The Delaware Department of Education’s Charter School Accountability Committee took the unusual step of recommending the revocation of Delaware MET’s charter in the middle of the school year, due a long list of problem areas.
The Wilmington charter high school, according to its website, specializes in gaining internships for students and “Big Picture Learning.”
A public hearing is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Carvel State Office Building at the corner of 9th and French streets in Wilmington.
Public comment will be accepted through December 11. After reviewing the full record, Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky will present his decision regarding the school’s future to the State Board of Education for its assent at the Board of Education’s December 17 meeting.
Issues cited in a release from the Delaware Department of Education, included:
- Educational program, specifically:
- Fidelity to the school’s approved curriculum and instructional program, including the Big Picture Learning instructional model, use of technology, participation in various coalitions, and implementation status of project-based learning.
- Lessons plans submitted to CSAC also were found to be out of alignment with the state’s academic standards.
- Special education services, including the results of a recent monitoring visit by the Department of Education’s Exceptional Children Resources staff that found the school was out of compliance with all 59 of its students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
- School culture, specifically safety and discipline concerns
- Governing board and leadership capacity, specifically lack of compliance with open meeting laws
- Financial viability, specifically due both to decreased student enrollment and the school’s budget not reflecting full compliance with programmatic requirements, including special education
Delaware MET, which opened this fall, was placed on formal review by the State Board of Education on October 15.
Should Godowsky and the State Board of Education follow the committee’s recommendation to revoke the charter, the school would close on January 22, the end of the second marking period. The state would assist the school’s 210 students and their families in moving to other schools for the rest of the academic year.
The children may return to the district schools in their home feeder patterns or choice into another district or charter school that is accepting students.
The receiving schools would receive prorated funding for the returning students.
