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Charter school plan voted down

JANESVILLE — The Janesville School Board voted 5-2 Tuesday night not to apply for a grant that would have led to the establishment of a charter school to teach Chinese to elementary school students.

There's still hope for some kind of elementary school Chinese program, however. Some board members who voted against the plan asked the administration to return with a plan that addressed their objections.

Bill Sodemann's biggest worry seemed to be that the new school—to be located inside Harrison Elementary School—would become more costly after the grant money went away, and that would occur in years when the budget situation was even more dire than today.

Sodemann also questioned what a child's option would be after fifth grade. The plan made no provision for Chinese in middle school.

Tim Cullen, who has championed the teaching of a new foreign language, didn't like the thought of a small group of students being segregated from the rest of their peers at Harrison.

Director of Instruction Donna Behn said they would not be totally cut off and might have some activities in common with the rest of the school.

Cullen also asked about what happens after fifth grade. He urged the administration to come up with a new plan that perhaps did not include applying for state charter school funding. He noted the school was not scheduled to begin until 2010.

Cullen and others also took exception to a provision that members of the school planning committee would be able to get first choice in placing their children in the school. Behn said only one or two committee members were interested.

But Cullen said giving anyone special consideration is undemocratic and would set a bad precedent.

"I find it outrageous," Cullen said.

Peggy Sheridan made a motion to approve the grant proposal without the special consideration for committee members, but that was not enough to save the proposal.

Sheridan called the plan a great idea.

"I think it will bring people to our community and will offer something nobody else is doing," Sheridan said.

Peter Severson said new programs normally target talented students or those who are at risk. This new school would be open to students "in the middle" who are too often overlooked, he argued.

Superintendent Karen Schulte indicated that she would pursue other options for teaching Chinese to elementary students.