea.
As they await word from the state, board members of the school have been raising private money to support the school’s launch.
The Bouncer Foundation, a family foundation supported by Jon Sackler and his family, is making a $7,500 contribution to the school, the church announced in a recent press release. Sackler, of Greenwich, is a trustee of Achievement First, a local charter organization, and the founding chairman of ConnCAN (The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now), an education watchdog group that advocates for charter schools.
The Bouncer money will go towards “capacity planning,” according to release. The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and William Casper Graustein Memorial Fund have also pledged $7,500 towards the effort. The estimated first-year budget for the school would be $1.4 million.