on common ground: winter 2005

&

2 ON COMMON GROUND WINTER 2005

That schools are a vital part of a com-munity’s health is no secret. AndREALTORS® are well aware of theimportance of school quality (or rep-utation of quality) to many homebuyers and to property values. But

achieving quality public schools—and paying forthem—is no easy matter. The national debateabout improving school quality has becomestronger—and louder—in recent years, as compet-ing philosophies of education battle it out in thepolitical realm. The fiscal bite of providing goodschools is forcing many states and localities toinvestigate new approaches to taxation, as grow-ing areas have trouble keeping up with increasingschool enrollments, and older communities declin-ing in population find it difficult to maintain oldbuildings and compete with newer suburbanschool systems.

Last year, the National Association of REALTORS® State and Local Issues Committeeestablished a Public Education Working Group tostudy issues and trends in public education and toidentify different approaches being used to pro-vide better education. In addition to developingNAR policy on public education (an ongoingprocess), one goal of the working group is toencourage and enable REALTORS® andREALTOR® associations to get more involved inpublic education and be a supportive partner toschools. With that goal in mind, this special issueof On Common Ground discusses current trends inpublic education, with a particular focus on REALTOR® involvement in assisting schools intheir communities.

Schools also are an important part of the SmartGrowth puzzle, as schools not only respond togrowth but can encourage or steer growth. Schoollocation can greatly affect development and trans-

portation patterns, and the effect of school size onthe educational and social development of stu-dents is the focus of current research. These con-siderations are bringing about a reevaluation ofthe late-20th century trend toward larger schoolson larger sites farther from the hearts of communi-ties. These and many other current issues relatedto schools are discussed in this issue of our maga-zine. Special thanks to NAR’s Public EducationWorking Group and its chair Phil McGinnis fortheir guidance on this special issue of On Common Ground.

SchoolssmartGrowth

WINTER 2005 ON COMMON GROUND 3

For more information on NAR and Smart Growth, go to www.realtor.org/smartgrowth.

On Common Ground is published twice a year by the Government Affairs office of the NATIONALASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), and is distributed free of charge. The publication presents a wide range of views on Smart Growth issues, with the goal of encouraging a dialogueamong REALTORS®, elected officials and other interested citizens. The opinions expressed in On Common Ground are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, its members or affiliate organizations.

Editor Special Issue Co-EditorJoseph R. Molinaro Bob McNamaraManager, Smart Growth Programs Smart Growth Policy RepresentativeNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

500 New Jersey Avenue, NW 500 New Jersey Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20001 Washington, DC 20001

Distribution:For more copies of this issue or to be placed on our mailing list for future issues of On CommonGround, please contact:Ted Wright, NAR Government Affairs, at (202) 383-1206 or [email protected].


34High PerformanceSchools

28Charter Schools

16Community School

6 Sprawl Schools and Small Schools


On Common Groundwinter 2005

Downtown Schools

40Choosing Sides

52

6 Of Sprawl Schools and Small SchoolsA convergence of movements offers hope that Johnny can once again walk to a greatneighborhood school.by David Goldberg

12 Reading, Writing and Real EstateREALTORS® work to improve public schools.by Carol Everett

16 The ABCs of Smart Growth Spell Out theCommunity School VisionCommunity school advocates and leaders ofthe Smart Growth movement use the sameprinciples and partnerships to promote betterschools for our children.by John Van Gieson

22 Smart Partnerships Construct Smart SchoolsMany public-private partnerships, using SmartGrowth fundamentals, are being formed tohelp ensure that school districts keep pacewith population increases, development andparental demands. by Brad Broberg

28 Charter Schools—Are They Reinvigorating Public Education?Parents, neighborhoods and new develop-ments are gaining choices when it comes toeducational opportunities for their children.by Jason Miller

34 High Performance SchoolsGreen/sustainable school buildings createhealthier students, happier parents and moreattractive Smart Growth neighborhoods.by Heidi Johnson-Wright

40 Choosing Sides: The School Choice DebateI. A Matter of Choiceby Jeanne Allen, President of The Center forEducation Reform II. Vouchers Not the Answerby Michael Pons, Policy Analyst for the NationalEducation Association

46 Live Where You TeachCities and school districts are working togetherto build affordable housing for teachers.by Christine Jordan Sexton

52 Downtown SchoolsThe New Urban Frontierby Martin Zimmerman

58 Smart Growth in the States

Cover photo by Jack Weinberg, courtesy of The Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.


A convergence of movements offershope that Johnny can once again

walk to a great neighborhood school.

of sprawl

Photos contributed by Kevin Shaver of BBT Architects, Inc and the Ensworth Elementary School.

As students at Fairfield Senior High Schoolin suburban Cincinnati headed back toschool this year, they got a message from

the local police: Don’t even think about walking.Law officers were moved to issue the warning

after the local school district decided to eliminatebus service for high school kids in response to abudget crisis. It turns out that because the school,built in 1997, is set among busy, multi-lane roadswith no sidewalks, even students who live withina mile of the school had been taking the bus, ifthey didn’t go by car. Police were terrified at theprospect of kids trying to navigate that hostileenvironment without automotive armament.

Much as it pained him, Fairfield Mayor Erick

Cook, himself a principal of an elementary schoolin another district, echoed the plea. “The bottomline is, the school system, developers and the cityfailed the kids by neglecting to put in sidewalks,”Cook said. But the larger problem, Cook went onto acknowledge, was the selection of the site in thefirst place. In the hunt for a spot large enough forthe modern high school, with its outsized parkingand sprawling, single-story building, officials feltforced to look to the developing fringe of town.Because most kids would have to arrive by car,they opted for highway access. And rather thanbuild the sidewalks that were left out when thearea developed, they chose to bus students wholived nearby.


by David Goldberg

schools& small schools


But Cook noted that Fairfield is hardly alone in this situation. In fact,his own school, South Lebanon elementary in South Lebanon, Ohio fol-lowed a similar pattern, having moved a few years ago from a historic,centrally located building to a new site accessible only by car or bus. It’sa trend he laments. “As the people began to move outward, you movedaway from the ability to create neighborhood schools.”

Again, though, Ohio has plenty of company—about 49 otherstates, in fact. In suburban DeKalb County, Georgia, 57 percent ofschool principals rate the area around their schools moderately toextremely dangerous for kids on foot or bicycle, according to a surveyby the county health department. Neighboring Gwinnett Countyactually has sited schools on highways in commercial and lightindustrial zones in order to fetch a higher resale price should theschool fall into disuse. Indeed, the phenomenon of building spread-out schools in unwalkable environments is so common it now has aname: “school sprawl”.

A raft of statistics illustrates the consequences of the trend. As recent-ly as 1969 roughly half of all students walked or biked to school. In 2001the number was closer to one in 10. A study in South Carolina discov-ered that children are four times as likely to walk to schools built before1983 than to those built after that year. The report attributed the changelargely to the increasingly remote and pedestrian-hostile settings ofnewer schools. Of course, kids generally are less active today, and that’sone reason the rates of obesity and physical inactivity among kids haverisen so that 30 percent of our kids are overweight or obese and a thirdof middle and high schoolers are sedentary. Atthe same time, the rise in rush-hour traffic associ-ated with school trips has been identified by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a keycontributor to air quality problems in a number ofcities.

In addition to the effects on traffic and kids’health, critics of school sprawl note otherissues, as well. Large, new schools built in apreviously undeveloped area often act as amagnet for new residential development, draw-ing people and resources away from existingschools and neighborhoods, and large, drive-toschools fail to serve as a neighborhood resourceand focal point. Because school districts andlocal governments do their planning in isola-tion from one another, the new growth oftentakes local officials by surprise, causing them toscramble to build the roads, water mains, sewerlines and other services to support it. This unco-ordinated planning is one reason many subur-ban schools open with classroom trailers parkedoutside, the critics say.

Meanwhile, there is mounting evidence thatthe impersonal environment of the mega-schoolinhibits the basic function of the school; that is,giving kids the best education possible. Thisrealization has given rise to a growing move-ment for small schools, a cause gaining anincreasingly high profile with the involvementof the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation andmany others. This movement is finding com-


mon cause with the movement for Smart Growth,a term used to refer to better planning that valuesimproving the places we’ve built before sprawlingwilly-nilly into new territory. Together they’reworking to change the rules and habits that con-tribute to school sprawl.

Why Big Schools?The case for larger schools has been that they

can offer a more comprehensive curriculum, andthat the upper grades can have access to a widerrange of activities, from chess club to Japaneseclub, for which there would be too few students ina smaller setting. This often had the ring of anattempt to make a virtue of necessity, as state andlocal school officials pushed for the economies ofscale from greater concentrations of students,services and facilities.

Perhaps the most influential advocate for“sprawl schools” was the Council of EducationalFacility Planners (CEFPI), an Arizona-based pro-fessional association that issues guidance onschool construction. According to standards thatwere in place from the 1970s until very recently,an elementary school of 500 students requires 15acres, and a high school of 2,000 would need atleast 50 acres. By contrast, older neighborhoodschools occupy two to eight acres. Those existingschools themselves were disadvantaged by the so-called two-thirds rule used by CEFPI and others:If the cost to rehab a school exceeds 60 percent of

cost of replacement, build a new school. Buildinganew at the “proper” size means either razingnearby buildings—which is prohibitively expen-sive—or moving the school out of the neighbor-hood. According to a South Carolina study, schoolsite size has increased in every decade since 1950,and schools built in the last 20 years are 41 per-cent larger than those built previously.

“The problem has been that, in order to meetthose standards, given the cost and availability ofland, school officials feel the need to abandonneighborhood sites and build in the middle ofnowhere,” said Constance Beaumont, author of“Why Johnny Can’t Walk to School,” a report by theNational Trust for Historic Preservation that wasamong the first to address the issue of school sprawl.

There are signs that the tide is beginning toturn in some states, Beaumont noted. Marylandnow prioritizes rehab and construction in urban-ized areas, rather than building schools in green-fields. In the last few years, 80 percent of con-struction money went to reconstruction and rehab,versus 25 percent in the mid-1990s. In California,a program called Safe Routes to School earmarksone-third of federal road-safety money forimprovements around schools, creating safe cross-ings, adding sidewalks and bikeways, etc. Theprogram has been so popular that a version of ithas been included in proposed federal legislation.

Others are taking a closer look at the trade-offsinvolved. In Oregon a study in the Bend-La Pine

Large, new schoolsbuilt in a previouslyundeveloped area oftenact as a magnet for newresidential develop-ment, drawing peopleand resources awayfrom existing schoolsand neighborhoods.


district found that, compared to sites on the metro fringe, “sites in higher density neighborhoods decreasedtotal transportation costs by 32 percent annually and lowered site development costs by 14 percent.” As aresult, this fall the district opened Ensworth Elementary School, a compact, two-story prototype neighbor-hood school designed and located so that all of its 300 students can walk or bike. And nearly all do, saidBeaumont, who now works for Oregon’s transportation and growth management program.

Perhaps most significantly, CEFPI itself recently unveiled “Creating Connections,” a re-examinationof its siting guidelines that puts an emphasis on viewing schools in the larger community context. (Findit on the web at http://www.cefpi.org:80/creatingconnections/index.html.)

Small SchoolsThe return of the neighborhood school is getting a large boost from a growing body of research

demonstrating the benefits of smaller school environments. The research has been motivated at one endby the concerns of rural communities that are seeing their local schools closed in a wave of consolida-tion, and at the other by advocates for smaller, more manageable schoolsin low-income, urban areas.

So what have they found? Smaller schools have lower drop-out ratesand higher average scores on standardized tests. Children in high-pover-ty schools see an even more pronounced improvement. While it’s true thatlarger schools generally do show a small savings on spending per student,when that figure is computed for students who actually graduate, the per-graduate cost per student actually is slightly lower. Larger schools canhave more extracurricular offerings, but participation in after-school activ-ities declines as schools get larger. A U.S. Department of Education reportfound that schools with over 1,000 students have much higher rates ofcrime and vandalism than schools with 300 or fewer students. And teachersatisfaction is higher in smaller schools, according to a Chicago study. (Youcan find links to much of the research online at http://www.smallschoolswork-shop.org/info3.html#8.)

Convinced by the research, several philanthro-pies are supporting the small-schools movement.Since 1994, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationhas committed more than $1 billion to improving pub-lic schools, primarily through creating small highschools. Gates advocates high schools of 400 studentsor fewer, arguing that they can “provide a personal-ized learning environment where every student hasan adult advocate. Students in small schools feel lessalienated and tend to be more actively engaged inschool activities.”

Despite the growing appreciation for smallschools, a number of daunting challenges remain.School funding is among the largest. Many admin-istrators remain convinced that a smaller number ofcampuses reduces administrative and other costs.

There is mounting evidence thatthe impersonal environment of

the mega-school inhibits the basicfunction of the school.


The notion that big and (typically) new is betterthan small and (frequently) old is ingrained anddifficult to reverse. One of the thorniest issues,though, may be the implications for student-bodydiversity when schools draw from smaller geo-graphic areas.

“There is a bit of a conflict between smallschools and integration,” acknowledges JonathanWeiss, a former Clinton Administration official andauthor of “Public Schools and EconomicDevelopment: What the Research Shows”, a reportfor the KnowledgeWorks Foundation. “Because wetend to live in neighborhoods that are segregated

by race and income you often need to draw from alarger area to get a diverse population.”

As a school board member in Decatur, Georgia,John Ahman has grappled with this tension first-hand. To preserve its prized walkable, neighbor-hood schools, the small city of 19,000 for years hasresisted a state guideline that would have meantconsolidating their five elementary schools intotwo. But recently two inescapable realities forcedchange: The need to close a school with fewerthan 80 students and a desire to address a persist-ent achievement gap in a pair of schools that werepredominantly African-American. The solutionultimately was to close two schools, expanding theattendance zones for the remaining campuses so

that they would be more racially balanced and cre-ate city-wide school for fourth and fifth grades.

