Urging You Not to Approve the Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School

Dear BESE Board Member,

On behalf of the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance - Education Fund, I write to urge you not to approve the Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School. According to the applicant's own statements, this school is being proposed not to help Worcester students, but to provide a reliable revenue source for Old Sturbridge Village, a private not-for-profit organization.

This proposal would harm students of color, low-income students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. The applicant's sister school, the Old Sturbridge Academy Charter Public School, has failed to educate these high-need groups at the same levels as its sending districts, and there is no indication that the Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School would be any different. The result would be a concentration of high-need students in the Worcester Public Schools, which would be left with fewer resources to educate them.

Additionally, the quality and feasibility of this proposal calls into serious question the resources available to any students from those groups who do attend the school. There is a clear lack of understanding or expertise to serve ELL students, and a lack of understanding of what culturally relevant education should look like and be. Not only would this school financially harm WPS students, it would academically harm students sent to it.

This outcome is unacceptable, and flies in the face of the state's commitments to equity and student improvement. On behalf of the parents, students, educators, and community members that make up the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance - Education Fund, I urge you to reject the Worcester Cultural Academy Charter Public School's application and focus on equipping our public schools with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Sincerely,
Vatsady Sivongxay