Interim plan sought to keep Franklin charter school open

FRANKLIN – State Rep. James Ryan, D-Franklin, is calling for state officials to work with the Franklin Career Academy to come up with an interim plan that will allow the charter school to complete the current school year.

The board of trustees of the school, which has 35 students enrolled in grades 9-12, say the school will have to close its doors by mid-April unless additional state funds are made available.

In a letter sent last week to state Education Commissioner Lyonel Tracy, Ryan called on the commissioner to use his discretionary authority to develop "an innovative, yet temporary plan, could well alleviate the need to cause a significant disturbance in the education of dozens of young people and their families."

The school became the first charter school in the state when it opened its doors in August 2004. Last week, the trustees told parents the school would have to close on April 18 unless it receives at least $55,000 more from the state.

School officials maintain the state can make more money available because it has funds left from an $800,000 appropriation approved last June to assist existing charter schools in the current fiscal.

Franklin Career Academy had estimated it would enroll 50 students in the current school year and the first funds it received from the state were based on that amount. A second distribution was reduced to reflect the lower the school enrollment.

Ryan said the State Board of Education recently upheld the way in which the Department of Education had distributed the funds based on the formula contained in the bill, which set a cap of $4,000 per student.

Ryan said that despite the differences between the academy's directors and state officials, he believes "that no person involved is anxious to have the school close abruptly and have students volleyed into other districts or schools."

He called for a focused discussion between state officials and the academy on coming up with a way to get the school through the current year.

Franklin Mayor Ken Merrifield is scheduled to meet with Gov. John Lynch early next month to discuss the charter school's situation and to ask for the governor's assistance in keeping the school open until the end of the school year.