Community debates charter Green School

Members of the Bloomington community met Thursday at the Monroe County Public Library to discuss the Green School, a charter school that could open in Bloomington.

Michelle Henderson, member of the Founders Group for the Green School, said 19 people spoke in support of the new charter school and about 15 people spoke out against it.She said the auditorium in the library was full for the meeting.

The school would focus on teaching sustainability and social justice, and Henderson said these two ideas would drive the curriculum.

According to the school’s charter proposal, Green School “students, teachers and parents will foster respect, dignity and love for people and the natural world.”

Henderson said proponents of the Green School had a variety of reasons why they supported it, but opponents mainly said they didn’t want money taken from public schools and given to charter schools.

“It’s a very polarizing topic,” she said.

Henderson said parents came from other areas of the state such as Kokomo, pledging they would send their children to the Green School.

She said the charter school hopes to partner with IU and participate in activities such as having School of Public and Environmental Affairs students partnering with students from the Green School.

“I think our vision for the school is such a perfect fit for Bloomington values,” she said.

Henderson’s children will not attend the Green School because they are no longer elementary school-aged.

She said she plans to work as the life skills educator at the school, helping students with social-emotional education.

She said it is important for children to learn at a young age that they can make a difference in the world.

She said at the school, students can learn how to make the world a better place, but would still perform well on standardized tests.

Henderson said the school’s target population are students who struggle in traditional public schools. The Green School could serve a maximum of 240 students by its fourth year of operation.

Students will be selected through a lottery system.

Henderson said by May 1, the potential school will know whether or not its application was accepted by the Indiana Charter School Board.

If it is, the school will open in August 2015.

Jennifer Robinson, secretary for the Indiana Coalition for Public Education — Monroe County and South Central Indiana, attended the meeting Thursday and spoke in opposition to the Green School.

Robinson said she respects the goals of the people founding the Green School, and the school will serve its students well.

But she said she is concerned about the resources that will be taken from public schools to support the charter school.

Robinson currently has two children in elementary school and one in preschool.

“It really matters to me that they have qualified teachers,” Robinson said, adding that her children have had wonderful experiences in public school so far.

She said components of the Green School, such as the arts-infused curriculum, is something that the community wants for all its students, not just a small group.

Similarly, Robinson said she is thrilled Bloomingfoods Market and Deli will make lunches for students, but said all students need to have this opportunity.

Robinson said she also worries about how transparent the charter school will be.

There is no local control over how many charter schools come to Bloomington because it is decided by the Indiana Charter School Board.

To take away groups of parents from public schools would be taking resources away, Robinson said.

She said she is worried about charter schools taking away engaged families.

“I’m just worried about the fragmentation of the community,” she said.