State Board OKs Worcester Old Sturbridge Village-Tied Charter School

WORCESTER, MA — The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Tuesday morning approved a new Worcester charter school following an avalanche of opposition from local elected officials, parents, district leaders and the state teachers' union.

The Worcester Cultural Academy charter school could open by the fall, starting off with about 360 seats for elementary-level students. Old Sturbridge Village is sponsoring the school, although the private education company EL Education will design the school's curriculum.

The charter school has been intensely opposed by Worcester-area leaders since it was introduced in late 2022 — and that intensified after state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley signaled support for the charter last week.

"Every elected official who represents the city of Worcester opposes this school," Mayor Joseph Petty said at the top of the meeting, followed by remarks by state Rep. David LeBoeuf, state Sens. Michael Moore, Robyn Kennedy and Anne Gobi, School Committee members Jermoh Kamara, Sue Mailman and Tracy Novick.

Opponents highlighted multiple issues with the charter proposal, from the school's financial ties to its lease with the Catholic church, to its financial drain on the district and the school's outreach to parents.

Worcester Public Schools officials have underscored comments made by Old Sturbridge Village CEO Jim Donahue that identified the charter school as a revenue stream for the museum, which allows visitors to experience an 19th Century New England Village.

"The academies will provide reliable, contractual revenue to the museum, safeguarding us against fluctuations in uncontrollable factors that impact admission revenue such as weather and public health," Donahue said.

The school would cost about $7 million to run, which would be taken from a pot of money that would otherwise go to Worcester schools. The new charter would sap the district's new $12 million Student Opportunity Act allotment, officials have said.

WPS Assistant Superintendent Marie Morse said the charter school's budget for teachers and janitorial staff is likely too low, and doesn't include art and music positions. Projections say OSV could get more than $1 million in management fees from the charter school.

"The only thing this budget over-funds is the amount of funding revenue to Old Sturbridge Village," Morse said.

BESE board member Eric Plankey, the student representative from Westford, said Donahue's comments made him "deeply uncomfortable."

"We're not here to provide a financial lifeboat for a museum," he said.

The Worcester School Committee met Monday to formally ask State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, the state Ethics Commission and the Office of Inspector General to investigate the ties between the school and Old Sturbridge Village.

DiZoglio's office did not respond to a request asking whether she would take on the investigation.

Mailman pointed to the school's lease with the Worcester archdiocese for a former Catholic school building at 81 Plantation St. The lease says the charter can't use the building for instruction "inconsistent with the doctrines or teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." Mailman said that might mean a ban on sex education, and LGBTQ+ populations may be marginalized — a lesson the district learned earlier this year due to its own lease with the archdiocese.

Lisa DeTora, principal of Old Sturbridge Academy, OSV's other charter school, spoke in support of the Worcester Cultural Academy — in particular a plan to partner with museums in Worcester.

"The museum becomes their classroom, too," she said about the school's curriculum plan.

But leaders of major local institutions like the EcoTarium and the Hanover Theater have stopped short of offering support for the charter school.

"We do have significant agreements in place with schools around the region. Our organization, however, is not in a position to have a role in the founding of another organization," EcoTarium CEO Noreen Smith wrote after OSV asked the museum to be involved in the charter.

Stacey Luster, general counsel at Worcester State University and a potential charter school board member, told BESE Mechanics Hall and the Worcester Historical Museum may at some point partner with the school. Students in Worcester schools already use those institutions for a variety of educational programs, including field trips.

A group of more than two dozen Worcester parents wrote to BESE asking them to deny the charter, criticizing the school's plan for the city's diverse student population.

"We want culturally responsive learning, so our children can interact with their communities and environment. There is no mention of transformational work with BIPOC students or curriculum encouraging them to identify and solve real-world problems through social action. Their proposed curriculum has proven ineffective," the group said in a joint letter.

The Worcester Cultural Academy would be Worcester's third operating charter school in the city. The city's Spirit of Knowledge Charter School closed abruptly in 2013, leaving 156 middle school students stranded.

The school's charter was approved in a 7 to 4 BESE vote.

During Tuesday's meeting, Worcester Superintendent Rachel Monárrez questioned whether the Worcester Cultural Academy would stay open every long, and whether it would truly be ready to meet the needs of Worcester students by its planned September opening.

"I am incredibly disheartened by this decision. The children and families of Worcester deserve schools that serve all students and families — not a select few. The Worcester Cultural Academy plan lacks details on how to serve high-needs students of diverse backgrounds, and that worries me above all else," Monárrez said.