BoE gives green light for first MCPS charter school

[Anonymous]

At the Sept 26 meeting, the BoE unanimously approved the opening of MCPS' first charter school for the 2025-2026 school year. The school will be run by the MECCA Business Learning Institute. https://www.mecca-bli.org/

[Anonymous]

A black-owned charter school in MCPS, that the BOE fought every step of the way. The only reason why it's happening is because MECCA kept going back to the state to appeal and overturn all of the hurdles the BOE kept throwing their way.

It'll be interesting to see how MCPS's first charter school performs. If it flops, it'll be difficult to get another for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A black-owned charter school in MCPS, that the BOE fought every step of the way. The only reason why it's happening is because MECCA kept going back to the state to appeal and overturn all of the hurdles the BOE kept throwing their way.

It'll be interesting to see how MCPS's first charter school performs. If it flops, it'll be difficult to get another for a while.

There were before and they all flopped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the Sept 26 meeting, the BoE unanimously approved the opening of MCPS' first charter school for the 2025-2026 school year. The school will be run by the MECCA Business Learning Institute. https://www.mecca-bli.org/

This is not MCPS's first charter school. The first one closed 10 years ago.

https://moco360.media/2014/01/15/montgomery-countys-first-and-only-public-charter-school-to-close/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A black-owned charter school in MCPS, that the BOE fought every step of the way. The only reason why it's happening is because MECCA kept going back to the state to appeal and overturn all of the hurdles the BOE kept throwing their way.

It'll be interesting to see how MCPS's first charter school performs. If it flops, it'll be difficult to get another for a while.

There were before and they all flopped.

Oops! My apologies. I thought this was the first.

[Anonymous]

Charter schools are a failed fantasy of Bush-era “entrepreneurial education” nonsense. They are historically prone to abuse and corruption at levels that make MCPS look sane.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

With charter schools, do they get to choose not to work with behavior students or those with disabilities? What are the rules?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the Sept 26 meeting, the BoE unanimously approved the opening of MCPS' first charter school for the 2025-2026 school year. The school will be run by the MECCA Business Learning Institute. https://www.mecca-bli.org/

Green light? Who wrote this? State BOE forced them to do it.

[Anonymous]

I wonder about the teachers. Will a charter school have to honor the MCEA contract or will they just do whatever they want? I've heard horror stories from teachers who were treated very poorly in charter school workplaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the teachers. Will a charter school have to honor the MCEA contract or will they just do whatever they want? I've heard horror stories from teachers who were treated very poorly in charter school workplaces.

They could be in MCPS and work for Beidleman.

[Anonymous]

Hope we get a charter school system similar to NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A black-owned charter school in MCPS, that the BOE fought every step of the way. The only reason why it's happening is because MECCA kept going back to the state to appeal and overturn all of the hurdles the BOE kept throwing their way.

It'll be interesting to see how MCPS's first charter school performs. If it flops, it'll be difficult to get another for a while.

BOE and MCPS in harmony. Adams, now gone, was particularly effective in demonstrating weaknesses of MECCA's facilities planning, but other offices poked significant holes, as well. What MECCA presented earlier this year was much, much better than what they had come to the table with before, and so hopefully those reports/rejections played an appropriate role (and hopefully the state appeals process didn't result in MECCA's creating a differential burden on the system as they seek to address the charter niche they have carved out).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A black-owned charter school in MCPS, that the BOE fought every step of the way. The only reason why it's happening is because MECCA kept going back to the state to appeal and overturn all of the hurdles the BOE kept throwing their way.

It'll be interesting to see how MCPS's first charter school performs. If it flops, it'll be difficult to get another for a while.

Oh honey, pay attention. This isn't about race. They did a previous one in Kensington with Community Crossways and it was a huge flop. The organization was known to have lots of issues. It lasted maybe two years at most. They fought it because they don't want to have the MCPS funding diverted, but at this point Charters make sense with the overcrowding and other issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the teachers. Will a charter school have to honor the MCEA contract or will they just do whatever they want? I've heard horror stories from teachers who were treated very poorly in charter school workplaces.

They are an entirely separate company. So, no they wouldn't have to honor MCEA. They could have their own union. Its a county paid private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With charter schools, do they get to choose not to work with behavior students or those with disabilities? What are the rules?

It depends on their agreement with the county.