“It was a brutal battle,” Ahman recalls. “Itmight have been easier just to consolidate them allinto a couple of large schools, but we didn’t wantto do that. I hate to say it, but a lot of white peoplejust didn’t want their kids going to school withpoorer, black kids.” But the board was determinedboth to integrate the schools and to make it possi-ble for families to continue to get their kids toschool without driving. “To make them walkable,we posted 14 crossing guards to make it safer tocross our busier roads,” in addition to installing

crosswalks and traffic controls.Recognizing the reality that the

Decaturs of the world have faced,some small-schools advocates sug-gest breaking up larger campusesinto several schools-within-a-school.One frequently cited success story inthis regard is New York City’s JuliaRichman Education Complex. Oncea failing, violence-plagued school ofthousands, the sprawling compoundhas been divided into six schools,each with a different theme andidentity. A Washington Post article onthe complex described it like this:“There is no public address systemand no bells announce the end ofclass. The metal detectors … havedisappeared, along with cages forparticularly violent students.Vandalism … and fights in the hall-way are rare. The number of studentsgraduating and going on to collegehas shot up.”

What makes places like Richmanwork, says Weiss, is not merely mak-ing the schools smaller, but alsoselecting administrators and facultywho share a vision, and giving them

the extra resources needed to succeed. In any case,advocacy for small schools won’t succeed if done ina vacuum that disregards other community issues,he cautions.

“In a way small schools are one part of the largersmart-growth puzzle,” says Weiss. “Communitiesshould be careful about pursuing small schools inisolation from pursuing broader, more integratedSmart-Growth strategies. It’s unlikely smallschools by themselves will be a panacea.”

David A. Goldberg is the communications director for SmartGrowth America, a nationwide coalition based inWashington, D.C. that advocates for land-use policy reform.In 2002, Mr. Goldberg was awarded a Loeb Fellowship atHarvard University where he studied urban policy.

REALTORS® Working to


readingwriting


There are many practical steps aREALTOR® can take to make a difference in their communities in

the education arena. Here are three case studies of successful initiatives by REALTOR® associations:

Providing Direct Assistance to LocalSchools—Williamson County, Tennessee

Helen Carter, a one-time special edu-cation teacher, now serves as the chiefexecutive officer of the WilliamsonCounty Association of REALTORS®

(WCAR). Since 1993, Carter has lookedfor every opportunity to use WCAR

resources to improve the public schools in Williamson County.Carter says her members have been more than willing to follow her lead

because they understand that one of the primary reasons corporate exec-utives have flocked to this picturesque community, less than 20 minutesfrom downtown Nashville, is they want the best public school system theycan find for their children. Currently, Williamson County has deliveredone of the best in the state. “No matter where you live in WilliamsonCounty,” says Carter, “you can find quality public schools for your chil-dren.”

Williamson County also has big plans to make the region a center forscience and technology, and if it wants to succeed with these ambitiousplans, it will need to demonstrate that it has a superior educational sys-tem, starting with its primary and secondary schools.

Here are the major ways WCAR supports its community schools, all ofwhich can be easily emulated by other REALTOR® associations:

• Scholarships These $1,000-scholarships allow one graduating senior from each of

Williamson County’s high schools to continue their education at either acollege or a vocational school. WCAR takes applications from all of its fivehigh schools; narrows them down to three per school based on outsideactivities, grades, parent’s income and need; and then interviews thefinalists to choose one from each school. The scholarships are financedthrough an annual fundraiser. “Our goal,” says Carter, “is to help that onekid who might not otherwise get to further his or her education withoutthat first leg up. This [is one of] the best things we do as an association.”

• Reading to children at school Periodically the school district contacts Carter for volunteers to read in

the schools. “When a REALTOR® goes out and reads to a classroom full ofkids,” says Carter, “it’s a way for him or her to give back to the communi-ty.” It’s also a good way, she says, for them to get more name recognition.“I know for a fact those children go home and tell their parents about Mrs.

by Carol EverettImprove Public Education&Real Estate


Cirulli who came in and read to them today.”Some REALTORS® have made even bigger com-mitments. One REALTOR®, for example, adopted aclass for six weeks, going in once a week toexplain about different aspects of buying and sell-ing a house. “This was a really smart approach,”says Carter, “because when those kids’ parentsdecide to move, guess what REALTOR® is going tocome first to their minds.”

• The Groundhog Job Shadowing ProgramStudents spend a day “shadowing” adults to

find out more about certain careers—in this case,real estate professional.

• The Tenured Teacher Appreciation EventAt the end of the school year students honor

their teachers by giving them a pin for “x” numberof years of service. WCAR participates in thisevent by asking its members to sponsor doorprizes handed out at the end of the program. “Theteachers love that our membership supports themin this manner,” says Carter.

• School Superintendent’s Business CouncilThe goal, says Carter, was to brainstorm about

ways the business community could play a largerrole in assisting the local school system. Examplesof recommendations included asking businesses todonate their computer equipment instead of throw-ing it away when they upgrade and inviting corpo-rate executives to headline more fundraising events.

Working Collaboratively to Market Local Schoolsand Neighborhoods—Madison, Wisconsin“At Home In Madison” Project

Madison REALTORS® knew they had a problemwhen one of their affiliate members, Home SavingsBank, told them the results of a customer focusgroup. Despite having one of the best school dis-tricts in the nation, many families relocating to thearea were not giving Madison a moment’s thoughtas a place to live due to a commonly-held belief thatall central cities have poor public schools. “This biasagainst the Metropolitan Madison School Districtwas frustrating,” says Kevin King, Executive VicePresident of the REALTORS® Association of SouthCentral Wisconsin (RASCW), “because on anyobjective measure Madison schools have an excel-lent record to share with prospective new studentsand their parents.”

But Madison REALTORS® weren’t the onlyones who were being hurt by this misperception,so were Madison schools, which were clearly los-ing out on quality students. For that matter, so wasthe city of Madison, which was seeing strong mid-dle class families—along with their tax dollars—bypass it for the suburbs.

Madison REALTORS® and school administra-tors concluded the problem was the city wasn’tgetting its story out. Not only has Madison beennamed “best place for education” by MoneyMagazine, but it has the highest ACT scores in thestate; record-level SAT scores; experienced,award-winning teachers; and a record-winningnumber of national merit scholars.

Understanding they had a marketing problem,the RASCW joined with the Madison MetropolitanSchool District, the city of Madison, and HomeSavings Bank to launch a two-school pilot todemonstrate a mechanism for getting timely infor-mation into the hands of homebuyers aboutMadison’s award-winning schools and vibrantneighborhoods. The benefits of the program wereso obvious, that after the first year, it was expand-ed to include all Madison elementary, middle andhigh schools.

At first the data was available only in paper form,but quickly it was shifted to a public website (ath-omein.com), which was much less expensive tomaintain and easier to keep current. Now on the “AtHome In Madison” website, REALTORS® and theirclients can find detailed information about everypublic school in the city, including performance datasuch as average SAT and ACT scores. Also providedis a “principal/parent contact” roster so potentialhomebuyers can arrange for a school tour or talk toanother family who has children at a particularschool. “What’s great about At Home In Madison,”says King, “is you get this same set of data for every


one of the schools in the whole city, and it’s organ-ized so you see a high school and all the feederschools going into it.”

A clear win-win for everyone, the metropolitanschool district loves the program because it acts asa frontline advertiser for the public schools. TheREALTORS® love it because it provides answers tothe question uppermost on the minds of mosthomebuyers: what’s the quality of the localschools? The program has been extremely suc-cessful. In fact, the statewide teachers union andstate department of public instruction are nowinterested in taking the model to other major met-ropolitan areas in Wisconsin.

Working Collaboratively to Ensure Local Schools AreAdequately Financed—Palm Beach County, Florida

In Palm Beach County the REALTORS® and theschool district worked together to get a referendumpassed that will increase the local sales tax by one-half penny in order to raise $560 million for schoolconstruction and modernization starting in 2005.

REALTOR® Association of Palm Beach (RAPB)didn’t question whether more money was neededfor school construction in Palm Beach County.What RAPB was questioning, however, waswhether the one-third mill property tax increaseproposed by the school board was the most effi-cient way to finance more schools. The questionseemed reasonable because neighboring OrangeCounty had finally passed a school constructionreferendum just two years earlier after twodecades of failed attempts. The difference thistime around was the school board had come upwith a plan—a one-half cent sales tax increasepaired with a half-mill property tax rollback—thebusiness community could get solidly behind. Thebusiness community’s active involvement in thereferendum’s campaign helped allay voter’s con-cerns about financial accountability

RAPB contracted with an economic consultingfirm to do a comparative study of a one-third millversus a one-half cent sales tax increase. Thestudy concluded that the one-half cent sales taxincrease was the sounder funding alternativebecause it was capable of generating significantlymore revenue per year than a one-third mill prop-erty tax ($93 million compared to only $23 millionin year 1 alone). This meant that the $560 millioncapital needs program could be funded in sixyears under the sales tax alternative versus 14years for the property tax option, avoiding millionsof dollars in administrative and finance charges.Another benefit of a sales tax increase was that itwould broaden the base on which the tax wasbeing applied to include seasonal visitors.

Armed with its study results, RAPB lobbiedhard to persuade the school board to support a

one-half cent sales tax increase instead of a one-third mill property tax increase. RAPB overcamethe opposition by aligning itself with other busi-ness entities and by committing to take responsi-bility for getting the school referendum passed if itwas based on a sales tax increase.

To fulfill its pledge to the school board, RAPBsubsequently formed a coalition of public and pri-vate leaders to run the referendum campaign,raising close to half a million dollars to cover thecampaign’s costs. It also created a 25-memberadvisory committee made up of the county’s mostpowerful CEOs and CFOs to certify that the schoolboard did in fact need $560 million, and commis-sioned polling to develop effective messages.Finally, it mobilized its members to undertakegrassroots efforts, such as letters to the editor, put-ting out signs, and going door-to-door to talk tovoters. Says RAPB government affairs directorJennifer Butler, “This was basically a politicalcampaign except instead of running an electedofficial we were running an issue.”

The lesson from these stories: Never underesti-mate the leverage REALTORS® can have.

Carol T. Everett is the owner of Everett ConsultingServices based in Washington, D.C. Everett ConsultingServices specializes in writing and advising on livablecommunities and related issues.

Never underestimate the leverage

REALTORS® can have.


The ABCs of Smart Growth spell out the The ABCs of Smart Growth spell out the

Community schooladvocates and leadersof the Smart Growthmovement use thesame principles andpartnerships to promote better schoolsfor our children.

Community schooladvocates and leadersof the Smart Growthmovement use thesame principles andpartnerships to promote better schoolsfor our children.

CommunityCommunity

Photos contributed by Cathy Gray and the Evansville Vanderburgh School.


When her children experienced behavior prob-lems after B. G. Gray ended an abusive rela-tionship, the Portland, Oregon, home care

worker knew where to turn for help—her daughter’sschool.

The school, Earl Boyles Elementary School, is acommunity school located in a tough neighborhoodknown as “Felony Flats” on the east side of Portland.If offers a wide array of after-school programs, coun-

seling, health care and social services to students andparents, like Gray, who need help.

“My kids and I came out of very bad abuse, andthey helped us a lot,” Gray said. “I don’t think wewould have made it without their help and support.”After transferring to Earl Boyles from a regular school,“my kids actually started making progress in theirpersonal life, their attitudes and their behavior, aswell as their grades,” she said.

Her daughter, who once hated to get up in themorning to go to school, actually looked forward tothe classes she took in the Schools UnitingNeighborhoods (SUN) program at Earl Boyles, Gray said.

“Our SUN community schools are our best tool tohelp ensure at-risk kids are able to learn in school andstay out of trouble after the school day ends,” saidMultnomah County Chair Diane Linn. “This helps notonly these children and their families, but our wholecommunity.”

The concept of merging social services into schoolsdates to the late 1800s when desperately poor immi-grant children were crowding urban schools, but themovement has really taken off over the last 15 to 20years, fueled in part by a new wave of immigration.

A community school is a school where local part-ners join forces with the school district to providebefore and after school programs meeting the educa-

SchoolVisionSchoolVisionby John Van Gieson

tional, health, mental health and social services needs of the students, their parents and the communi-ty at large. Community schools are usually open from early morning until late evening.

“It’s like a one-stop shop for families,” said Suzanne Yeager, executive director of communicationsfor the Saint Paul, Minnesota, public schools.

Community schools are tailored to meet community needs, with parents and community membersinvolved in determining what kind of programs they want at their school, resulting in considerable dif-ferences between programs, even in the same district.

School districts typically set rigidacademic standards for their communi-ty schools and staff them with excep-tional principals and teachers. Servicesthe students receive include medicalreferrals, dental clinics, vision screen-ing, counseling, after-school programs,arts classes, sports programs and drug,violence and pregnancy preventionprograms.

Services provided to parents includeparenting classes, English classes forimmigrants and assistance in negotiat-ing the maze of social services.Community school counselors helpparents resolve basic issues such asfood and housing that affect their chil-dren’s ability to succeed in school.

Wilma Goudy, a family interventionspecialist at Earl Boyles, helped a sin-gle father with two sons attending theschool get back on his feet after theywere evicted from their apartment.Goudy works for Metropolitan FamilyServices, which partners with 10 com-munity schools in the Portland area.

“To make a long story short, therewere three of us from different agen-cies that paid money for his apartment,and he was able to move from tempo-rary housing to permanent housing,”she said. “We were able to furnish theapartment, get the kids beds and assistwith food and the electric bill.”

Now, Goudy said, the boys “aredoing really well. They’re both in school. It’s a big deal for their self-esteem, their self-worth. It’s real-ly uncomfortable for a kid to come to school and say, ‘We’re homeless.’”

To succeed, community schools need outside partners, and the impetus to develop full-serviceschools in a particular community often comes from outside the school system. In Portland, it was cityand county government. In New York City, it’s the Children’s Aid Society, a 153 year-old social servic-es agency that focuses on meeting the needs of children. In Saint Paul, the driving force was theAmherst H. Wilder Foundation, founded in 1906 by a prominent local businessman.

“What’s unique about this new focus on community schools is it’s not just the schools that are lead-ing the effort, it’s the United Way, social service organizations, philanthropies, cities, counties and uni-versities,” said Martin J. Blank, staff director of the Coalition for Public Schools in Washington, D.C.

