PEC weighed school’s options
Commissioner says hours of work went into decision to deny charter school’s request
... It is undisputed that Mission Achievement and Success Charter School has an outstanding academic record. All the commissioners of the PEC acknowledged that during the (recent) meeting. Because of that record, the PEC approved a second campus on the West Side approximately two years ago with around 500 students, this in addition to the 1,140 at the campus on Ross and Yale.
As the PEC liaison to the Public School Capital Outlay Council, I visited the Ross and Yale campus approximately seven months ago. My first impression was the lack of adequate on-site parking. There are fewer than 30 parking spaces on site, and school buses and many cars park on the street. The parking lot across Yale has another 70 to 80 spaces. The school paved an alley to reduce traffic through the adjacent neighborhoods, but concerns from people living in the area indicate an unresolved issue.
During the PEC meeting there were almost two hours of public input, and commissioners receive dozens of “chat” messages during the comment period. The chats were almost all from individuals supporting the enrollment increase. The PEC did not refuse to allow school supporters to speak but did limit public comments if an individual had submitted a letter that commissioners were provided. The PEC heard from supporters of the enrollment increase and from neighbors concerned about current and future traffic issues. Several of the citizens living near the school indicated difficulty leaving their homes due to the high traffic volumes in the morning and afternoon. Neighborhood comments did not dominate the public input.
PED looked at traffic and safety issues on the campus, as did (the school’s) insurance carrier. Neither of these entities looked at the school’s impact on the traffic in the neighborhood. City Council President Pat Davis, councilor for District 6 where the Ross/ Yale school is located, submitted a thoughtful letter calling for a traffic study and discussions with the neighborhoods before moving forward. Further communication with the city to address students and staff crossing Yale was also mentioned in his letter. Additional off-street parking needs to be addressed when considering adding almost 500 new students.
The PEC did not ignore the traffic mitigation measures the school has taken. Neighborhood concerns might be addressed with a traffic study, including the impact of school traffic on the adjacent neighborhoods and implementation of its findings.
Although the school intends to add the additional students gradually, the granting of an increase cannot require such a staggered increase. So, an additional 500 students at the MAS campus on Ross could occur in a short period of time given the waiting list of 1,000 students. This could greatly (exacerbate) traffic issues in the neighborhood. I suggested the school look at growing the West Side campus before increasing enrollment at the Ross location.
During our comments, PEC commissioners stated the need for a traffic study, discussions with the city regarding crossing Yale, and limiting parking on Ross . ... I would like to see these issues addressed before the school comes back to the commission.
Finally, for the Journal to ask the governor (in its June 18 editorial) to “apply gentle pressure to these elected commissioners” is an affront to the PEC. The PEC is a constitutionally created independent body, elected by voters in our districts. We do not report to nor serve at the governor’s discretion but welcome a positive dialogue. We have an obligation to all citizens while seeking to improve educational outcomes for students.