Five students graduate from BArT

Do they owners have to pay taxes on all the free advertising of these "stories". We get it, someone bought the farm and the store - we wish them well but do they have to be in both the Transcript and the Eagle every day?

The above comment was entered for the Green River Farms story, no idea how it ended up here. Let's see what story this comment ends up with.

Are we supposed to be impressed that only 5 students graduated? What is their retention rate? I would also be impressed if they met the needs of students with disabilities instead of sending them back to their own districts.

Are you kidding wrote:

Are we supposed to be impressed that only 5 students graduated? What is their retention rate? I would also be impressed if they met the needs of students with disabilities instead of sending them back to their own districts.

I was wondering thge same thing-- didn't they have to have a lottery for students to get admitted?? Apparently this is the third graduating class-----ke to know how many graduated thise years-----let's see? if a stuuent enrolls the tuition is taken from that city's state ed aid-- and if the student quits and goes back to his/her city school-- is some of the money refunded?? Plus the money Bart receives is significantly higher than the normal out of town tuition under school choice----I still think it;s a scam--------a couple of them are going to community college--why not the leap to Williams---one wants to trasfer to MCLA ter two years at BCC---good grief MCLA gets kids straight from McCann --and many of them- if not most do well---chbpod

So let me get this straight... we the taxpayers are footing the bill for this school's staff, teachers, administrators, building costs like heat, maintenance, repairs, rent... so that... five students can graduate? Five? Really? Who says our tax dollars go into some giant sinkhole?

tim-tim-TIM'AY

What the heck wrote:

So let me get this straight... we the taxpayers are footing the bill for this school's staff, teachers, administrators, building costs like heat, maintenance, repairs, rent... so that... five students can graduate? Five? Really? Who says our tax dollars go into some giant sinkhole?

As far as I know-- and I am very sketchy on this- you are corect---the NA school system tuition charge to other towns that send their kids to NA-- e.g. Stamford and Clarksburg are(were) charged about $5000 per-- I think it's higher now-- BUT Bart was getting about $11,000 per pupil which was deducted from the state aid to NA- if the student was from NA------so the perpupil at Fart is much higher than what the NA system charges---and they(Bart) only graduate 5 kids?????---I do know of a parent who sent her child to Bart and they booted him back to NA----for a school that was highly touted-- where is the annual lottery of kids who want to get in????? They apparently have little interest and it is a total waste of the tax- payer -- especially if their aspirations are only to BCC---chbpod

somehow I don't think this school is going to last too much longer. it seems foolish to me, to spend so much to educate a few when so many are being hurt by the cuts to education funding. and I also am amazed by how they handle kids who have sped requirements. we looked into the school for one of the grandkids and were quite sad to find they had so little help available for the kids who were on sped programs. how can they charge the city for so much and offer so little in return?

blackbird wrote:

somehow I don't think this school is going to last too much longer. it seems foolish to me, to spend so much to educate a few when so many are being hurt by the cuts to education funding. and I also am amazed by how they handle kids who have sped requirements. we looked into the school for one of the grandkids and were quite sad to find they had so little help available for the kids who were on sped programs. how can they charge the city for so much and offer so little in return?

Yor are correct blackbird-- they don't want SPED kids-- although they claim they are prepared and qualified o deal with them-- that's all smoke and mirrors--- they cherry pick from applicants--and when the kids don't succeed - they dump them back into the municipal hopper---Bart is a money maker for the administrators---and I wonder if the Board of Directors is paid for their servcies----chbpod

a million for one person to graduate is still worth it. maybe not to you, mr high and mighty but to me it is

When they first proposed the school, they were going to teach the kids and reach the kids that weren't making it in the public school system. Now they tout themselves as a college prep school. They ship off the kids with special needs and emotional issues. I don't know why they continue to be funded at the expense of the students in the districts that are being drained.

i wouldnt want the special needs and emotion issue kids either. it isnt easy teaching those kids. putting in public schools where the resources are there. bart is for kids who will succeed in other ways. they should have to be wasting resources like that. they are very limited in their funding. every penny counts.

chbpod wrote:

<quoted text>
I was wondering thge same thing-- didn't they have to have a lottery for students to get admitted?? Apparently this is the third graduating class-----ke to know how many graduated thise years-----let's see? if a stuuent enrolls the tuition is taken from that city's state ed aid-- and if the student quits and goes back to his/her city school-- is some of the money refunded?? Plus the money Bart receives is significantly higher than the normal out of town tuition under school choice----I still think it;s a scam--------a couple of them are going to community college--why not the leap to Williams---one wants to trasfer to MCLA ter two years at BCC---good grief MCLA gets kids straight from McCann --and many of them- if not most do well---chbpod

Here's an idea - Maybe all you spouters of perpetual ignorance can file a class action suit to sue the school systems that you all went to for refunds. Clearly, you didn't get your money's worth of education.