It takes a big table when members of the School Community Council of the Evansville VanderburghSchool Corporation in Evansville, Indiana, meet to discuss their 21st Century Community LearningCenters program serving 10 schools.

“We have 65 to 70 community agencies sitting at the table actively collaborating,” said Cathlin Gray,assistant superintendent of the Evansville Vanderburgh schools. “At each of the 21st Century Schools


Perhaps the most impressiveargument for community schools

is that their ability to engagestudents and parents leads to

dramatic improvements ingrades and test scores.

there is a site council, and the site council isschool-based. Members include parents, teachersand community agencies.”

Perhaps the most impressive argument for com-munity schools is that their ability to engage stu-dents and parents leads to dramatic improvementsin grades and test scores. In a report entitled“Making the Difference, Research and Practice inCommunity Schools,” the Coalition forCommunity Schools assessed the results of pro-grams in 20 schools reaching from Boston toCarson, California.

“Fifteen of the 20 initiatives in this study report-ed improvement in student academic achieve-ment, as measured by improved grades in schoolcourses and scores in proficiency testing,” thereport said.

In one year, Dayton’s Bluff Achievement PlusElementary School in Saint Paul reported gains of35 percent in math scores and 28 percent in read-ing scores on the Minnesota ComprehensiveAssessment test, according to a Saint Paul PublicSchools case study report entitled “TheTransformation.” This in a school where up to 80percent of the teachers used to call in sick on agiven day, the report said.

At Cedar Hall Elementary School in Evansville,Cathlin Gray said, the number of students passingIndiana’s state test has increased from 23 percentto 65 percent.

“We got raw improvements across the board,”she said. “But we’re not there yet.”

Turning an under-achieving school in a neigh-borhood riddled with social problems into a com-munity school that compares favorably with thebetter suburban schools is no easy task, as a num-ber of school systems have learned.

It took several years, key changes of adminis-trators and a restructuring demanded by the majorpartner, the Wilder Foundation, for theAchievement Plus community school program todeliver results in Saint Paul.

“We had an agenda for school reform, and we

“We cleared out a lotof bad housing. We’resystemically upgradingthe neighborhood.”



Community school advocates and leaders of the Smart Growthmovement have joined forces in an informal alliance promot-ing community schools as a focal point of both new commu-

nities and the restoration of decaying inner city neighborhoods.They are drawing strength from education reformers who have

concluded that small schools are better for kids than the mega-schools that school districts have tended to build on vacant land onthe edge of town. Their research shows that children attendingsmaller schools get better grades, participate more in school activ-ities and are more likely to go to college.

As Sam Passmore put it in a Funders’ Network for Smart Growthand Livable Communities report on Education and Smart Growth,“The interests of Smart Growth advocates and education reformersconverge on a simple, but powerful idea, the small neighborhoodschool.” Especially when those small neighborhood schools arecommunity schools.

In an article for the American School Board Journal, Washington,D.C., consultants Barbara McCann and Constance Beaumont out-lined these characteristics of Smart Growth schools:

• Small in size.• Broad community involvement.• High-quality education.• Students can walk to school.• Serve as community schools.• Good fit for the neighborhood.• Use existing facilities wherever possible.Some Smart Growth developers are incorporating community

schools into the new communities they are building. In Florida, thedevelopers of Lake Nona, an 8,000-acre planned community fourmiles southeast of the Orlando International Airport, built theNorthLake Park Community School and leased it back to the OrangeCounty School District. The Lake Nona Land Company partneredwith the YMCA and the Orlando Regional Healthcare System to offerfitness and wellness programs at the school.

Community schools require a commitment byeducators, support by community leaders,

involvement of parents, and the participationof dedicated partners.

felt if we got the right services and staff in placewe could dramatically change how low-incomekids learn,” said Tom Kingston, president of theWilder Foundation. “It’s taken us seven years, butwe’ve finally gotten there. In the last two yearswe’ve gotten incredible test scores. Dayton’s Bluffis catching up with the suburban schools.”

Advocates say the nuturing nature of communi-ty schools fosters a sense of safety and security inthe school that has a positive impact on the sur-rounding community.

In New York, the Children’s Aid Society runs 13community schools in partnership with the cityschool system. The flagship school, IntermediateSchool 218, is located in the Washington Heightssection of Manhattan, serving a lower-incomeneighborhood comprised largely of immigrantsfrom the Dominican Republic.

As the school was being developed in the early1990s, Washington Heights had the city’s mostcrowded schools and one of its highest crimerates. It was known for drug dealers who cateredto suburban buyers and was racked by severaldays of rioting after a police officer shot and killeda drug dealer in 1993.

Today, I.S. 218, also known as the SalomeUrena Middle Academies after a famousDominican poet and educator, is a model school ina neighborhood where the crime rate has droppeddramatically. Washington Heights has becomeone of New York’s hottest real estate markets.

“There were hardly any services before the community school,” said Hersilia Mendez, assistant director of the Children’s Aid Society program at I.S. 218. “I really believe that we made a difference.”

Following the riots, the school worked to defusetensions between the community and the police.“Through the school we started to work with thepolice and the students in getting to know eachother and the students are actually teaching thepolice Spanish,” Mendez said.

In Saint Paul, Kingston said, the changes atDayton’s Bluff school have had a positive impacton the housing market. His foundation is develop-ing affordable housing in the area.

“It was one of the key factors in turning aroundthe real estate market,” he said. “We cleared out alot of bad housing. We’re systemically upgradingthe neighborhood.”

The community school movement is growingrapidly, but many challenges remain. To developsuccessful community schools, Blank said,requires a commitment by educators, support bycommunity leaders, involvement of parents, andthe participation of dedicated partners.

“Historically, schools have tended to be isolat-ed,” he said. “School officials like to be in charge.After 10 to 15 years of pressure for accountability,many school leaders have begun to reach out toothers they need to bring in if our schools aregoing to succeed.”

John Van Gieson is a freelance writer based inTallahassee, Florida. He owns and runs Van GiesonMedia Relations, Inc.


The merger of the community school, smaller schools and SmartGrowth movements typically occurs when planners are building newschools or renovating old ones as integral components of plans torevitalize deteriorated inner city neighborhoods.

One of the best examples of a new inner city school that mergesthe community school concept with Smart Growth principles is theTenderloin Community School located in a blighted San Francisconeighborhood with a large population of Asian immigrants.

The school was developed under the leadership of the Bay AreaWomen and Children’s Center, which worked closely with neighbor-hood residents to design a school that met their needs. The result:a colorful new building, serving 540 students, that includes a com-munity center, medical and dental facilities, an adult education cen-ter, a community kitchen and a roof garden. (See page 52.)

As part of a massive project to redevelop blighted downtownareas along the Tennessee River, Chattanooga officials built two newmagnet schools serving the inner city, the Battle Academy ofTeaching and Learning and the Brown Academy of Classical Studies.The Brown Academy was built with private funds.

The 425-student Adams School in downtown St. Louis, Missouri,is frequently cited as an outstanding example of a renovation proj-ect that relies on Smart Growth principles to provide better serviceto a rundown inner city neighborhood.

The $12.6 million cost of renovating two vacant school buildingsthat were constructed in the late 1800s and adding a modern addi-

tion was shared by a public-private partnership that included theWashington University Medical Center, Firstart Bank, the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation and the St. Louis Board of Education.The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team paid for recreational facilities.

The school was renovated as part of a $180 million plan torestore the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood. The communitycenter includes a teen center, weight room, police substation, laun-dry facilities, community offices and adult education programs.

The state of New Jersey has made community schools the cen-terpiece of an $8.6 billion plan to revitalize distressed neighbor-hoods. The state is urging local school districts to locate recreationand fitness, arts, health care and workforce training into the com-munity schools built under the program.

The idea of smaller schools is gaining acceptance, but the move-ment has been hampered by old attitudes and requirements thatpromote construction of large new schools. In many states spaciouscampuses are required when new schools are built and the “twothirds” rule holds that an old school should not be renovated if thecost is more than two-thirds the cost of building a new school.

Such attitudes, regulations and law must be changed in manyplaces in order to develop Smart Growth schools.

“When considering the transition to small neighborhood schools,local officials need to be reassured that they are not reinventing thewheel,” Passmore said.

Many public-private partnerships, using Smart Growthfundamentals, are being formed to help ensure thatschool districts keep pace with population increases,development and parental demands.


partnershipssmart

Photos contributed by the Norm A Uhl, HISD Press Office; Ramon Sanchez of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools;Aaron Kindel, Development Director for Imagine Schools; Monte Lange of the Cortez Park Charter School; and Adrian Catarzi of the City’s Middle Charter School at the Central Campus.


When Hurricane Andrew blasted South Floridain 1992, Pembrooke Pines and the rest ofsouthwest Broward County escaped the

horrific destruction the killer storm unleashed on muchof neighboring Dade County. Even so, Andrew left hismark.

Thousands of devastated Dade County families,whose dwellings Andrew flattened, fled north to newhomes in places like Pembrooke Pines, where thegreater distance from the coast offers greater securityagainst the threat of future hurricanes.

As a result, the population of Pembrooke Pinessoared. Before Hurricane Andrew, Pembrooke Pines washome to 65,000 people. Today, more than 150,000 peo-

smart schoolsconstruct

by Brad Broberg


ple live in the community approximately 20 milesnorthwest of Miami. “We had prepared for steadydevelopment over a long period of time [but] wemore than doubled our population in a short timeframe,” said Charley Dodge, longtime city manager.

Slammed by whirlwind growth, PembrookePines faced pressure to provide public services—and do it fast—for the flood of new residents. Themost pressing problem? The need to build moreschools.

Traditionally, local school districts shoulder thatburden. However, the Broward County SchoolDistrict was unprepared to meet the demand, saidDodge. “They did not plan or set aside land orhave the capability,” he said.

Minus Hurricane Andrew, the PembrookePines story is a familiar tale in high-growth statessuch as Florida, Arizona and California, whereschool district after school district struggles tokeep up with development.

Less familiar—but gaining ground every day—is the approach Pembrooke Pines took to providethe schools its residents needed.

Frustrated by the school district’s inertia, thecity of Pembrooke Pines partnered with a privatecompany, Haskell Educational Services, to buildand operate its own elementary school underFlorida’s charter-school law. “We made the deci-sion in December of 1997, broke ground inJanuary of 1998 and opened in August,” saidDodge.

Although the partnership has since ended,Pembrooke Pines has opened six more schoolsserving 5,200 students in grades K–12. Not only

are the city’s schools providing much-neededclassrooms, their smaller size and high test scoresmake them extremely attractive to parents. “Wehave a waiting list of 11,000 students,” saidDodge.

With local state and federal budgets stretchedthin, public-private partnerships offer numerousadvantages over the traditional approach to open-ing new schools, say proponents. Mainly, public-private partnerships can create schools faster andcheaper, eliminating the need to ask taxpayers toapprove general-obligation bonds, to put projectsout for bid or to abide by costly regulations gov-erning public works. Plus the private partner hasa powerful incentive—namely profits—to be asefficient as possible.

The Pembrooke Pines model is one of manyforms public-private partnerships are taking. Theyrange from workplace satellite schools to lease-pur-chase agreements to developer-built schools—all ofthem supporting Smart Growth’s goal of ensuringinfrastructure keeps pace with development.

“Any method you can think of has been tried,”said Alan Olkes, senior vice president withImagine Schools in Coconut Grove, Florida, andthe former superintendent of the Miami/DadeCounty School District.

In Washington, D.C., a national real estatecompany, LCOR, partnered with D.C. PublicSchools to build a new elementary school. Theschool was financed with debt issued by theDistrict of Columbia. The debt was backed by rev-enue from a 211-unit apartment building LCORconstructed on part of the school site given toLCOR as part of the partnership agreement,explained Lisa Snell, education director for theReason Public Policy Institute in Los Angeles.

In California, residential developers can nego-tiate with school districts to spend school-impactfees directly on new school construction rather

School districts struggle to keep upwith development.

than sending the money through bureaucraticchannels and waiting for the system to producea school, said Snell. “The time savings is huge,”she said.

Ron Utt, senior research fellow with theWashington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation,has found that public-private partnerships cantrim the cost of building a school by 30 percentand slash the time it takes to plan and open afacility from as many as five years to less thanone. Even so, he warns that the push for suchpartnerships won’t come from school boards.“It’s not going to be the public sector promotingthese things,” he said. ”It’s going to be the pri-vate sector promoting these things ... to allowmore growth to occur.”

Three years ago, Congress passed a lawintended to take public-private partnerships to anew level. The law allows qualified real estateinvestors/developers to issue pri-vate-activity bonds to financeschool construction. By cuttingfinancing costs, the tax-exemptbonds enable privateinvestors/developers to buildschools less expensively. And,because the investor/developerowns the school—at least for thelength of the lease—it can rent outportions of the building when class-es are not in session. As a result, theinvestor/developer can afford tolease the school to a school districtfor less than what the district wouldspend if it built the school itself.What’s more, when the leaseexpires, the law gives the school dis-trict ownership of the school.

Unfortunately, the law ham-strings potential partnerships in twoways. First, it limits school construc-tion involving private-activity bonds

to less than $3 billion nationwide. Second, regula-tions written by the U.S. Treasury Departmentimplementing the law forbid investors/developersfrom claiming any depreciation. As a result, saysUtt, only a handful of schools have been built withprivate-activity bonds.

Even so, a few lease/purchase agreementsare being executed. TurnKey Solutions is aTemecula, California, design/build contractor.“The company keeps construction costs low byusing pre-approved plans to produce component-built schools in half the time and for 20 percentless than conventional construction,” said TonyVignieri, communications director. Those efficien-cies make it possible for TurnKey to finance schoolconstruction in-house and lease the buildings todistricts unable to foot the upfront bill. “It’s a wayout for school districts that are up against thewall,” said Vignieri.


With local state andfederal budgetsstretched thin, public-private partnershipsoffer numerous advantages over thetraditional approach toopening new schools.


