Archive: News

A small coalition of opponents of the New Roots Charter School got a lot of local press attention last week when they accused the school of over-reporting enrollment figures and thus violating the school's charter.  Principal Nina Nilsen-Hodges refuted the charges when she welcomed visitors to an open house Tuesday evening.

"Amid the excitement, we are experiencing regret at the pain inflicted on our students and their families by a recent editorials unsubstantiated suggestion that our enrollment is too low for the school to open," she said.  "New Roots will open on September 9th with over 100 students strong, a vibrant community of learners with a home in the heart of downtown Ithaca."


New Roots officials report that they have recieved 146 enrollment forms, and of those 110 have confirmed that they are attending and have submitted medical and other forms needed to enroll.  That puts the school within their enrollment target for the first year that will include 9th and 10th grade classes.  11th grade will be added in the 2010-2011 school year and 12th in the 2011-2012 school year.

The opposition group tried to prevent the formation of the school and continues to challenge it now that it has gotten its charter.  This latest attack is in the form of a formal complaint based on what they characterized as an independent audit of enrollment.

"As of 25 August 2009, a total of only 86 enrolled students have been independently verified based on invoices received by and reports from the district of location and from all outlying school districts," they charged in a press release sent to local media on August 27th.  "This is 39 students below New Roots' projected enrollment for 2009-2010, and is only 69% of same."

The group's Corrine Frantz said that those figures were garnered through information taken from documents procured through the Freedom of Information Act and surveys of local school systems.  The group requested an 'immediate and vigorous vetting of the New Roots enrollment data to determine whether or not New Roots is in compliance with the stated terms of their charter and with SUNY CSI's (Charter School Institute) policy, and (the school) should or should not be allowed to open accordingly.'  But Nilsen-Hodges says that the actual numbers show the school well within the charter requirement, and with only 10 available slots for new students.

"Corinne Frantz and Pat Ehrich's best attempts to garner accurate enrollment numbers yielded inadequate information," Nilsen-Hodges said.  "This is understandable.  Students' personal information is carefully protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.  When Ms. Ehrich's husband Frank Araneo requested our enrollment forms in June, we used about 10 hours of publicly-funded staff time to redact all personal information from 125 forms as required by law, leaving only the city and state of students' residence.  Also, at this time of year, enrollment numbers can fluctuate rapidly as people settle into their decisions regarding the coming school year."


Meanwhile the school has been holding orientation meetings and activities for students over the past week.  The facilities in Clinton House and the Women's Community Building have passed code inspections, faculty have been hired and completed training, and students have been involved in numerous activities from a jazz jam session to classroom cleanup.

Separate 9th and 10th grade orientation sessions were well attended by parents and students.  The full faculty was introduced and student packets were handed out.  Community-building exercises helped families to get to know one another and plans for the first weeks of school were shared.  The school has purchased school supplies for students in order to get the best prices by buying in bulk.  Families to reimburse the school on a sliding scale according to ability to pay.  Lunch will be free for the first two weeks to introduce students to the Farm to School program that will link the school lunchroom to Haven Farm and other local food producers.  Students have been actively solicited to participate in decision making and to help form the new school.

"Our families packed the auditorium at the Women's Community Building for orientations this week, and time and again expressed this sentiment:  for the first time in a long, long time, we are excited about the start of the school year, and so optimistic about what this will mean for our student's future," Nilsen-Hodges said.

Nilsen-Hodges has noted that enrollment figures for all schools fluctuate during the summer and the actual number is not firm until the first day of school.  But she also reported that the school's enrollment figures have hovered around 115 and the school has set its budget target based on that number.

"New York State requires only 50 students to open a new charter school," she said Tuesday.  "No matter how many students walk through the door on September 9, New Roots Charter School will open on schedule!  We look forward to being accountable for the good that we are doing in the lives of our students and our community.  We hope that you will enjoy the life, laughter, and learning that we bring to downtown Ithaca."

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