School file photo. Trisha Powell Crain/AL.com
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Dothan’s first charter school was poised to get a final stamp of approval this week, but state charter leaders are now walking back previous support.
The delay is a blow to Alabama school choice supporters who have worked to expand limited charter school options, as well as to Dothan residents who say the current public school system is failing children, especially Black students.
One state charter commissioner claimed that the proposed Barnabas School of Leadership, which aims to improve educational achievement among students from some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods by emphasizing individual goal setting and culturally relevant practices, would actually aid segregation because it was aimed at “one specific demographic.”
“They’ll be required to take all students because of the law, but that’s a matter of semantics, I’m sorry,” said Paul Morin. “Because the heart and the intent of that application, if you read it, is to address the failure of the African American population in Dothan.”
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In a previous forum, the proposal received a mix of feedback from community members and district leaders. Local school officials told the local news that they projected a $3 million loss from potential enrollment shifts. Some parents, however, said they felt the school would provide opportunities to students who have been left behind by the district.
“It is not fair for the school district to bind them and bound them to a school district education when it is not working,” resident Dechauna Tensley told WDHN News in July. “Allow parents to have a choice for their student to get specialized and individualized help.”
The Alabama Public Charter Schools Commission voted 5-2 to approve the school’s application last week, meaning all that was left was one last vote on a resolution to formally approve the school. But on Tuesday, Morin and two other members of the Alabama Public Charter Schools Commission voted against the resolution, stalling a final decision to approve the school.
In his speech Tuesday, Morin, a white, southern Baptist minister, raised concerns about the governing board’s religious affiliations, the school’s focus on African American students, and alleged that the commission had failed to follow basic standards throughout the application process.
If eventually approved, the Barnabas school will be governed by leaders from a network of local, predominantly Black churches and community organizations, who plan to open the school’s doors to about 350 students by the fall of 2023.
Applicants of all races will have the chance to enter a random lottery, but Barnabas leaders said they ultimately plan to serve a population that is 86% African American, 5% Latino and 7% white, as well as 80% of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
State data shows that while racial gaps in English and language arts scores have gotten slightly better in the past few years, disparities in math scores continue to widen. Still, in both subjects, Dothan’s achievement gaps between Black and white students are some of the highest in the state.
Statewide, white students were twice as likely to be proficient in ELA, and more than three times as likely to meet math benchmarks than Black students in the 2020-21 school year. In Dothan, white students were 2.5 times as likely to be proficient in English and language arts, and more than five times as likely to meet math benchmarks than Black students in the district.
Barnabas leaders say their approach to funding, culturally relevant curriculum, individualized support and school culture will help close those gaps. They acknowledged, however, that the proposal would be a tough sell in a state with a fairly new charter law, and planned to involve families of all races from the start.
“Racial divisions have divided the City of Dothan for generations,” the application states. “It became apparent that action was needed to address equity issues. Local schools are segregated by family choice and economic status. So many families and community members found it difficult to accept that a charter school is for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.”
The school says it will require students to research successful African American figures, provide greater access to music and the arts, and refer to all students as “achievers.” Teachers will develop goals for student achievement, attend a civil rights workshop, and lead discussions with their classrooms about their long term goals at least once a month.
Leaders also plan to implement small class sizes of four to six students, social emotional learning, individualized interventions and state-mandated supports for all students. The combination of culturally relevant practices and individual attention, they say, are important to support the needs of each and every student, who may come from different backgrounds and experiences.
“If those differences are not addressed, students will become disengaged, disheartened, and disinterested in the learning process,” the application stated. “That is the essence of inequity.”
Morin, who said he fully “believes in the power of God,” also told members Tuesday that his chief concern was that the school’s governing board members were affiliated with the same group of churches.
“I have a problem with that,” he said. “I believe that we are getting ourselves into a mess with this.”
Rev. Darryl Roberts, a local minister who intends to serve on the school’s governing board and submitted the application, declined to comment about the discussion until the commission meets again to reconsider the resolution. The application does state, however, that while governing members are affiliated with local churches and social groups, the board will ensure that the school is operated as a “public, nonsectarian, nonreligious nonprofit school.”
The resolution up for a vote Tuesday also prohibits schools from “having a parochial or religious theme,” and prevents the school from engaging in “any sectarian practices, educational programs, admissions, or employment practices or operations.” It also requires a third party to oversee and administer the enrollment process to ensure that the school is in compliance with state and federal law.
To the extent that the school uses facilities owned by a religious institution, it also must do so “solely for secular educational purposes,” according to the resolution. Use of those facilities must not “necessitate an administrative entanglement between the school and the religious institution” in a way that would influence content, scheduling or staffing of school programs.
Morin also accused commissioners of helping with the application process – an act that would expose the commission to “liabilities and ethics violations,” he claimed – and ignored suggestions from external evaluators, who he said had initially given the school’s application a 69%.
David Marshall, who chairs the commission, did not address allegations about interfering with the application process, but did acknowledge that he granted the superintendent of Dothan City Schools the opportunity to speak at a prior meeting without consulting the commission. Morin, however, charged that this happened “multiple times.”
Commission members Ty Moody, Lakeisha Wheeler and Marshall voted to approve the resolution, tying with three “no” votes from Morin, Sidney Raine and JulieAnn McCulley. Ryan Kendall, who is new to the commission, voted to abstain since he wasn’t present for the application review. Three other members were absent.
The Charter Commission will meet again next Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. to reconsider the resolution. Members of the public may view a livestream of the upcoming meeting here.
Rebecca Griesbach is a member of The Alabama Education Lab team at AL.com. She is supported through a partnership with Report for America. Learn more here and contribute to support the team here.
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