Another version of the lease/purchase approachinvolves finding a not-for-profit or governmentpartner to issue the debt—something school dis-tricts generally cannot do without voter approval.Then the school district signs a lease-purchaseagreement with the partner that enables the dis-trict to pay for the school over time without askingtaxpayers to support a general obligation bond.

The Houston Independent School District tookthat approach to build two high schools. First, thecity of Houston established tax increment reinvest-ment zones in the neighborhoods surrounding thetwo school sites. Then a public facilities corporationwas set up. Based on lease payments from the schooldistrict—payments funded primarily by money col-

lected within the tax increment reinvestmentzones—the public facilities corporation issued debtto build the schools and lease them to the district.

“It’s been a very good experience for asbecause it’s allowed us to build these two badlyneeded high schools on a pay-as-you go basis,”

said Don Boehm, in-house finance attorney for theHouston Independent School District.

Charter schools and the companies that buildand operate them are a popular vehicle for com-bining public dollars with private initiative toopen schools faster—and often cheaper—thanmight otherwise occur.

As private businesses, charter-school compa-nies are subject to far less red tape, said DougBouma, executive vice president of The BoumaCorp., a Michigan general contractor that buildsschools for both public school systems and char-ter-school operators. “It’s a huge advantage whenit comes to time and money,” he said. “There’s anight-and-day difference.”

Strictly speaking, charter schools may not reflecttrue public-private partnerships because localschool districts only rarely participate as full part-ners. Yet charter schools do represent public moneybeing spent on a private solution to a communityproblem. “Whether we like charter schools or not,they are the law in Florida ... and the fact that theyare creating (classrooms) is viewed as a benefitoverall,” said Michael Bell, assistant superintendentfor School Choice/Parental Options with theMiami/Dade County School District.

While the process varies from state to state—and some states don’t allow charter schools atall—the basic concept is the same. A charterschool proponent submits an application to thatstate’s particular governing authority. If the appli-cation is approved, the charter school’s propo-nents receive a fixed amount of public money perstudent to open and operate a school.

Charter-school proponents are frequently par-ents dissatisfied with the quality of their localschool. However, in high-growth states, charterschools are frequently inspired by overcrowding.

Take Arizona, where Imagine Schools has been“following the growth,” says Nancy Hall, regionalvice president with the company’s Phoenix office.“There’s just a real need in Arizona. They can’tput the traditional public schools up fast enoughto take care of the growth.”

Imagine Schools is one of many companies thatestablish and/or operate charter schools. They acteither on behalf of the school’s proponents or—asis the case with Imagine in Arizona—as the propo-nent itself.

In Arizona, Hall teams with a local REALTOR®,Rick Brandt, to track where new development isheaded, conducts demographic studies of promis-ing areas and then applies for approval to open acharter school. So far, Imagine has opened sixschools that way, including one in a former furni-ture store and two in a former hardware store. Twoadditional schools will open next fall.

Charter schools andthe companies that

build and operatethem are a popular

vehicle for combining public dollars with

private initiative.


Brandt, a broker, said charter schools respondmuch faster when attractive real estate opportuni-ties arise. The public process “takes way too long,”he said. “In this environment, that’s a critical thing.”

Another charter-school strategy is to partner witha developer from the get-go. A current example canbe found in Lake County, Florida, where ImagineSchools is partnering with the developer of a largeresidential community. With no public school on thedrawing board, the developer turned to ImagineSchools to satisfy the local planning authority’sdemand for a school. The school also will help thedeveloper market the community, said Olkes.

Besides being a tool to support Smart Growth,charter schools can lead by opening schools inareas where the local school district can’t justifybuilding a new school but where development isdesired. For example, the city of St. Louis is talk-ing with Imagine Schools about opening a down-town charter school as part of a redevelopmentinitiative, said Olkes.

Workplace satellite schools are one more waythe public and private sectors can team up to openschools. Although sometimes operated as charterschools, they are often a joint effort betweenschool districts, which provide the teachers andcurriculum, and large employers, which providethe facilities.

The Miami/Dade County School Districtopened its first workplace satellite school at theheadquarters of American Bankers AssuranceGroup—now known as Assurance Solutions—in 1987. At one time, the district operated fivesuch schools, but due to various circumstancesbeyond the district’s control is now down to twoschools; Assurance Solutions (K–5) and Mt. SinaiHospital (K–2).

Such arrangements pay mutual dividends. Theschool district gains classroom space without hav-ing to build a new school while the employergains a tremendous fringe benefit for its workers.In addition, productivity increases. AssuranceSolutions’ absentee rate lowered from 11 percentto 6 percent because parents had to come to workin order to get their kids to school. Plus it reducedits turnover rate, said Olkes, superintendent atMiami/Dade, when the Assurance Solutions’satellite school opened.

“Workplace schools are a wonderful thing,”said Olkes. “It’s great to see parents come andhave lunch with their kids.”

Brad Broberg is a Seattle-based freelance writer special-izing in business and development issues. His workappears regularly in the Puget Sound Business Journaland the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.


Photos contributed by Bruce Guadalupe Community School;

and The Accelerated School.

Public educationin the U.S. start-ed off on the

right foot. Schools andclasses were manage-able, students receivedadequate attention,curricula were flexibleand innovative. Butsomewhere along theway, public educationgot complacent—andthe students suffered.

“Conventional pub-lic schools are doing awoeful job of educat-ing kids,” says JeanneAllen, president of Center for Education Reform (CER) inWashington, D.C. “They’re helping the few, not the many. They’vebecome too big, too impersonal. And they’ve become ineffective.”

Enter the charter school, arguably the solution to a problem thatdoesn’t seem to be fixing itself. Funded largely with private dona-tions, grants, loans and public money, charter schools follow many ofthe same regulations in their respective states, but add a level ofaccountability and fervent dedication to the hard work of educationthat seems to be the exception—rather than the norm—in the con-ventional public school arena.

Charter schools got their start after numerous studies demonstrat-ed that the U.S. school system was falling behind most other indus-trialized nations. In 1991, the first charter school law was enacted in

Parents, neighborhoods and new developments

are gaining choices when it comes to educational

opportunities for their children.

Are TheyReinvigorating

PublicEducation?

by Jason Miller

Charter Schools



Minnesota. In 1992, that state built the first char-ter school. Today, upwards of 3,300 charter schoolshave opened their doors for the 2004–05 schoolyear. By most accounts, this movement to reinvig-orate the U.S. education system has legs and ishere to stay.

Path to performanceTypically founded by parents, teachers and/or

community groups who see a real need in theircommunity, charter schools are controlled by acontract—a charter—between an approved autho-rizer (e.g., a state university or a state schoolboard) and the governing board of the charterschool. This board is similar to a conventionalschool board; it is publicly accountable for per-forming at the level the state requires. The regula-tions that define those expectations vary fromstate to state, and usually are more stringent forcharter schools. Typically, a charter school will

have a five-year contract, during which time theschool must prove that it’s succeeding. This isserious education: If a charter school doesn’tdeliver the goods, it could go out of business.

For this reason, charter schools tend to testtheir students aggressively. According to a reportfrom CER titled “Charter Schools: Changing theFace of American Education,” 94 percent of char-ter schools reported administering at least onestandardized test, with 91 percent administeringat least two.

What’s the difference?“Charters help parents get back to basics,” says

Allen. “They provide choices, more personalizedlearning environments—and they shake up theconventional public school system.”

“They offer flexibility that is not generally ableto be implemented in a conventional publicschool, specifically in available instruction meth-

ods (direct instruction or exponen-tial learning or Montessori, forexample) used to create an envi-ronment that’s good for children.Parents can see what their optionsare and what would work best fortheir child. Charters serve kidswho have not been well-served bythe system in the past.”

Those children could be gifted,at-risk, minorities, low-income orspecial-needs—just to name a fewgroups. The point is that charterschools reintroduce choice intothe equation, then they educatewith a zeal that most parentswould ascribe to the good olddays.

If education were a sport, mostcharter schools would belong tothe “extreme” category. Pushed toperform and dedicated to excel-lence, most charters offer extend-ed school days and an extendedschool year, for starters.

At KIPP DC/Key Academy inWashington, D.C., a stringentteacher-training program startsthe process. Every teacher thengets a cell phone and the numberis given to the students so if theyhave a problem while doing theirhomework, they can call theteacher and deal with it. School isin session from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.every day, plus two to threeSaturdays every month.

Charters provide choices, more personalized learning

environments—and they shake up the conventional

public school system.


The personalized approach pays off,says Raymond Rivera, youth develop-ment coordinator with Bruce GuadalupeCommunity School in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. His children, RaymondRivera, Jr., 12; and Jiselle, 9, attend theBruce Guadalupe middle school and elementaryschool, respectively.

“I’ve noticed the staff ’s passion,” he says.“They want to not only teach, but build a relation-ship with the kids. My son tells me the school isdifferent, that it’s more personal. My daughterthinks of it as another kind of home. There’s a cul-ture of high expectations here; everyone wants thekids to succeed.”

The benefits spread to charter schools’ immedi-ate communities, too, says Vicki Cox Golder, CRB,a REALTOR® with Vicki Cox & Associates inTucson, Ariz., and a former school board chair andGovernor’s Education Task Force member.

“Charter schools improve a neighborhood’squality of life mainly because [their residents]have a choice. If parents are given a choice that’saffordable for them, that improves the quality oflife in a community. That’s why charter schools gotstarted in Arizona, because the parents and kidswere stuck because of geographics and socio-eco-nomic situations. A parent should have a choice,but they didn’t.

“In Arizona, they were given a choice to usepublic funds that were allocated to charterschools. And they took advantage of that opportu-nity. We now have the second-largest number ofcharter schools in the nation.”

Charter challengesNot surprisingly, funding comes into play when

the subject of charter school hurdles arises. Stateby state, each charter school is responsible forobtaining its funding and securing a site and abuilding suitable for its efforts. Common financialsources include banks and credit enhancementorganizations—private/public bodies that provide

what amounts to a second mortgage for the school.Some lending entities, such as National CapitalBank, are both lenders and credit enhancers.Sallie Mae and the Charter Schools DevelopmentCorporation also fund charter schools.

The challenge of funding cannot be understat-ed, however. Because charter schools are not a“education as usual” effort, they often face diffi-culty when trying to get a loan. That’s when theyget creative—sometimes with help from their indi-vidual states. In Minnesota and the District ofColumbia, for example, facilities funding is avail-able for charter schools on a per-pupil basis.California offers a charter school revolving loanfund, which makes low-cost loans to charter

Charter schoolsimprove a neigh-borhood’s quality

of life mainlybecause [theirresidents] have

a choice.


schools for facilities. Grants, private and corporatedonations, and other government funds are oftencombined to meet a school’s funding needs.

Sometimes advocacy is in order. Financial con-sulting firm Charter FS Corporation of Westerville,Ohio, pursues all manner of funding solutions forcharter schools. Its president, Peter Svahn, servesas a liaison between charter schools and potentiallenders, such as banks. Since many charterschools don’t have equity to secure a traditionalloan, Svahn educates bank officials so that they’remore comfortable with the prospect of lending to acharter school.

“Typically, charter schools are formed by edu-cators who tend not to focus on the business issuesof running a school,” he says. “We help schoolsdevelop an appropriate business plan and strategyto help them present their case to the financialcommunity.”

Even with adequate funding, resistance tocharter schools can still arise, says Jeanne Allen.“Some school districts welcome the competition;others make life difficult for [charter schools].Sometimes it’s the local school board with thepower to authorize a charter school’s creation;

they might create obstaclesbecause they’re concerned aboutthe competition with the conven-tional public school, and theymight think they’ll lose the chil-dren to the charter school.

“But there need not be tension.The tension tends to come frompeople who feel threatened. Andthe reason they’re threatened is thereason that charter schools came toexist in the first place: The conven-tional public school is doing a poorjob of educating its kids.”

But the same can be said ofcharter schools as a whole, says theAmerican Federation of Teachers(AFT). In their report released inAugust 2004, the AFT contendedthat charter school students nation-ally performed worse in math andreading than their regular publicschool counterparts. The claim isbased on charter school achieve-ment results from the 2003National Assessment ofEducational Progress (NAEP) test,which, according to the AFT,showed that charter school stu-dents mostly underperform andsometimes score about as well asregular public school students.

“These NAEP data reinforce years of independ-ent research that show charter schools do no bet-ter and often underperform comparable, regularpublic schools,” says F. Howard Nelson, leadauthor of the AFT report, quoted on the WisconsinEducation Association Council Web site.

Resistance can also come in the form ofentrenched legislation. Local regulations, such aszoning codes, can make life difficult for new char-ters. During the inception of the Basis CharterSchool of Tucson, the school’s original plannedsite was occupied by a house and not zoned forcommercial, which is how schools are often incor-rectly categorized. The zoning board and the localcommunity fought the school on the basis ofincreased traffic and delayed the school’s prepara-tion process to the point where school officialsfinally had to look elsewhere for a suitable site.

Even after a charter school is up and running, thefunding issue usually continues. While charterschools receive some public financing, it is never atthe same level as the conventional public schools.According to the CER report, the average per-pupilsupport from the public coffers is $813 less than thatgiven to conventional public schools.

Even after a charter school isup and running, the funding

issue usually continues.

CHARTER SCHOOLS AND BUILDING FACILITIES: WHERE DO YOU LOCATE THEM?

The successes of charter schools go hand in hand with acommon challenge: How do you address the issue of facili-

ties? Monetary issues prevent many schools from buying abuilding or building in a new location—but not always, saysJeanne Allen, president of Center for Education Reform inWashington, D.C.

“Take Franklin Academy in Wake County, N.C., for exam-ple,” she says. “They were able to secure land and breakground on a new building. They’ve paid off their first bank loanand they’re expanding. They’ve done this within their operatingbudget. They involved themselves with savvy business peopleto guarantee their loan, but they never needed [additionalfunds] beyond what most people need for buildings. Now, theirscores are unbelievable; they have one of the better charterschools in North Carolina.”

Where land is plentiful, funding for new facilities is general-ly easier to secure. But where real estate is more difficult tofind, charter schools have been obliged to get creative—reno-vating and reusing existing structures. Too often, a bureaucrat-ic morass must be navigated to use existing public schools, socharter school officials look to other buildings. They renovatechurch halls, storefronts, and office space. They fill out oldhomes and community centers. In Washington, D.C., CesarChavez Public Policy Charter High School is in a former laun-dromat.

