Proposed charter school has science, math focus
By JOHN WHITSON
Union Leader Staff
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006
- The Academy for Science and Design is the first charter school plan in New Hampshire to be sponsored by a college or university.
- The academy would be the state's first middle/high school to concentrate on science, mathematics, engineering and design.
Daniel Webster College in Nashua has agreed to sponsor the charter school. Its application was submitted to the Department of Education Friday.
"The academy will embrace a special dedication to the quality of science education," wrote Michael Fishbein, DWC provost and vice president of academic affairs, in support of the application. "It will spark and burnish the interest of talented students, preparing them for the rigors of higher and postgraduate education."
The Department of Education has 10 days to review the application. Then the proposal will be considered for authorization by the State Board of Education.
Susan Hollins, with the charter school advocacy group New Hampshire Center for School Reform, said the Academy for Science and Design would fill a void in the state.
New Hampshire, she said, is one of the few states in the nation without a high school dedicated to science and mathematics.
The sponsorship of DWC, she said, lends instant credibility to the proposed academy and to the charter school effort statewide.
"This is a defining moment for school choice in New Hampshire," said Hollins. "This submission by a New Hampshire college shows that respected institutions and businesses, as well as parents and teachers, are willing to step forward to advance public schools of choice."
The application calls for a school that would eventually teach 450 students in grades 7-12. The academy would open in September 2007, allowing 1½ years for planning and marketing. It would play host to 60 students the first year.
Matora Fiorey, co-coordinator of the academy, said yesterday the school would help provide the state's businesses with what they need: well-educated workers.
"New Hampshire is very high-tech oriented as far as its jobs are concerned," she said. "We'd like to have those businesses connect with the kids before they even go to college."
Businesses and foundations have expressed interest in supporting the academy, but Fiorey said any commitments hinge on state approval.
"Funds have been offered for a development program to raise money for facility, labs and an endowment," said Hollins.
A location for the academy hasn't been determined. Fiorey said organizers will consider any appropriate space in southern New Hampshire — part of a business or a college, or renovated Millyard property.
Fiorey anticipates the academy developing reciprocal relationships with area colleges and universities. A feeder system of sorts could be developed, she said, that would benefit both student and state, with college graduates returning to work at businesses where they have already forged connections.
New Hampshire received a $7.2 million federal grant in 2003 to help establish 15 charter schools. To date, eight schools have been authorized to open.
