Lynn super won’t let state affect reform plan

LYNN – City schools struggling to live up to high state academic standards will receive a makeover with or without the help of the state this year, Superintendent Catherine Latham said Friday.Somewhat overshadowed by Gov. Deval Patrick’s announcement that he would lift the charter school cap in under performing districts was the news that some public schools in those districts could be taken over by the state in an effort to rapidly close achievement gaps.If Patrick’s newest education proposal passes, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester would be authorized to enter 30 of the state’s lowest performing schools and establish his own strategic recovery plan in each one.School leaders are not sure what criteria the state will be looking at when determining which schools will undergo reform, but believe Chester will likely wait until adequate yearly placement (AYP) numbers associated with the MCAS test are released next month to formulate his list.An urban district with more 20 schools, it is likely that at least two of Lynn’s schools will fail to make AYP this year, meaning the chances of Chester taking over are not unrealistic.Latham, who attended Patrick’s press conference at the Museum of Science Thursday, said that she has a plan to reform under performing schools in Lynn regardless of whether the state convenes and plans on instituting her own strategic plan for academic excellence in each one.”We are not sure if any of our schools would come under that list, I assume we will have to wait until after the AYP reports come out in August,” Latham said. “But regardless, I am committed to exploring innovative programs at our schools and assisting and supporting the lower performing schools with as much support as possible. I plan to do that either way.”AYP measures the progress of each school in the major MCAS subjects, math, English and science/technology, toward federal goals set in the No Child Left Behind Act.Through the MCAS test, the state measures the progress of students toward the goals, which are expected to be met by each school by 2014.With President Barack Obama and new Federal Education Commissioner Arne Duncan calling the shots, the expectations for schools have become even higher, as Obama has threatened to pull stimulus funding from states that do not follow federal models, specifically the support for charter school expansion.Latham said that it was tough to argue with any of the proposals put forth by Patrick and Duncan Thursday, but none of it will change the way she deals with the city’s lower performing schools.”I can’t let a list (of schools Chester will take over) delay what I think is appropriate for our schools here in Lynn,” she said. “I will not withdraw any help or support from any school that needs it because I think the state is going to come in and take it over. We really don’t know what it is going to be right now or what they are looking at.”