“In the last couple years, charter schools have begun tomake use of REALTORS®,” says Allen. “That wasn’t always anatural move, but now they’re going to REALTORS® to helpthem find something—which makes sense.”

The path to securing facilities is almost as varied as thenumber of charter schools. Schools with a proven track record,or a school that is a “replication” of an existing school, typical-ly start by identifying the property they want to renovate or theland on which they want to build. They then sign a formal con-tract with their authorizer.

Once this authorizing partner is identified, the search usu-ally begins for a credit enhancer to supplement the primarylender’s loan. Once these two entities are found and contract-ed with, the renovation or new building usually begins.


Why the disparity? “That’s the way charterschool laws were enacted in the early 1990s,” saysMary Kayne Heinze, CER media relations director.“Charters are supposed to be leaner and meaner,expected to do more with less. I think that was theinitial logic behind putting the funding so low.Now we realize that while they tend to spend lessthan the schools in their host district, they stillneed more money than that, in order to have qual-ity teachers.”

Bright futureCharter school success stories are numerous,

but there are standouts. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin,the Bruce Guadalupe Community School (BGCS)serves preschoolers, elementary-school age, andmiddle-school children. Since receiving its charterschool status in 2000, the school has expanded tonearly 600 students, about 97 percent of which areHispanic and about 80 percent coming from low-income families. The school boasts a 96 percentattendance rate and a 97 percent retention rate ofreturning students from year to year. Ninety-fivepercent of students who graduated four years agocompleted high school in 2002.

Principal Mary Beth Kuxhause attributes theschool’s success to a strong curriculum, good par-ent background, an extended school day, andmandatory summer school, among many otherefforts. “This is a community-based school thatdoesn’t stop at 3 p.m.,” she says. “We have anafter-school program that runs till 6 p.m. Ouremphasis is education, education, education. Ithelps to keep education right at the front of [ourstudents’] heads. We expect our kids to do theirvery best.”

Similar stories are found at the Arizona Schoolfor the Arts in Phoenix, The Accelerated School inLos Angeles, and the Henry Ford Academy inDearborn, Michigan; all three schools were part ofa select list of “Best Bets” compiled by CER.

What’s next for charter schools? More integra-tion into new traditional neighborhoods, suggestsJeanne Allen. “When building a new neighbor-hood, why not offer to build a school or two? Oreven three? One could be a charter school, onecould be a public school, and the third could be aprivate school or some kind of hybrid. You’d endup with more personalized choices, a better neigh-borhood, more diversity, and more parent-powerover the education process. You’d end up with better schools.”

Jason Miller is a freelance writer, editor, photographer,and publishing consultant based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

highperformancesch


Photos contributed by Heinz Rudolf of Boora Architects, Inc. courtesy of Michael Mathers forthe Clackamas High School; and Dr. Rich Bauscher of the Middleton School District, Idaho.

Green/sustainable school buildingscreate healthier students, happier parents and more attractive Smart Growthneighborhoods.

Students begin each school day by walking through a sun-dappled grove of trees, which gently shades the mainentry way. They are drawn into a building that, instead of

resembling a prison, is bathed in natural light streaming in fromwindows and skylights. Fromthe dining area, studentsenjoy a breath-taking view ofMount Hood on the horizon.On the nearby grounds, sixacres of carefully preservedwetlands are available as alearning lab. The students at Clackamas High School in Portland, Oregon, areimmersed in the benefits of ahigh performance school.

“Schools are incrediblyimportant places. Withinthem are invisible networksthat determine whether stu-dents perform well or not. They are the backbone of society, animprint for life. If they’re not done well, there are serious conse-quences,” said Heinz Rudolf, a principal with Boora Architects,Inc. of Portland, Oregon.

Rudolf should know. His firm prides itself on the design ofschools—including Clackamas—using high performance princi-ples, resulting in facilities that are cost effective, energy effi-cient, comfortable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Clackamas, opened in April 2002, aptly fits these criteria. Itwas built at a cost of just $117 per square foot, as compared with typical high schools built at a cost of about $135–145 persquare foot. The school uses such things as day lighting, natural convection ventilation and impact-resistant, sound-absorbent materials to create a healthy, technologically-sustainable environment.

But the school is about more than just the bottom line.Clackamas is an inviting, aesthetically-pleasing place to be.

“When we design based on functionalism, we must make surethat every piece has a meaning, in a holistic way,” Rudolf said.

Clackamas is a good example of this. Its internal spaces aredesigned for both interaction and privacy.

“When you enter, the space is uplifting. It is day lit every-where. Behavioral scientists and psychologists say that daylightinfluences one’s ability to learn, it impacts test scores. Daylightis free and better than artificial light … the windows connectpeople to the outside through beautiful views,” said Rudolf

“A school should be on the opposite end of the spectrum froma jail cell, which exists for punishment,” he added.

Most people—parents, teachers, taxpayers and certainly stu-dents—would agree. But although the public may understandconcepts of optimum form and function, the term “high perform-ance” is still new to many.

“If you ask someone ‘Do you want a high performanceschool?’ They’ll probably answer ‘maybe,’” said Ted Bardacke,an Associate with Global Green USA, an environmental nonprof-it organization headquartered in Los Angeles.

oolsby Heidi Johnson-Wright



“But if you ask someone ‘Do you want your kids edu-cated in a school that provides natural daylight, reducesmold, saves money and protects the environment?’They’ll answer ‘Yes,’” he said.

Bardacke’s hypothetical question neatly sums upmany of the benefits associated with high performanceschools. Such schools are part of a growing network ofcommunity-driven, voluntary partnerships that fosterenergy efficiency and conserve resources in commercial,government and public-housing buildings. They pro-mote Smart Growth principles that draw people intocommunities to live and work.

These schools—some new builds, others retrofitted—conserve energy, save money, reduce pollution and help

revitalize aging cities and neighborhoods. High performance schools also help municipalities addresswhatever regional environmental problems they may be facing, such as water use, storm water manage-ment, air quality, recycling or mold problems. But the benefits go beyond increased dollars anddecreased landfills. High performance schools can have a real impact on the education experience forthe students who attend them.

Bardacke said that there are generally two things a school district wants. “Good attendance, because in some instances funds get allocated to districts based upon average

daily attendance, which is also often a good predictor of childhood health. And higher test scores. Thereare studies that show a correlation between high performance schools and test scores.”

Bardacke underscores his point by citing a statistic from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencythat childhood asthma—a condition often associated with poor indoor environmental air quality—is thenumber one cause of school absenteeism linked to a chronic childhood condition.

It’s not just student health at stake. Factor in faculty and administrative staff, and one in fiveAmericans either works in or attends a school facility every day, for an average of six–eight hours daily.

Schools are the backbone of society, an imprint for life. If they’re not done well, there

are serious consequences.


Better learning environments mean a better edu-cational experience, which also fuels urban revital-ization.

“There is a high correlation between excellence intext scores and real estate values. Good schools raiseproperty values,” Bardacke said.

Consequently, more people are demanding highperformance schools.

“It is overwhelmingly important to have a goodlearning environment for students,” said Dr. RichBauscher, Superintendent of the Middleton SchoolDistrict in Middleton, Idaho.

“Parents tell us that their kids’ attitude and desireto learn are attributable to the aspects of high per-formance schools.”

For example, providing ample daylight enablesstudents to see well. Avoiding dark, subdued areasand providing the right colors in the decorativescheme can have a significant effect upon students’moods and behavior.

“With the right lighting and colors, kids are lessapt to be in bad moods and show disciplinary prob-lems,” said Bauscher, whose district’s graffiti prob-lem has been drastically reduced, thanks largely tohigh performance design.

Purple Sage Elementary School, which opened infall 2003, is one of the Middleton District’s shiningexamples of high performance principles at work.Natural light, plentiful windows, and light colors cre-ate a cheerful interior environment. Climate controls

These schools—some new builds, othersretrofitted—conserveenergy, save money,reduce pollution andhelp revitalize agingcities and neighbohoods.

Architects, engineers, educators and others interestedin high performance design should visit the website forthe Collaborative for High Performance Schools, whichcan be found at www.chps.net. The Collaborative’s goalis to facilitate the design of high performance schools:environments that are not only energy efficient, but alsohealthy, comfortable, well lit, and contain the amenitiesneeded for a quality education. There’s no cost tobecome a CHPS school, and the program offers freetraining for project managers, engineers, architects,school district administrators and the general public.

Rebuild America is a growing network of community-driven voluntary partnerships that foster energy efficien-cy and renewable energy in commercial, governmentand public-housing buildings. At the federal level, it isthe largest, most established technology deploymentprogram within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency andRenewable Energy (EERE). The program’s goals are to:conserve energy, accelerate use of the best energytechnologies, save money, reduce air pollution, lower

U.S. reliance on energy imports, help revitalize agingcity and town neighborhoods, and create “smart energy”jobs. Visit the Rebuild America website at:www.rebuild.org

At www.hpschooldesigntraining.com, design andengineering professionals specializing in sustainabledesign for K–12 schools can take free on-line trainingon such topics as: lighting and electrical systems, daylighting and windows, mechanical and ventilation sys-tems, water conservation, recycling systems, resourceefficient building products and more.

Check out http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.html,which features the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Kit. Thisfree kit shows schools how to carry out a practical planof action to improve indoor air problems at little or nocost using straightforward activities and in-house staff.The kit can be downloaded from the website or orderedby telephone at: 1-800-438-4318.

HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL RESOURCES

are electronic, delivering precisely comfortabletemperatures.

“Restroom lighting is electronically controlledwith sensors; it goes on when someone enters andgoes off when they exit. The same is true for main-tenance closets and storage areas, which is greatfor custodial personnel, who may have their armsfull of supplies,” explained Bauscher.

The school’s toilets have automatic flushers.The sinks have automatic faucets which dispensewater only when needed. Both decrease waterwaste and janitorial workload.

“We had an open house at Purple Sage, and theparents were ecstatic. They really appreciate this,”said Bauscher, referring to the school’s pro-stu-dent, environmentally-friendly features.

Anna Orrison, a parent of a first-grader atPurple Sage and a member of the district’s FutureSites Committee, said that the quality of theMiddleton schools played a major role in her fam-ily’s choice of where to live. She is enthralled withthe pleasant environment at Purple Sage.

“Different wings (of the school) use differentcolors. The color coding system is a simple andcomforting system for young children. It makes iteasy for them to find their classrooms. The schoolalso has beautiful light and big rooms,” saidOrrison.

But it’s not just new buildings in Middleton thathave high performance aspects. The district hasretrofitted some older buildings as well.

“Some of the older buildings used incandescentlights. These were all replaced with fluorescentlights that are energy efficient. The buildings havebeen repainted with lighter colors,” said Bauscher,who pointed out that new lighting, painting and car-peting can be done relatively cheaply if a school dis-trict has relatively few dollars to work with.

Middleton is the fifth fastest growing district inthe state of Idaho. As it expands by adding newfacilities and expanding old ones, high perform-ance concepts will remain a permanent part of theprocess.

Skeptics maintain that the approach adds redtape and delay to the creation of new facilities, aprocess already made cumbersome by fundingand siting issues.

Bauscher acknowledges that the process isfront-loaded in terms of effort, that such conceptsmust be incorporated from the very beginning.The traditional linear method of starting with thearchitect, then on to the engineer, then the con-tractor doesn’t work. The process must be an inte-grated one from its inception. When done correct-ly, proponents say, the approach takes no longerfrom start to finish than the conventional method.

Bauscher maintains that the end result is worthit, given the benefits to students and the environ-ment, as well as lower operating costs.

“If we create a school, it will be there for 75–100years. Why not do it right from the start?” saidBauscher.


Good schools raiseproperty values.

It’s not just school administrators who canmake high performance schools a reality.REALTORS® can play a role, too, by pushing forschools to be built with energy-efficient fea-tures, sustainable materials, day lighting andbetter indoor air quality. The result is betterschools, cost savings to the district, healthierchildren, higher test scores and clients whowant to buy homes in areas served by theseschools.

Sherry Maupin, a REALTOR® withWoodhouse Group in Middleton, Idaho, and aMiddleton school board member, urges otherREALTORS® to get involved with their localschool districts.

“Run for school board or at least attendtheir meetings. Become involved with PTA orPTO,” said Maupin.

As a school board member, she is able tolearn about what surrounding districts aredoing and also about national academic sta-tistics for schools. She stays involved withlocal developers to find out what they aredoing within the community, and thus whereexpansion will occur.

“I also keep up with what’s been approvedby the local planning and zoning board,” shesaid.

As a member of Middleton’s Future SitesCommittee, Maupin pushes for “forwardthinking.” When she joined the committee,she advised them to do a five-year and a 10-year plan. The committee studies things likeareas of the community where there’s popula-tion growth and areas where it’s likely tooccur, socio-economic demographics and lotsizes for planned developments—a good indi-cator of what type of housing will go up there.

“Usually the first question a REALTOR® isasked is: ‘what are the schools like?’”

“Educate yourself on classroom sizes andteacher/student ratios. Get standardized test-ing scores for the district you’re in and thesurrounding districts. You should be able toget these from your state’s department of edu-cation or the local district administrators,”said Maupin.

“As REALTORS®, we sign a code of ethicsthat we are to strive to create better environ-ments. What’s more vital to this than schools?School systems are the hub of society.”

Heidi Johnson-Wright frequently writes about SmartGrowth and sustainable communities. She and herhusband live in a restored historic home in the heartof Miami’s Little Havana. Contact her at: [email protected]

WHAT IS A HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL? (As defined by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools)

� HEALTHY High indoor environmental quality is essential. The sig-nificant amount of time that students and teachers spendinside schools during the course of their educational career,combined with children’s increased susceptibility to indoor pol-lutants underlines the importance of healthy schools.

� COMFORTABLE Comfort includes thermal, visual and acousticcomfort.

� ENERGY EFFICIENT Energy efficient schools save money whileconserving nonrenewable energy resources and reducingatmospheric emissions.

