Learning now elementary at KIPP

A state education board vote Monday gives the KIPP Academy charter school the green light to add kindergarten through fourth grade classes, starting with a 120-student kindergarten?s planned opening in August.The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester?s recommendation in favor of KIPP?s plan.KIPP Executive Director Caleb Dolan said 50 parents traveled by bus to the meeting in Malden and spoke in favor of the expansion. He called the board vote “an incredible testament to our students and our families who are willing to fight for more opportunities for our kids.”?They had a pretty good-sized group here,” said board spokeswoman Jacqueline Reis.Attempts to reach Lynn School Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham for comment on the vote Monday were unsuccessful. Latham last November submitted a letter to the board opposing the expansion.?To support their planned expansion, KIPP will be using what precious little building and land space is available in Lynn,” Latham wrote, indicating that the charter school would be competing with Lynn Public Schools for the same land.Dolan said KIPP plans by the end of March to locate space for five classrooms and other rooms for its kindergarten program. He acknowledged in November that KIPP plans to purchase space for its expansion in the next several years. He said charter school officials will hold a lottery in mid-March for parents of kindergarten-age children interested in enrolling in KIPP.Founded in 2004 as part of a national charter school program affiliated under the KIPP name, the school opened a school atop the Highlands in 2011 currently attended by 850 students in grades 5-12.KIPP?s application to the state indicates it plans to add 736 new students through 2020 and states that part of that enrollment increase will “add seats to our already approved grades.”In recommending KIPP?s expansion, a state overview report concluded KIPP?s “academic program is a success.”?The school has leveraged expertise within the organization to support improved teaching and learning,” the report stated.Dolan said “two decisive factors” guided the board?s decision to approve KIPP?s expansion: “improved academic outcomes with low attrition.”?We keep our kids and they achieve at high levels,” he said.Latham in her November letter asked the board to shelve KIPP?s proposal until the Lynn School Department “…has had time to explore classroom space options without unfair and uneven competition.”