Mount Jewett Charter School Coalition

The Mount Jewett Charter School Coalition exists in Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania, United States. They formed after the Kane Area School District voted to close the Mount Jewett Elementary School at the end of the 2006-2007 school year. Their immediate goal is to organize a charter school to provide education for the children of Mount Jewett and any of its surrounding areas for grades k-5. Due to the closure of the town's school their elementary students must travel via bus about 15 miles west to the borough of Kane, Pennsylvania in order to attend the Chestnut Street Elementary School.
Controversy
The idea of opening a school has drawn criticism from the Kane Area School District's board and others. "If 100 children from the district would attend the proposed school, Business Manager Steve Perry projects a net loss of between $530,000 and $600,000 in the district's annual operating budget. Students do not pay tuition to attend a charter school. Instead, the school district would be obligated to pay $8,100 for every district child attending the proposed school in Mt. Jewett. The state would reimburse the district 30 percent or $2,400 per student, leaving a net loss of $5,700, according to figures compiled by Perry." Most people of Mount Jewett largely support the idea, though some do not. For example, Mount Jewett is located in the heart of Hamlin Township in McKean County—a territory surrounding the borough and belonging to neighboring Smethport Area School District. However, due to tax structures, Kane claims the town for their school system. Because of this fact, one school board member on the Kane Area School Board must be from Mount Jewett. That same member voted against opening the school.
On the other side of the equation is the Mount Jewett Borough Council. Former Mt. Jewett Council President and educator Dick Danielson said in March 2007 "I encourage you . . . I commend you for doing this for Mt. Jewett and for the kids of Mt. Jewett." For one of the initial public meetings, nearly 175 people showed up at the Mount Jewett Firehall to mostly support this idea. The census of 2000 listed 1,070 people (young and adult) residing in the borough, so 175 people accounts for a large percentage of the adult population in the town. The school, if opened, would also be legally allowed to draw from school districts not associated with Kane, such as Smethport Area School District—which is about the same distance away as Kane. The towns of Bradford, Pennsylvania and Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania are also nearby. Economically, the feeling of the people of Mount Jewett is that a school would not just help educate their children but stimulate their economy. The members of the coalition plan to open their doors in August 2008 for the 2008-2009 school year. Since the Kane Area School Board did not grant them permission to use the old elementary school, the charter school may relocate to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in the center of town. In the meantime, the coalition continues to raise funds for their project from donors and to gain momentum.
On April 24, 2008 the coalition successfully challenged the Kane Area School Board's decision. By presenting a petition to Judge John Cleland in McKean County court in Smethport, Pennsylvania containing 359 signatures of adults residing in the Kane Area School District, they more than fulfilled the required 125 signatures. The figure of 125 individuals "represents two percent of the district residents who are at least 18 years old." This gave the state of Pennsylvania the authority to accept or deny the plan for the new school. The next step in the process warranted the state Charter School Appeals Board to allow or disallow the intentions of the Mount Jewett Charter School Coalition.
At the beginning of the summer of 2008, the Coalition decided to postpone the process of beginning any kind of new endeavor at starting their school during the 2008-2009 school year. This is because they needed more time. In the Saturday October 4, 2008 edition of the Kane Republican Newspaper, it was reported that the "Mt. Jewett Charter Coalition submitted their Amended Charter School Application Friday, Oct. 3 to the Kane Area School District." The decision was made to modify their application, so that either the Kane Area School District or the PA Charter Appeals Board could approve them. Now, the plan is to open the school during the 2009-2010 school year.
The proposal was vetoed by the state and could not operate in 2009-2010.
Kane Area School District officials have applied for the Race to the Top federal grant which will bring the district hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement. Participation in the Race to the Top Program requires the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to relax its charter school regulations to permit more charter schools to be established.
Current Administration
The Mount Jewett Charter School Coalition has appointed its own board of directors and CEO, despite the Kane Area School Board's unanimous decision to not grant approval for its opening.
Mr. Thomas L Brown, Proposed CEO
Charter School Officers:
Skye Ognen, President
Missy Swanson, Vice President
Rhonda Chilson, Secretary
Tony DeSio, Treasurer

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