� MATERIAL EFFICIENT To the maximum extent possible the schoolincorporates materials and products that are durable, nontoxic,derived from sustainable yield processes, high in recycled con-tent and easily recycled themselves.

� WATER EFFICIENT High performance schools are designed touse water efficiently, saving money while reducing the depletionof aquifers and river systems.

� EASY TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE Building systems are simpleand easy to use. Teachers have control over the temperatureand lighting in their classrooms, and are trained how to mosteffectively use them.

� COMMISSIONING Commissioning is the process of ensuring thatbuilding systems are designed, installed, functionally tested, andcapable of being operated and maintained according to theschools’ operational needs. Commissioning also can restore exist-ing buildings to high productivity through renovation, upgrade andtune-up of existing systems. Overall, the school should operatethe way it was designed to and should meet the needs of theowner.

� ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIVE SITE To the extent possible, theschool’s site conserves existing natural areas and restores dam-aged ones, minimizes storm water runoff and controls erosion,and enhances the school building’s high performance features.

� A BUILDING THAT TEACHES By incorporating important conceptssuch as energy, water, and material efficiency, schools canbecome tools to illustrate a wide spectrum of scientific, mathe-matic and social issues.

� SAFE AND SECURE Students and teachers feel safe anywhere inthe building or on the grounds.

� COMMUNITY RESOURCE The most successful schools have ahigh level of parent and community involvement. This involve-ment can be enhanced if schools are designed to be used forneighborhood meetings and other community functions.

� STIMULATING ARCHITECTURE High performance schools shouldinvoke a sense of pride and be considered a genuine asset forthe community.

� ADAPTABLE TO CHANGING NEEDS High performance schoolsneed to be able to embrace new technologies and respond todemographic and social changes.


School voucher and other schoolchoice programs have induced heavydebates around the nation. There arethose that believe the programs are asuccess while others dispute the actual merits and benefits of the programs. The following two articleswere contributed by organizationsthat hold opposing viewpoints andprovide arguments on either side ofthe issue.*

School ChoiceDebate


SidesChoosing

the

*The opinions expressed in these articles are those of theauthors. They do not represent the official policies of theNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

*The opinions expressed in these articles are those of theauthors. They do not represent the official policies of theNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.


The last two homes I purchased were wellknown and sought after for their location. Forme, the proximity to work and schools was a

natural. But, like an increasing number of parentsnationwide, I have opted to choose schools for mykids that are different from those in which my homeis zoned. Such choices are more commonplacetoday, as parents have more opportunity than everto select a school they think might better serve theirchildren.

While it may still be the case that school districtsare a top selling point for prospective buyers, REAL-TORS® are in many places behind the curve. Ratherthan the school district, theyshould be selling buyers onproximity to a variety ofschools. Research and prac-tice tell us that the best indi-cator of a successful schooldistrict is the presence of anumber of educationaloptions for parents.

Consider Arizona:Arizona now has 502 charterschools in addition to its1,754 traditional publicschools. Charter schools areindependent, public schoolsthat are open by choice andcan be run by groups otherthan traditional school dis-tricts. Eight percent of theGrand Canyon State’s students are in charters. Inaddition, Arizona also offers tax credits to business-es that support scholarship funds for poor or mid-dle-class children to attend private schools. Morethan 20,000 children now attend private schools inthe state.

Finally, there is the new virtual school phenome-non. It doesn’t matter where a family lives—a childcan log onto the Arizona Virtual Academy and betaught alongside hundreds of other kids, right from home, with teachers fully guiding them alongthe way.

California offers many of the same choices. Citieslike Kansas City, Missouri, and Washington, D.C.,have nearly 20 percent of their children choosing.And federal law now expands choices to even moreparents. Schools that receive federal funds that donot meet certain yearly progress goals are requiredto offer parents options to attend other public orcharter schools, or to make tutoring available in theabsence of such options. That law, the No Child LeftBehind law, is contributing to the blurring of lines

between what we once thought was the soleprovider of schooling—the district—and the realdelivery mechanism, a school.

Education is the last great American institutionto feel the pressure from an increasingly technolog-ical and ever changing world. But it’s feeling pres-sure nonetheless. For far too long, America’sschools have been, on average, offering mediocreschooling at best. The standards craze that startedin the 1990s and continues today has brought aboutmajor consequences for schools that fail to demon-strate proficiency on state standards. This trend is adirect reaction to the decline of our nation’s schools.

Similarly and rightalongside, schoolchoice became a criti-cal catalyst to pushschools and states toimprove the offeringsthey deliver to schools.Today, there are morethan 80 privately fund-ed voucher programsoperating and a num-ber of tax programsthat support choice.The competition that isa mainstay of success-ful REALTORS® vyingfor key properties tosell is increasingly acondition to which

schools need to respond. This is good for everyone.In communities where there are a number ofoptions in place, competitive environments forschooling have proven to have a positive influenceon education outcomes for all schools. AcclaimedHarvard University economist Caroline Hoxbyfound that in communities where school choice iscreating competition, student achievementincreased in all kinds of schools. In fact, competi-tion boosted public school test scores as much aseight percent.

There’s more to school choice than just competi-tion. Every child is wired differently. Sending chil-dren to schools based on where they live may haveworked at one time when we had smaller communi-ties, more moms at home and fewer challenges.Today, it’s increasingly common for even the mostadvantaged child to get lost in a system that isdoing education “inside the box” and not focusingon what that child needs the most. Teachers arepulled in dozens of directions and over-regulated.Average kids seem to get lost in even the best pub-

A Matter of Choice by Jeanne Allen, President, The Center for Education Reform


Millions of dollars, high level passionate and articulatespokespeople, websites, conferences all over the coun-try, and even the bully pulpit have not been enough to

engage voters on the issue of private school tuition vouchers.Noted voucher supporters such as researcher Paul E. Petersonand litigator Clint Bolick have characterized vouchers as “thecivil rights issue of our time.” What’s missing from this massmovement are the mass and the movement.

Previous civil rights issues were not subsidized by elite conser-vative foundations and largely ignored by the people who wouldtheoretically benefit.

Perhaps vouchers don’t answer what people want.Only 44 percent of Americans say they are following news

about school vouchers at least somewhat closely, according to anAugust 2004 Gallup poll. Among those with a strong opinion, only22 percent say they favor vouchers, while 62 percent report theydon’t know enough to say.

Research and practice tell us that the best indica-tor of a successful school district is the presence of

a number of educational options for parents.lic schools, and children with special needs oftenjust tread water.

Choice restores order to chaotic systems. Ithelps focus us on performance and results andputs parents in the driver’s seat. Parents that arehappy can stay where they are, and parents whoare not content can seek better opportunities fortheir children without having to pay double.Charter schools allow state and local money to fol-low children to the charter they’ve designated.Other public school choice efforts also move somepercentage of money, depending on the state andcommunity (private school choice options typicallyonly send state funds with kids.)

But such programs are not without controversy.The biggest is money. Those coveted propertytaxes that many of us pay to live where we liveoften shift with our choices. As a result, schoolboards have taken to waging political battles overchoice. No fewer than 12 states have seen lawsuitsover charter schools that started with the state’sschool board association. They believe that theyand only they should control the local funds andwould prefer the money stay in their systems.However, those systems, proponents of charters

argue, do not serve all children well. If charterschools, which are public, attract children to thoseschools, the money that would typically be spentin a school district to educate that child should besent along with that child.

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)is also similarly engaged as an opponent. Nolonger your Mom’s PTA, it has become a defenderof the status quo, despite individual parental sup-port of choice that is typically beyond 65 percent.

Rather than fight, these changing resourcesshould be a wakeup call to school boards and dis-trict leaders to improve what they do and workwithin the budget constraints they’ve been given.Just as REALTORS® must shift their spendinghabits when sales shift, so too should school sys-tems be responsive to the needs of kids first.Indeed, there are a handful of school boardsnationwide that have embraced charter schools,for example and are using them as a way to rein-vigorate their communities. Buffalo, New York isone; San Jose, California, another.

The notion of choice will over time require thatwe overhaul how we finance our schools, so thatrather than simply subsidize the schools that have

Vouchers Not the AnswerMichael Pons, Policy Analyst, National Education Association


always been there, we are subsidizing the schools ourchildren attend. The taxes that homeowners pay fortheir schools should be able to move with kids toschools they choose. We’re still a long way off fromthat, but charters and similar efforts are gaining.

Whether it is charter schools, scholarships for poorkids, vouchers, tax credits or virtual schooling, thetrends are positive for communities and should beembraced by civic leaders such as REALTORS®.

As someone who can count at least 10 REALTORS®

as close friends, I know that they focus on ensuringthat communities deliver a variety of quality services.They have strong reputations and their opinions arevalued. But often REALTORS® unwittingly sell fami-lies on schools based on long-standing reputations,and not based on fact. “This is a great school district”is a slogan that often applies more to what has beenrather than what is.

For instance, in Montgomery County, Marylandwhere I live (a county that is well known by REALTORS® for its continued increases in home val-ues and “great” schools), parents have been fightingfor curricula and program changes, having recog-nized how this once great school system seems tohave lost far too many children.

The challenge for REALTORS® in this new era ofschool choice is to understand exactly what’s avail-able to families in their selling area. The educational

landscape is rapidly changing around you—and inthis new day, choices are quickly becoming the sellingpoint for parents.

Jeanne Allen is the president of The Center for EducationReform (CER). CER is a national advocacy and researchorganization working with states and communities to providemore choices in education and better schools for all children.For more information, contact CER at (202) 822-9000.

That same August 2004 Gallup poll found thatwhen given the choice between investing in improv-ing existing public schools and paying for alterna-tives, such as vouchers, Americans overwhelminglysupport investing in public schools—especially whenthose schools are in their neighborhoods where theirchildren attend.

Voucher supporters complain that if Americanswere better informed, they would support vouchersmore. Says the Hoover Institute’s Terry Moe, “Eventhough voucher supporters are in the majority, theyaren’t well-informed about choice or its possible con-sequences.” U.S. Deputy Secretary of EducationEugene Hickok says, “We want to change the conver-sation about parental choice by positively influencingindividuals who are resisting parental choice optionsand get them to reconsider their outlook.”

The fact is, the more people know about vouchers,the less likely they are to support them. When votershave been given a choice, they have rejected vouchersby margins of two to one. Recently, Washington, D.C.voters unseated all of the city council members whosupported the federal voucher plan.

Vouchers rarely come up in open-ended discus-sions of improving school quality, and they alwaysrank low compared to enhancing teacher quality,reducing class size, or any of a wide range of otherschool reform ideas.

Parents want good schools in their neighborhoodswhere they can send their children to school for free.They want qualified teachers, safe and orderlyschools, small classes, and full access to up-to-datebooks and materials aligned with high standards andhigh expectations for every child. No one has beenable to convince the majority of Americans that it willbring us closer to achieving these goals if a few stu-dents are provided vouchers to find private schooling.

Rhetoric Versus RealityAmong arguments given for vouchers are that they

are supported by the public, will increase studentachievement, will enhance accountability, and willsave taxpayers money. On those measures, vouchershave failed whereever they have been tried.

At present, there are three operating voucher pro-grams—Milwaukee, Cleveland and Florida. Another


one, the federally funded District of Columbia vouchers is in itsfirst year. The Colorado voucher plan, designed to include 11school districts, was recently suspended on legal grounds. (TheFlorida vouchers were also held to be illegal under the Floridaconstitution, but remain in place pending appeal to the FloridaSupreme Court.)

Milwaukee is the oldest of the voucher experiments, estab-lished in 1985. Since that time, some students who have usedvouchers have been lucky enough to get into good privateschools, but many have also suffered from educational malprac-tice in private schools that are worse than the worst public schoolin the city. For the first time this year, the Wisconsin Legislaturetook steps to crack down on educational malpractice and finan-cial abuse. Prior to that, the law was so lax, officials were power-less to stop tax dollars from subsidizing “Alex’s Academics ofExcellence.” Last year, Alex’s Academics of Excellence wasevicted for failure to pay rent even though it received $2.8 mil-lion from the state. Florida’s voucher accountability problemsare even worse. In Florida, there are two voucher programs—onefor students who attend schools rated as failing under the statesystem and one for students who are eligible for federal assis-

tance as students with disabilities. In addition, there is a tax sub-sidy for those who contribute to private scholarship programs.

Among the most notorious offenders in Florida were theschools run by AJC 2000 Management. According to the St.Petersburg Times, “In their first seven months of operation, theAJC schools have faced allegations of abusing students physical-ly, of providing students with no textbooks or outdated ones, offailing to provide required therapy and counseling and of falsi-fying applications for state money. Some students have enduredseven different teachers in seven months. Some parents arereported to have been paid cash to buy their silence.”

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the state legislature have repeat-edly refused to take steps to provide even minimal oversight toprivate schools that receive vouchers.

Cleveland has done a better job of cracking down on some ofthe financial abuses. But Cleveland provides the clearest evi-dence of the underwhelming value of vouchers to improve stu-dent achievement.

The Indiana University analysis of Cleveland vouchersshowed that comparable students did about the same in publicor private schools. Moreover, the demand for vouchers was sosmall in Cleveland that program officials went into the privateschools to give vouchers to students who were already attendingprivate schools.

Given the limited evidence of student success, obstacles forparents to get their children into good private schools, malfea-

The fact is, the more people know about vouchers,

the less likely they are to support them.


sance and financial abuse, given the fact that the track record forvouchers is dismal, the legal grounds questionable, and supportnegligible, why do we continue to hear vouchers so much debatedand discussed?

For one, there is a well-financed, deeply entrenched pro-vouch-er industry in this country. As long as there is money to be made—and political hay—there will be a voucher “movement.” At the sametime, advocating for vouchers is part of a political strategy that iswell supported by anti-tax, anti-public service organizations andindividuals.

Grover Norquist, the conservative strategist famous for sayingthat the goal of his Americans for Tax Reform is “to get [govern-ment] down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub,” alsomade the definitive statement about the value of vouchers. Inremarks before the Heritage Foundation, he said, “Every time youare talking about fixing education through school choice, you arenot talking about fixing education by spending more money ...” Ina free, representative democracy, people will choose the leaders andpolicymakers who will give them what they want for their chil-dren—high quality public schools in their neighborhood. TheNational Education Association is working with teachers, educationsupport professionals, parents, community members and electedofficials at every level to help make that dream a reality.