Some responses to the concerns raised here:

1: Yes, its a small graduating class. Our smallest yet, and likely the smallest it will ever be. Our school has 220 students in it - its not just the graduates who are benefitting from the program.

2: We do have special education students and have a terrific team of special educators prepared to meet IEP goals. In fact, the ESE has designated BArT as a "Level 1" school in this area.

3: We do not "cherry-pick" our students. We are college-preparatory. College should be the goal of all students. To plan a curriculum so that all students can receive a college degree is educating our students for the 21st century.

4: We receive tuition money for students pro-rated by the number of days they are enrolled at BArT. The tuition amount is based directly on what the sending district has told the ESE they spend per-pupil.

5: The Board of Trustees is not compensated for their work at the school. They are volunteers. Needless to say, no one is getting rich in their jobs at BArT - at least financially. Our lives are enriched by the work we do, but that's the extent of it.

I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about each of these topics (or others!) to visit us at the school, check out or website at www.bartcharter.org , or call me to find out more. We also have an active facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adams-MA/BArT-C... ) where you can pose questions and likely receive responses from current parents or students.

JBowen - BArT Exec Dir wrote:

Some responses to the concerns raised here:
1: Yes, its a small graduating class. Our smallest yet, and likely the smallest it will ever be. Our school has 220 students in it - its not just the graduates who are benefitting from the program.
2: We do have special education students and have a terrific team of special educators prepared to meet IEP goals. In fact, the ESE has designated BArT as a "Level 1" school in this area.
3: We do not "cherry-pick" our students. We are college-preparatory. College should be the goal of all students. To plan a curriculum so that all students can receive a college degree is educating our students for the 21st century.
4: We receive tuition money for students pro-rated by the number of days they are enrolled at BArT. The tuition amount is based directly on what the sending district has told the ESE they spend per-pupil.
5: The Board of Trustees is not compensated for their work at the school. They are volunteers. Needless to say, no one is getting rich in their jobs at BArT - at least financially. Our lives are enriched by the work we do, but that's the extent of it.
I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about each of these topics (or others!) to visit us at the school, check out or website at www.bartcharter.org , or call me to find out more. We also have an active facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adams-MA/BArT-C... ) where you can pose questions and likely receive responses from current parents or students.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz shut up, you're spewing foolish propaganda that only you believe!!! you're school is crippling the public school system and you have not produced any better of a product. If you select few of posh ignorance truly cared for the well being of the children, you'd shut the doors to BART.

Oh Oh Oh that's right she's ome of Bo Peabody's pals---nuff said----Barf----chbpod

The only thing crippling the North Adams Public Schools are the North Adams Public Schools - whether BART is a good or bad thing has nothing to do with how awful our public schools are. Part of the problem is the transient, underprivileged population that Barrett kept luring into town, upping the special needs requirements while refusing to live up to them. The NA public schools have had quite a few unpublicized special education violations that they wouldn't want to get out if they took place in a normal city, but here special educators can barely get the parents to work up the energy to come to the IEP meetings anyhow. Apathy towards their own lives and an uncanny ability to settle for substandard services is once again at the center of why something in North Adams sucks. Is BART better? Probably. Is it perfect? Probably not. But anyone defending the North Adams public schools and attacking BART is a real example of the pot calling the kettle black.

i like bart i heard they are helping all children by making them better students and people i hope they can continue there're great work.

Bowen Is A Joke wrote:

<quoted text>
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz shut up, you're spewing foolish propaganda that only you believe!!! you're school is crippling the public school system and you have not produced any better of a product. If you select few of posh ignorance truly cared for the well being of the children, you'd shut the doors to BART.

At least Ms. Bowen has the guts to wade out into this cesspit of anonymous morons and lay out the facts in defense of her school. Other than Billings, who is comfortable in his own skin as a peanut gallery provocateur, none of you other gutless wonders are willing to put your own name to your libelous accusations. Come now, who will be the first to level baseless charges against BArT and proudly post their name next to it?

I know this first hand--BART takes students who are special needs and receives almost 15000 per year for them. This is much higher than the school choice rate. They will often keep kids for a few years and then send them back to their district school telling them that "they have the programming that will fit your needs". This is AFTER they have taken 30000+ for a student. BY LAW they are required to provide all students with the program that they require not the program that they provide!! What they are doing is wrong and people need to start asking questions!