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SPRINGFIELD — Contrary to popular belief, poverty is no stranger to families who send their children to Springfield’s charter schools.
According to figures from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the 2013-2014 school year, three out of five of the city’s charter schools had student poverty rates higher than 76 percent.
Students at the Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School – whose charter has been targeted to be placed on probation by state Commissioner Mitchell Chester for poor performance – has the highest poverty rate at 89.5 percent.
The poverty rate at MLK tops the Springfield public schools rate of 87.5 percent.
Meanwhile at 240-student Veritas Preparatory Charter School, which has the second highest poverty rate among city charter schools at 85.9 percent, children have excelled on the MCAS test for two years in a row.
Only Sabis International Charter School had a known poverty rate lower than 76 percent with a rate of 54.3 percent.
Alan Katz, founder of the 9-year-old, 300-student school MLK charter school, has a requested an extension of time from the state to work “in lieu of probation.” The state board has yet to rule on his request.
MLK has hired a new principal, an experienced math coach and an English language coach to guide instruction at the school.
In the recent War on Poverty series, The Republican reported on the multiple problems that poor children are more likely to face including hunger and a reduced vocabulary.
The following is the breakdown of student poverty rates in Springfield charter schools according to state figures:
- Martin Luther King: 89.5
- Veritas Preparatory charter School: 85.9
- Baystate Academy Charter School: 76.4
- Sabis: 54.3
- Phoenix Academy (unavailable, school opened in 2014)
