State education officials may postpone a decision whether to grant permission for a proposed charter school aimed at helping troubled youths.
A controversial proposal from Waltham social service agency Rediscovery Inc. to open a charter school in the city in 2010 has generated heavy opposition from the public.
State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokesman J.C. Considine said the postponement depends on whether Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester makes a formal recommendation to the state Board of Education during its regular meeting scheduled for Jan. 27 in Malden.
"This is one of several ideas Commissioner Chester is considering," Considine said. "We don't know whether any formal recommendation will be made this month, so it's not clear whether the three proposed charter schools scheduled for discussion at this month's board meeting would be affected."
Rediscovery Academy Charter School is one of three Massachusetts charter school proposals recently submitted to the state.
Considine said Chester commented on the situation last month during a board meeting.
According to Board in Brief, an online summary of state Board of Education meetings, while discussing a budget recommendation for fiscal 2010, Chester said the budget recommendation as presented was "not sufficient to do everything the department wants to do."
"The commissioner noted that with local aid also at risk he is exploring the linkage of the start-up dates of proposed new charters to a fiscal trigger," the Web site reads. "Whereby new charter schools would be able to open only when revenue flow has stabilized."
School Committee member Margaret Donnelly, who is opposed to the Rediscovery charter school proposal, said she's been watching the situation unfold.
"The idea of a postponement is due to the fiscal situation and while that certainly is a piece of it, we would like to continue to go through the process and see that they don't approve this school so it's not postponed," she said. "The postponement means they might still approve this school, but postponing them due to fiscal constraints. I don't think this school should be approved."
Various city officials are also opposed to the school.
Police are opposed because in the past two years, they claim Rediscovery House, a group home at 262 Crescent St., run by Rediscovery Inc., has been a source of violent crime and has generated hundreds of police reports.
Rediscovery Inc. Executive Director Danielle Ferrier maintains the majority of the police reports have been filed for missing persons, which the state requires the agency to file if a youth is out of their custody for more than two hours.
Ferrier has also stated the proposal wouldn't have a major financial affect on the city because of its specialty and statewide focus, but city and state officials say the proposed school would drain funds from state aid.
Donnelly said she is urging Waltham residents to continue lobbying state education officials, although the official comment period ended last week.
"I can't imagine them not accepting community input during the next six weeks," she said. "The Charter School Office is requesting all people on their (e-mail list) to contact the Charter School Office and the Board of Education and urge them not to postpone ... therefore, I would urge our people just to continue to contact them, asking them not to do the postponement."
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com.
