Candidates: KIPP a negative impact on Lynn schools

LYNN – Eight School Committee candidates, minus Stanley Wotring, who did not attend, faced off Wednesday during the Lynn Teachers Union forum but it was KIPP Academy that took a beating.”Given the financial impact of (charter schools) on the Lynn Public Schools what do you see as the proper role of charter schools in the Lynn community?” asked moderator Gina O’Toole, a paraprofessional from Connery Elementary. “Do you believe that charters are having a net positive or negative effect on the Lynn Public Schools?”Incumbents Donna Coppola, John Ford, Charlie Gallo and Patricia Capano, along with challenger Lorraine Gately, agreed that KIPP Academy has had a negative impact on the school district.”I am vehemently against charters,” said Ford. “They don’t play on a level playing field. They can build a new school but we have to go to the state. Their teachers don’t have to be certified and even with longer school days and their hand picked students their MCAS scores are about the same as ours.”Incumbents Rick Starbard and Maria Carrasco agreed they are not fans of charter schools but were more of the philosophy that KIPP isn’t going anywhere. Carrasco said parents have to choose what’s right for their children but pointed out the Lynn Public Schools embrace all students while KIPP chooses students through a lottery. Starbard said he can accept KIPP and that some students do well there but he does not support allowing any other charter schools to open.Challenger Melissa Romaniello, who has two children at KIPP as well as one in LPS, was left to defend the High Rock Street charter school on her own and she didn’t apologize for it.”KIPP does build its own buildings but they pay for it out of pocket,” she said. “You talk about the lottery, our pre-K and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) school are lotteries.”When it came to characterizing the schools everyone said they were moving in the right direction. Six schools were deemed Level 1, two schools moved out of Level 4 status and four schools are at Level 2 in terms of MCAS”They are on a path to success,” said Capano. “It’s a tremendous effort.”Gately, a retired teacher, agreed the schools are improving but said there is still work to be done, and that teachers are inundated with state and federal mandates and need help.In a change of format O’Toole asked several questions that only required candidates to raise their hand if they agreed. Capano and Ford were the only two to agree that there are adequate instructional materials for students in the schools but all agreed that parents are an integral part for student success and that they could work collaboratively with the superintendent and the union if elected. All also agreed that the creation of charter schools should require School Committee approval, charters should be forced to serve the same proportion of high needs and English language learners as LPS, and that charter school teachers should face the same certification requirements as LPS teachers.If the candidates had a $500,000 windfall to spend Gallo said he’d speak with educators and parents regarding the needs of the schools, Gately said she’d give it to teachers to spend on classroom needs or for new science equipment for the middle schools. Coppola agreed that math and science programs were needed for the middle schools, Romaniello said she’d speak with PTOs and school councils, and Carrasco would like to grow the kindergarten program if space could be found.Ford said he would use the money to look for rental property so they could grow programs and Capano said she’d use the funds to give the Level 3 schools the resources that the Level 4 schools were afforded by the state to get them out of the Level 4 category.”There are so many needs,” said Starbard, who like Gallo said he’d talk to principals to see what they needed.The forum, which was attended by roughly 40 people, ended in just over an hour. Union President Brant Duncan thanked everyone for participa