April 25, 2006 - The Massachusetts Board of Education approved a charter amendment request from Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School, increasing the school's maximum enrollment from 1,176 students to 1,426 students. The increase will begin to take effect with the 2007-08 school year, and the school will add the additional students over a two to four-year period.

 

"This is truly a watershed moment in the history of this School," said Dr. Cameron K. Dewar, Head of School. "We are grateful to the Board of Education for this strong endorsement. This is a vote of confidence in our program that allows us to move forward with conviction as we seek to accomplish our mission and serve the children of our region. We look forward to opening our doors and classrooms to more deserving families."

 

"This is a huge feather in the cap for public education in Worcester," said AKFCPS Trustee Peter Lukes.  "The enrollment increase could not have happened if it weren't for the continued stellar performance of Abby Kelley Foster's teachers, administrators, staff, and students.  Our wait list has been bursting at the seams and now the Board of Education has seen fit to give more parents the ability to choose an impressive, free, public education for their children at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School."

 

"Our lengthy wait list is a recognition that parents want more choice in public education, and that our mission is widely valued and sought after." added Lea Christo, who is a member of the Board of Trustees, serves on the Abby Kelley Foster Educational Foundation, and is the mother of four AKFCPS students. "We continue to look forward to collaboration between all public schools because all kids count."

 

"As an educator of over 10 years, I get excited whenever good things are happening for kids," said AKFCPS Trustee Danielle Colvert, who is a teacher at St. Bernadette School in Northborough, MA.  "The increase in Abby Kelley's enrollment means another 250 students will have the opportunity for a quality, classical education in Worcester. The school and the city definitely have reason to celebrate."

 

"In assessing the various educational outlets in Worcester - private, parochial, public -  there is no better choice for my child," said Barbara Guertin, whose daughter is a first-grader at AKFCPS.  "It's everything I want in a learning environment - unusually bright and caring teachers, a heavy concentration in the arts and languages, longer school days and calendar year, and a dress code which includes uniforms.  I feel that my child is challenged and engaged in an environment  of learning prosperity - an environment in which they aren't playing catch-up for the MCAS testing."

 

"We feel very fortunate to have a choice for our children's education," said Martha Pardo-Testa, mother of two elementary students.  "At Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School, our boys are learning not just the basics, but also music, a foreign language and the arts - and that's just at the second and third grade level.  We're also very pleased with the teachers' efforts to keep us informed - not just through quarterly grade reports, but also via e-mail, face-to-face parent/teacher conferences, and even conference calls when my husband and I couldn't both attend parent/teacher meetings at the school.  We are grateful that our children are receiving not only a solid, well-rounded academic education, but that they're also encouraged to learn how to treat one another well."

 

As a charter school, the essential purpose of AKFCPS is to offer all families the opportunity to make a choice in how their children are educated, regardless of financial circumstances. AKFCPS believes that the process of educating children must be an intentional and active partnership between parents and schools, and for such a partnership to be truly intentional, it must be founded upon a conscious choice. AKFCPS is growing in order to be able to offer a choice to a larger number of interested families who want their children to benefit from the school's proven program. A report recently released by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and titled "Benchmarking Public Education in Worcester: 2006" testifies to the success of AKFCPS. Among the report's highlights, in 2005:

An increasing number of parents are taking notice of the school's success. This is demonstrated by the school's large wait list. By growing the student body to 1,426, AKFCPS will be able to serve more families who desire a choice.

 

The mission of Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School is to assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children by providing a classical liberal arts education grounded in the great works of Western Civilization and aimed at academic excellence, musical competence, and character education. As one of only six Massachusetts charter schools serving students from Kindergarten all the way through grade 12, this expansion will help the school better fulfill its mission while achieving an optimal balance of students at each grade level. Growth will occur at the middle school and high school levels, allowing a greater breadth of course offerings, in keeping with the school's classical liberal arts philosophy. The school will be able to serve a greater total number of students while still offering the benefits of a small, personalized high school program.

 

"Our goal is to be among the best middle and high school programs in Massachusetts," said Dr. Dewar. "As we expand and strengthen the middle and high school, we will significantly advance our mission as a classical liberal arts school and as a K - 12 institution. With a total student body of 1,426 students and approximately 100 students per grade in the middle school and high school, we will have an ideally balanced program. This balance will allow us to offer middle and high school students the breadth of a larger school along with the individualized attention of a smaller school."

 

 

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