Saugus charter meeting a mixed bag

SAUGUS – More than 100 people squeezed into the Saugus Library?s meeting room Monday afternoon to have their say on a proposed charter school as officials from the Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett seek to expand into Saugus.Barish Icin, executive director of PCSS, said his school offers a “high quality” science, technology and engineering program with longer school days and student achievement at the “center.”?We cannot be any prouder of what we have been able to accomplish,” said Icin. “PCSS will be open to everyone and will select students through a random lottery ? We do not have any intention of harming local districts. We want to work together.”Two yellow school buses dropped off dozens of students from PCSS, who held signs in support of the school and packed the meeting, one of a series of hearings sponsored by the Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. A decision on whether to grant the charter is expected early next year.Thirty-one spoke in favor of the school and 11 against. Everyone who spoke in favor was affiliated with PCSS, including teachers, students, parents and school officials, many of whom wore T-shirts that read “I (Love) PCSS.”John R. Jerome, assistant superintendent of the Brockton Public Schools, spoke in opposition and said the charter school application “doesn?t say how English language learners and students with disabilities will be serviced.”?It is safe to say the students will not be representative of the district-wide enrollment,” he said.Daniel Waldrip, however, said he enrolled in PSCC as an autistic student with attention deficit disorder.?I had no social skills,” he said. “But they made me feel like I was able to learn.”Phil Signoroni, athletic director at PCSS, said the school offers “great academics and after-school programs,” and a “choice” for parents.?As a parent myself, I would certainly want a choice of where I can send my children to school,” he said.Peabody High School guidance counselor Antonio Braganca spoke against the school and cited the PCSS board of directors as being “overwhelmingly controlled by Turkish males,” which he said doesn?t “reflect” the surrounding community.?Its leadership appears to be inspired by the Gülen Movement,” said Braganca, in reference to a group that follows the teaching of Turkish exile and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.Brant Duncan, president of the Lynn Teachers Union, and Bruce Nelson, president of the Peabody Federation of Teachers, both pointed to a “significant drop in enrollment” at PCSS, where the class from 2009 dropped from 58 students to 34 last year.?I shudder to think what the reaction of (the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) would be to a public school that had that kind of enrollment,” said Nelson.Saugus School Committee member Arthur Grabowski said he doesn?t think PCSS offers a “level playing field” when it comes to teachers.?Our teachers are certified teachers,” said Grabowski. “Who?s going to choose teachers for a school that?s privately run? Our superintendent guarantees us and works hard to make sure there?s a certified teacher in every classroom. Do we have those safeguards in a privately run school? I don?t think so.”Grabowski also said taxpayer money used to fund the school will be “funneled” off to investors.Ryan Neary, eighth-grade math teacher at PCSS, pointed out that the school is not “private” and is a public charter school that offers a culture where everyone is “encouraged.”William Wilson, a Saugus resident and a junior at PCSS, said he attended Saugus schools until 2008 when he left for PCSS.?It took a while to adjust to new rules and expectations, but after the first year I made friends with the entire school ?” said Wilson. “Each day is more and more rewarding than the other.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].