Why REALTORS® Should CareFor those in the real estate business, the voucher battle is more

than an intellectual exercise. Americans have long recognized thevalue of public education in the nation’s economy, as well as thevalue of education quality in helping sustain and renew healthycommunities.

What’s more, public schools have a direct relationship to proper-ty values. Numerous studies by Donald Jud and James Watts (1981),Kathy Hayes and Lori Taylor (1996), Sandra Black (1999), and oth-ers demonstrate how much more residential housing is worthdepending on the reputation of the school district.

Looking at 3,000 home sales in Charlotte, North Carolina, Judand Watts found that “holding other home characteristics constant,home values would rise by 5.2 percent” in neighborhoods wherethird-graders scored a grade level higher in reading on standard-ized tests. In their review of Dallas home prices, Hayes and Taylorfound a 2.6 percent increase in home values relative to a 10 percentincrease in math test scores. And Black, looking at Boston housing,found that “parents were willing to spend about 4.2 percent more fora home for a 10 percent increase in 4th grade combined reading andmath test scores.”

From a real estate perspective, the value of investing in existingpublic schools—and taking aggressive steps to raise studentachievement through proven methods—is of far greater value thanvouchers or any other alternative.

Michael Pons is a Policy Analyst for the National Education Association(NEA). NEA has a long, proud history as the nation’s leading organizationcommitted to advancing the cause of public education. With its headquar-ters in Washington, D.C., NEA has 2.7 million members who work at everylevel of education, from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEAhas affiliates in every state, as well as in more than 13,000 local communi-ties across the United States.

where you liveteach


Cities and school districts are working togetherto build affordable housing for teachers.

by Christine Jordan Sexton

Some teachers in America are learning the cold hardfacts of Housing 101: Even though they are deemed“professionals,” their salaries aren’t high enough to

guarantee that they will have enough money to buy ahome in the town where they work and play.

But the lesson may not end there. A growing number ofcities and counties are setting up programs that offer hous-ing perks so that teachers can live close to where they workand actually be a member of the community.

Teachers in the resort town of Nantucket,Massachusetts, are the latest group of educators who willbenefit when units that are owned by the town, and leasedto the nonprofit Nantucket Education Trust become avail-able this November. Ten teachers submitted applicationsfor the five units, said Nantucket School Board FacilitiesDirector Jack McFarland.

With its 17th century seaside cottages, cooler than aver-age temperatures and history as a whaling center, theisland of Nantucket has become the perfect summer get-away, attracting upward of 45,000 people during the heightof summer. Real estate prices on the island, which boasts82 miles of pristine shoreline, have taken off.

While the spike in property value has made some peo-ple rich, it has left the town of Nantucket struggling with asignificant problem, an eroding middle class who can nolonger afford to live in there.

The units, McFarland said, are being developed to helpalleviate what is commonly called the “NantucketShuffle.” It happens when teachers—and other lower paidprofessionals—are forced out of their housing because theycan’t afford the high rents that owners charge tourists dur-ing the peak season.

As a result, some teachers—who initially are hired atsalaries that start in the mid-40s—are forced to bunktogether to afford the rent. Others just sleep in their cars.McFarland said that teachers can make the 30-mile com-mute to and from the island, but it is time consuming andexpensive. Additionally the long commute increases

Photos contributed by Theresa Hayes from the city of San Jose;Michael Galvin of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce; JackMcFarland, Facility Manager, for the Nantucket Public School;Beth Higgins from Expressions of Cape Cod; and Robert F. Pylesof the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce.


absenteeism and prevents teachers from partici-pating in extra curricula activities.

“It’s really a sad thing,” McFarland said. “Atlast count, 58 teachers and school staff wererenters and apt to get lost in the Nantucket Shufflethis year.” Rental demand determines how manyof the teachers will have to move out of theirhomes before the end of the year, he said, notingthat teachers were spared from having to movelast academic year because the rental demand waslower than usual.

“But in some past summers, when demand washigh, most had to move before mid June,”McFarland said. “In any event, the vast majoritythat must move bunk in with friends or other staffwho are lucky enough to keep their housingthrough to the end of that school year. But therehave been some tough cases over the past fewyears. I have heard of several who lived in unfin-ished basements or unfinished attics; and a fewthat lived in some of the island merchant’semployee dormitory rooms that had space avail-able at the time.”

Five units will be available to Nantucket teach-ers in November—two, one-bedroom duplexes;

two, two-bedroom duplexes and one, two-bed-room bungalow-style home. Two more units willbe opened the following January and anotherthree in the spring. In all, the town of Nantucketwill have 12 units to rent to teachers this aca-demic year.

The homes are being built on lots owned bythe town of Nantucket and are being financed by$2.3 million in tax-exempt bonds issued byMassDevelopment, the quasi public state eco-nomic development agency charged with eco-nomic stimulus in Massachusetts, including pro-viding for affordable housing.

The Nantucket homes will be rented below-market value, although exact figures were notavailable. The three smallest rentals must meetthe minimum affordability standards outlined bythe federal Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD), which also offers afford-able housing programs to teachers through theTeacher Next Door program. In the four and ahalf years since its inception more than 4,000government properties have been sold said HUDHousing Program Officer Norm Jezzeny.

Recruiting teachers to the Nantucket area,where they eventually could be paid upward of$75,000, has become increasingly difficult in amarket where the average value listing for 2004is $1.1 million. The median listing is $800,000.

“The fact is there is no way on God’s greenearth that a school teacher could afford it,” saidNantucket REALTOR® Ken Beaugrand, who,along with McFarland and a community of oth-ers, pursued the housing initiative for five years.

Beaugrand, owner of Nantucket Real Estate,said keeping happy the 11,000 locals who live in


Teachers … are [being]forced out of their housingbecause they can’t afford

the high rents that ownerscharge tourists during the

peak season.

the area and work in the service industry is keyto keeping tourism revenue pouring in.Maintaining their quality of life and providingtheir children access to good schools is para-mount to that goal, said Beaugrand.

Aside from economic reasons Beaugrand alsobelieves that it’s incumbent for Nantucket—orany community—to provide children access to aquality education.

“We did something to make sure the educa-tional system was going to be effective,” he saidof providing the rental accommodations.

The need to provide affordable housingoptions is apparent. Even though interest ratesare at a historically low level, typical workingfamilies are finding it increasingly difficult toafford median priced homes.

For instance, a Fannie Mae report released inApril 2004 indicates that teachers who arerepeat home buyers and who have a 20 percentdown payment will have difficulty affording amedian priced home. Another finding of theApril 2004 report is that among metropolitanareas, only Atlanta, Houston and Philadelphiawill remain affordable to median-income homebuyers.

Another finding shows that the number of“unaffordable markets” is increasing. Indeed,Chicago, Denver, Seattle, and Washington D.C.are the latest areas that have the dubious dis-tinction of being considered unaffordable, join-ing New York, Los Angeles, Boston and SanFrancisco.

In the Bay area—which has long been con-sidered one of the most expensive regions tolive—the Santa Clara Unified School Districthas taken steps to become the most teacherfriendly place in California. The city of San Joselaunched a number of initiatives targeted atmaking housing more affordable for teacherswho work in the district.

City of San Jose Assistant Housing DirectorMike Meyer said the largest initiative is the


The need to provideaffordable housingoptions is apparent.

San Jose Teacher Homebuyer Program, which hashelped 440 teachers purchase homes since itsinception in 1999. The city also has, likeNantucket, built units for teachers to rent atbelow-market costs.

The San Jose Teacher Homebuyer Programallows qualified teachers who are purchasing theirfirst homes to access $40,000 in zero-interestdown payment assistance. To date the city has pro-vided nearly $16.6 million in loan assistancewhich has leveraged just under another $113 mil-lion in financing for homes.

“From a housing perspective, we feel like thishas gone a long way in helping make San Josedistinctive in its efforts to retain and attract high-quality teachers,” said Meyer.

One of those teachers is San Jose native JoeBlack. After college, Black bounced from Japan—where he taught conversational English—toSeattle before eventually returning to the BayArea. Black, who teaches reading and drivers edu-cation at James Lick High School, was the 400thteacher to tap into the program. Additionally,Black got loans from the state of California and theCounty of Santa Clara which enabled him to buy atwo-bedroom, two-bath condominium in theBerryessa, a suburban area of San Jose.

While a future of renting wouldn’t have beenideal, Black would have been content so long ashe was teaching. But “being able to buy a home islike the icing on the cake. It makes what I do thatmuch more rewarding.”

Like Nantucket, San Jose also has units it canrent. The city, which still has some projects underconstruction, will eventually rent a total of 374units in four developments.

While Nantucket and San Jose have been suc-cessful in their efforts to bring affordable housingto teachers, not every town has had similar or pos-itive experiences.

Just 50 miles from Nantucket is Falmouth,Massachusetts, in Cape Cod. FalmouthSuperintendent Peter Clark doesn’t mince wordswhen describing his efforts in 2002 to have the


Falmouth School Board establish affordable hous-ing options for teachers.

“It blew up in my face,” he said, noting that thebiggest mistake he made was not initially reach-ing out to the community and explaining thegoal—to provide homes to teachers and otheremployees who initially earn about $32,000 a yearand, therefore, cannot afford to live in the area.

“People misunderstand what affordable hous-ing is,” said Clark, who continues to push for theproject but this time is working with a broadercoalition that includes neighborhood involvementalong with involvement of the town of Falmouthand its housing subcommittee.

Citing a lack of affordable housing as a stum-bling block to teacher recruitment the San JuanIsland School Board in Friday Harbor,Washington, announced in 2001 that it would renttwo houses it owned to teachers. Preference wouldbe given to teachers in either their first or secondyear in the field and would be rented at 20 percentbelow-market value.

The school board cancelled the program due tobudget reasons, said Lisa Brown, personnel coordi-nator for the San Juan Island School District. It soldone home and converted the other, she said, to usefor its “Parent Partnership Program,” an initiativethat allows the San Juan Island School District to

partner with parents who choose to home schooltheir children. The partnership enables the districtto tap into state education dollars.

“It came at a time when there were no teachersliving in the homes, and we needed to expand ourprograms for budget reasons,” said Brown, whoadded that “retired snow birds” who only want tolive in the homes during the hot summer monthshave been willing to rent to teachers during theschool year.

“It wasn’t a problem to stop (renting the homes)because we had another option.”

Christine Jordan “C.J.” Sexton is a freelance writerbased in Tallahassee, Florida. She has written for theBusiness Journal of South Florida and is a correspon-dent for Women’s E-News.



schoolsDowntown

Photos contributed by Peter Kerze and Bridget Blank of the Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A.; Michael Armado, Marketing Assistantfor EHDD Architecture; Charles Todd of Little Architects; Ken Maness, City Planner for Raleigh, NC; and Ethan Kaplan and Peter Aaronof Esto Photographs.


In recent years, downtown districts have been experi-encing a comeback hardly imagined a generation ago.Cities of various sizes are scrapping downtown agen-

das dating from the days when the only attainable goalswere adding parking decks, resuscitating ailing depart-ment stores and constructing corporate office towers. Abevy of diverse functions are being implemented—special-ty shops and galleries, farmers’ markets, civic buildings,streetscape enhancements, even mass transit and housing,are coming to life again.

One such function is the downtown public school, oncea casualty of the wrecking ball in the days of urban renew-al. This new generation of public schools is dubbed by ahost of enthusiastic observers as a “new-building type”,characterized by an integrated, even global mix of stu-dents, creative and discerning architectural forms, updatedcurricula, and partnerships with community institutionsand services. What follows are capsule descriptions ofthree successful ventures: San Francisco, Minneapolis andRaleigh, North Carolina. Each school project demonstrateshow creativity, vision and long-term commitment can over-come the status quo.

SAN FRANCISCO—TENDERLOIN COMMUNITY SCHOOL—URBAN MELTING POT

In the fall of 1990, a meeting was held between the BayArea Women’s and Children’s Center (BAWCC) andSuperintendent Cortines of the San Francisco Unified

School district, to discuss the resultsof an exhaustive two-year resident survey of Tenderloin,the name given to a downtown district, long reputed to beone of the toughest sections of San Francisco. Tenderloin,so-named in the days when cops and graft coexisted andprime steak was a job benefit, encompasses 56 high-densi-ty blocks just north of San Francisco’s City Hall and civiccenter. Their findings confirmed a radical shift in thedemographic makeup of Tenderloin. Numerous roominghouses, formerly a safe haven for the disenfranchised, werenow bursting at the seams with families from China, Laos,Cambodia and the South Pacific islands. As many as 200children lived in tight quarters on some blocks, and theswelling population was inching upwards towards the30,000 mark.

The New Urban Frontier

by Martin Zimmerman


Armed to the teeth with data, and with thebacking of businesses and nonprofits, BAWCCmade its case, but failed to garner the school dis-trict’s support. There was no choice except toembark on a citywide campaign to win favor fromthose who held the purse. It took another eightyears before the goal of final build-out could beachieved. At last in the fall of 1998 the K–5Tenderloin Community School officially openedits doors to serve a global student population mix-ing the newcomers with Latino/Hispanics,African-Americans and Caucasians.

The respected Bay Area architectural firmEHHD adapted the complex program require-ments to a tight 1.3 acre site along Turk Street.These requirements placed high priority on incor-porating badly needed community resources with-in the school. For parents and students, there is alibrary with books in many languages, a multipur-pose room available for rental, ESL classes andeven a rooftop community garden. There are threeplaygrounds, two at ground level for preschooland grades 1–2 and one rooftop for grades 3–6.Located below grade is the Esherick Center,named after deceased architect Joe Esherick of

EHHD, which includes the Computer Center,Health Center with dental and mental health serv-ice areas and the Adult Education Center.According to Midge Wilson, director of BAWCCand a key player from the outset, there is even ahandbook available in three languages explainingthe various services available at TenderloinCommunity School for students and families.

The design, both inside and out, shines as abright sunburst of reds and yellows, and signals theschool’s presence as a refuge amidst a hustle, bustledistrict thought to be second only to Chinatown indensity. The front façade and interiors are adornedwith murals composed of 5,000 glazed tiles, a col-laborative effort between school children and artistMartha Heavenston. Now in its seventh year ofoperation, Tenderloin Community School (TCS) hasalso solidified a base of downtown affiliations toaugment its curriculum. These range from thePhilip Burton Federal building to the San FranciscoBallet. With characteristic modesty, Ms. Wilson cannow say that, “TCS has achieved its mission of edu-cating, supporting and celebrating the entire com-munity in all of its diversity.”

In recent years, downtown districts have been experiencing a comeback hardly

imagined a generation ago … one such function is the downtown public school.


MINNEAPOLIS—THE INTERDIS-TRICT DOWNTOWN SCHOOL—DESEGREGATION

Sometimes it takes a court orderto build a school. The genesis of theInterdistrict Downtown School(IDDS) dates back to the 1970s,longer than Tenderloin, and at atime when few could imagine aschool for downtown Minneapolis.But when the city of Minneapoliswas placed under court order todesegregate its schools, somethinghad to be done. Nevertheless, ittook until 1989 to establish a work-ing partnership between the city school systemand its nine suburbs to resolve the desegregationissue. The outcome was an agreement to buildthree new magnet schools in order to comply withthe courts. It was also agreed that the first of theseschools was to be in downtown Minneapolis.

It took until 1993 to obtain an appropriation of$10 million from the state of Minnesota to coverconstruction costs. With a decision-making struc-ture established between all 10 school districts toguide the programming and design, the requisitecommittees were convened and architectural con-sultants were hired. All planning was to be held incheck by a twin mantra: 1) devise an innovative21st century curriculum capable of engaging thedowntown community; and 2) assure that thefacility is cost-effective.

The outcome proved to be a remarkable combi-nation of variables involving many additionalpartners. Two with the most direct impact turned

out to be the University of St. Thomas, which wasinterested in moving its School of Education facil-ity from St. Paul to its downtown Minneapoliscampus, and the city’s interest in providing addi-tional parking to serve the entertainment/theatredistrict. Today both educational institutions shareair rights on top of an underground parking deckfinanced and built by the Minneapolis CommunityDevelopment Authority and just up HennepinAvenue from several theatre marquees.

Thus the twin mantra was achieved. IDDScould link its curriculum to a host of arts and sci-ence institutions throughout downtown viaMinneapolis simply by walking through an inter-connected system of overhead, pedestrian walk-ways, and no land needed had to be taken off thetax rolls. Construction costs were minimized byomitting uses which already existed in the down-town. IDDS has no gymnasium or performing artsspace, and relies on the YMCA, a nearby theater,the Minneapolis Public Library and even a private

TenderloinCommunity Schoolhas achieved its mission of educating,supporting and celebrating the entirecommunity in all ofits diversity.


bookstore to servethese needs. In theend, IDDS would costno more to build andoperate than suburbanschools. In 1998 thefour story K–12 magnet school finallyopened, the first indowntown Minneapolis in 70 years.

Cuningham Group architects have crafted aninnovative design of bold and dynamic forms.Incorporating these with many sustainable designoptions, such as the downtown’s first active solarwall installation, have further enhanced theschool’s reputation. It took years of work, unprece-dented cooperation across district lines, inventivecurriculum planning and innovative architecturaldesign, to forge such a successful outcome.

RALEIGH—MOORE SQUARE MUSEUMS MAGNETSCHOOL—CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP

Raleigh, the capital city of North Carolina, maynot be as big as Minneapolis or San Francisco, butit is a community with a mission. With the comple-tion of Moore Square Museum Magnet School(M2M3) in 2002, the long-standing mission tostrengthen the downtown core and make close-inneighborhoods attractive and affordable took a bigstep forward. Moore Square is just a few blocksfrom the state capitol building and a host of down-town museums and performance facilities such asthe North Carolina State Museum of NaturalHistory, the Exploris/IMAX facility, Raleigh City

Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum andPope House Museum. This proximity is central toa prime educational objective of Moore SquareMagnet School. Cathy Bradley, its first principal,has noted that “because our campus is located in theheart of downtown Raleigh, we are ideally situatedto realize our goals—joining with museums and cul-tural organizations to enhance learning.”

Moore school’s prominent corner tower facesits namesake square, which is one of five urbansquares dating back to Raleigh’s founding in1792. It serves as a beacon to welcome studentsand guests from throughout the Wake County sys-tem into its dynamic three-story ceremonial room

It took years of work,unprecedented cooperationacross district lines,inventive curriculumplanning andinnovativearchitecturaldesign, toforge such asuccessfuloutcome.

and gallery space.As a magnetschool its studentsare selected bylottery fromthroughout thesystem, with atwenty percentset-aside for stu-dents of color.Moore school alsoacts to anchor andblend with thescale of theadjoining neigh-borhood wheredowntown plan-

ners are encouraging affordable in-fill housing.According to architect Charles Todd of Little

Associates architects, a great deal of remedialwork was required prior to actual constructiononce it was confirmed as a brownfield site. Inthe process, remains of a former prison, a gasstation and auto repair shop and rubber factoryhad to be contended with, and contaminatedsoil removal to depths as great as 30 feet wasrequired. And like its sister schools inMinneapolis and San Francisco, lawns andlarge playing fields that are taken for granted ontwenty-acre suburban sites had to be reduced to

fit an urban city block of four-acres. As one ofthe curriculum planners points out wryly, “Weweren’t sure at the time if the primary recreationactivity was to be running in place or tiddly-winks.” Eventually, it was decided that a gym,the science labs and the cafeteria were essen-tial, but extracurricular team sports could besacrificed. The student body was also reducedfrom 1000 to 600 allowing two playing fields,surface parking and bus drop-off to be locatedinconspicuously behind the school. Last year,M2M3’s success on all of these fronts broughtnational recognition in the form of an EPASmart Growth Award.

WILL THIS TREND CONTINUE?Only time can tell. But a new awareness seems

to be emerging as greater downtown emphasis isplaced on the cross-fertilization of racial and eth-nic diversity, culture and education. Quality pub-lic schools are being recognized as importantagents not only for downtowns to continue attract-ing residents and jobs, but equally important: theprovision of as broad a range of urban choice andamenity as possible.

Martin Zimmerman is an urban affairs writer, archi-tect and city planner currently based in Charlotte N.C.


Quality public schools are beingrecognized as important agents …for downtowns to continue attractingresidents and jobs.


smartGrowthinthestates

A new procedure, the PLUS Process, allowsdevelopers and state planning and trans-portation officials to address potential proj-ect problems before formal plans are sub-mitted. A Rehoboth Beach developeravailed himself of the procedure to discussa proposed dense “rural village” on 842acres north of Milton, Sussex County, withstate officials. His plan consultant, nation-al Smart Growth expert Randall Arendt,explained that the possible 1,672 varied-style homes, including units for seniors,would be built in clusters around a centralgreen to maximize open space and save atract of forest. Named Isaac’s Glen, the vil-lage would feature a town hall, an 18-holegolf course, an artificial river, and perhapssome commercial space along the inter-secting state highway. The project wouldrequire rezoning the area for higher resi-dential density.

A 14-year plan is in place to ease roadcongestion in the Honolulu area with a25-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) linebetween Kapolei west of the city andthe University of Hawaii in the Manoaneighborhood, southeast of the city.Site preparation has begun for six sta-tions along the BRT line’s initial 5.6-mile downtown-waterside segmentthrough Kakaako to Waikiki. Spending$31 million from its own budget on theinitial segment, Honolulu just receivedauthorization by an Oahu MetropolitanPlanning Organization oversight com-mittee to seek $20 million in federalmoney. The BRT system will use hybridgas-electric buses, which will reduceair pollution even further over automo-bile travel.

The City of Chicago has adopted anew zoning ordinance, effectiveNovember 1, 2004, that is designedto promote new urbanist principles,such as pedestrian-orientedstreetscapes. It is the first overhaulof the city’s zoning rules since1957, and although it follows a con-ventional ordinance structure, isconsidered to be an innovative“smart code.” The AmericanPlanning Association’s June 2004Zoning Practice report on form-based zoning lists the city as one ofthe few municipalities to adopt thisnew approach to zoning.

DELAWARE HAWAII ILLINOIS

The Saving Towns at Risk program(STAR) was launched in March of 2004 tofight urban decay and to revitalize down-towns throughout the state. The STARprogram is a cooperative effort betweenthe Urban Affairs & New NontraditionalPrograms unit of the AlabamaCooperative Extension System (ACES)and the Alabama Mayors’ Corporation forEconomic, Cultural and EducationalDevelopment. The ACES has offices inevery county in Alabama, and theMayors’ Corporation represents 49 townsand cities with nearly 400,000 residents.The STAR program team is charged withdeveloping ways to spur public dialogueand with forging diverse coalitions to cre-ate infrastructure and town revitalizationprojects.

In Fayetteville, local develop-ers, city officials, lenders andattorneys are considering thecreation of a tax incrementfinancing (TIF) district to helpfinance the redevelopment ofproperties in the downtownarea. The city is adamant thatcreation of the TIF districtwould not mean that tax rateswill increase or that there willbe new taxes assessed. Rather,the TIF project would befinanced in part by utilizing theincremental tax revenues thatresult from the improvements toprojects approved by the citycouncil in the TIF redevelop-ment district.

To maximize the economic and environ-mental advantages of California’s $14 bil-lion investment in bus and rail systemsover the last decade, Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger signed a bill that willfacilitate the construction of mixed-use“transit villages” within a radius of one-third of a mile of bus, rail or ferry stations.The bill will let counties and municipali-ties proceed with their transit-orienteddevelopment plans if they demonstratefive, rather than 13, public benefits oftransit village projects. The list of benefitsmay include relief of traffic congestion,improved air quality, redevelopment ofdepressed neighborhoods or marginalareas, and better use of present infrastruc-ture.

ARKANSAS CALIFORNIA

Compiled by Gerald L. Allen, NAR Government Affairs

ALABAMA


The state has recognized threetowns for its “Smart Growth” initia-tives. A June survey conducted bythe state’s Vision 2020 programfound Abington, Marion, andBrockton to be the only townsamong 51 communities in south-eastern Massachusetts to adhere toSmart-Growth principles, whichare intended to reduce develop-ment sprawl. According to TownPlanner Daniel Crane, Abingtonwas cited for its recent establish-ment of a master plan and its effortsto change zoning bylaws to allowmore intensive development of itsbusiness zones. “We’re very muchproud of what we have been able toachieve,” said Crane.

The Clark County Community Growth TaskForce will present its proposals for curbingsprawl, road congestion and air pollution inJanuary 2005. The task force’s proposalsfocus on alternatives to leapfrog develop-ment toward the valley desert fringes in theLas Vegas area as its first priority and onaffordable housing as the second. Task forcemember and university history professorHal Rothman stressed, “Infill is the place tobegin to find a solution.” County officialsbelieve that with land prices increasinglyhigh, developers would take advantage ofpossible county incentives for “mixed-usecommunities” or urban villages, whichwould help reduce car dependency, trafficjams, air pollution and housing costs. Aspart of the solution, the county should alsobuild a light-rail system, said RegionalTransportation Commission GeneralManager Jacob Snow.

The Fairfax County PlanningCommission unanimously recommendedapproval of a plan for mixed-use develop-ment surrounding the Vienna Metro sta-tion. The development would replace a56-acre suburban enclave of single-fami-ly homes with two office buildings ofroughly 12 stories, some shops androughly 2,200 apartments, condominiumsand townhouses. The project marks thefirst steps of Fairfax County to mirrorother localities in the region by clusteringdevelopment around stops on the Metrosystem. The plan is opposed by some inthe neighborhood, who feel that it wouldcreate problems in its immediate vicinity,straining roads and schools as well as set-ting a precedent that would lead to theloss of the remaining leafy single-familyneighborhoods in the area.

VIRGINIAMASSACHUSETTS NEVADA

“Visioneering Wichita” is embarkingon a citizen-driven process to identifythe future the region wants and thenbuild that future through citizen partic-ipation. Visioneering Wichita involvescreating dialogue between interestedcitizens and organizations that havecommon interests and goals. It is avision-driven strategic planningprocess that will produce a sharedvision of what the Wichita area wantsto be. The process will involve hun-dreds of residents in creating theshared vision and provides a frame-work for collaboration that will makethe Wichita regional community a real-ity. The founding vision partners arethe City of Wichita government, theSedgwick County government, theWichita Community Foundation, theWichita Downtown DevelopmentCorporation and the Wichita AreaChamber of Commerce. The VisionFinal Plan is scheduled for completionin December of 2004.

In 2000, in response to theKentucky Department ofTransportation’s decision to com-plete a five-lane road that wouldrequire the relocation of the heartof Union, the town adopted a TownPlan that included a blueprint for anew town center. City officialsfeared that in the absence of plan-ning that the city would lose itsway of life, with an influx of stripcenters and big box retail.According to city officials andplanners, the plan, which includesstrict standards on issues such asarchitectural design, is off to agood start. A developer of a largeresidential project agrees, sayingthat “[t]heir plan was well thoughtout. That made it easy to workwith them.”

Maryland has received 22 applicationsfrom developers and communities acrossthe state looking to take advantage ofGov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s new PriorityPlaces anti-sprawl program, which prom-ises state help with building projects inalready developed areas. The projectsstretch from Frostburg in WesternMaryland to Caroline County on theEastern Shore, with two in Baltimore andone in Annapolis. Sixteen came from cityor town governments, four from privatedevelopers, and one each from a nonprof-it group and a county. Building projectsand community revitalization plansselected under the new program would beoffered the coordinated technical help ofall state agencies, given “fast-track” regu-latory reviews and be put first in line forany state grants that are available, thoughofficials acknowledge that because of thestate’s current fiscal crisis, the programhas no dedicated funding. Officials haveindicated they might pick up to a half-dozen projects, though the decisiondepends on the quality of the applica-tions. A decision on the projects is expect-ed in December of 2004.

MARYLANDKANSAS KENTUCKY