Foster City Islander Article - 08-09-2007
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Charter Public |
Phyllis Moore, President, Foster City High School Foundation |
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Envision Schools to Operate the “Arts & Technology High School of Foster City”
We have partnered with Envision Schools (www.envisionschools.org), a non-profit, charter school management organization that is working to establish and operate the planned Arts & Technology High School of Foster City.
Envision now operates four innovative college-preparatory high schools in the Bay Area. They are all educationally and financially successful. Envision’s strategy is to first engage students with its “Arts and Technology” focus. Once engaged, the school’s innovative curriculum motivates them to excel in school, graduate and enroll in college. All classes are college prep, there is no lesser track and acceptance to college is a graduation requirement.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded Envision over $10 million to help establish more schools. Foundation Program Director for Education, Steve Seleznow, explains why: “By holding all students to high expectations and supporting them academically and socially, these schools are … preparing all its students to succeed in college and career….” This is why U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey proclaimed that Envision’s schools are “. . . a model for our country.”
“Community Education Center” to Provide Facilities for High School and Community Programs
The Arts & Technology High School will operate in Foster City’s planned Community Education Center (“Ed Center”) that will be designed as a “multi-use facility.” The High School will use it during the day. Other organizations will use it in the afternoons after school, in the evenings and on weekends, offering programs that meet the broader educational needs of young people, working adults, and seniors throughout the community.
Some example programs include after-school care and tutoring, adult education classes, college and university courses and programs in the arts. Programs offered by the Ed Center will complement those offered by the Foster City Recreation Center.
To ensure the financial success of the Ed Center, the Arts & Technology High School will be the primary, long-term tenet of this facility. The high school will be an “anchor” organization for the Ed Center in much the same way that a major retailer is an “anchor” store for a shopping center. The stable presence of a top-tier educational organization will attract many other groups who will want to provide their programs in the Ed Center.
Envision and the Foundation Await the City Council’s Decision on Business Plan
On July 2, 2007, Envision Schools and the Foundation sent our revised Business Plan to the City of Foster City. The Business Plan describes our strategy for building a Community Education Center on four acres of the 15-acre Civic Center site and for establishing the Arts & Technology High School that will be the primary occupant of this new educational facility. The Business Plan identifies two financing options for construction of this facility: a state grant and a city bond.
State grant funds could become available in the Fall of 2009, if voters approve a state-wide initiative that is expected to appear on the November 2008 ballot. However, to secure funds from the highly-competitive program, our grant application will need to outscore those from many other deserving schools statewide. Therefore, even if voters approve the proposed ballot initiative, securing state grant funds is not guaranteed.
To deal with the possibility of not receiving a state grant, the Business Plan proposes a voter-approved city bond to finance construction of the Ed Center/High School, in the same way that public money will be used for the planned construction of the Teen Vibe Center, and was used for the construction of the Public Library and Community Recreation Center.
Since the Ed Center/High School will be a public facility located on public land for public benefit, financing its construction with public money is entirely appropriate. In the City’s 2006 survey on uses for the 15-acre site, 53% favored public financing. This number could be even higher, because only about half of the surveys included an answer to the financing question, while 80% of the surveys supported the high school. Therefore, issuing bonds to finance construction of the Ed Center/High School is consistent with the stated preferences of Foster City residents.
The most recent development was summarized by the City Clerk of Foster City: “At the July 16, 2007 City Council meeting, Mayor Ron Cox directed staff to prepare a detailed staff report regarding the process for putting a measure on the ballot for the voters to decide if they support or oppose the issuance of City obligation bonds to build a charter high school on the 15-acre site.”
Mayor Cox, in his Council Corner column that appeared in the July 24, 2007 Foster City Islander, stated that, “I anticipate asking the City Council to put a bond measure on the ballot . . . . I am hopeful that the City Council will agree with me that this is such an important issue that it should be up to the citizens to decide. . . .”
At the September 17, 2007, City Council meeting, the City staff will present a Staff Report on the revised Business Plan. At that meeting, the Council could decide to accept, modify, or reject the Business Plan.
If the Council rejects the Plan, this would also withdraw the reservation of the four acres now earmarked for the school, and this land would then be lost to other development. Such a decision by the Council would effectively defeat our current efforts to build the Ed Center/High School.
The 15-acre site is the last remaining undeveloped public land in Foster City on which to build the Ed Center/High School. Therefore, if our current efforts to build it do not go forward, it is unlikely that such a facility will be built in Foster City in the foreseeable future.
Strong City Council Support Needed for Building of Ed Center and High School
The City Council has expressed its firm commitment to building senior housing, retail and a town center on the 15-acre site. However, the Council’s commitment to the high school has been limited to tentatively reserving four acres of land and instructing City staff to review the Business Plan.
Council members have not gone on record that it is desirable to build an educational and cultural center together with a public high school nor have they acknowledged the many public benefits that this educational facility would bring to Foster City. The City Council has not embraced this project as a partnership with the Foundation and Envision Schools to produce something desirable and valuable for the community.
Envision and the Foundation need the Council’s wholehearted support and constructive encouragement before it can successfully solicit private funding to help finance construction, work effectively with the developer to design an economical multi-use facility, and develop solid partnerships with other organizations that will bring educational and cultural programs to the Ed Center.
Tell the City Council that You Support Building of the Ed Center/High School
In order for the Ed Center/High School to be built, the City Council must first approve our revised Business Plan, including the possibility of a voter-approved bond to finance construction, if necessary.
The future of this important project depends on how effectively residents make their desires known to the City Council, which welcomes public discussion and debate that is reasoned and informed.
Please contact Council members before the September 17, 2007 City Council meeting.
When contacting Council members, briefly explain why you support building of the Ed Center/High School and explain the value that this public amenity will have for your family and the entire community.
You can contact them by email at the following addresses:
Mayor Ron Cox: Rcox@fostercity.org
Vice Mayor Pam Frisella: Pfrisella@fostercity.org
Councilmember John Kiramis: Jkiramis@fostercity.org
Councilmember Linda Koelling: Lkoelling@fostercity.org
Councilmember Rick Wykoff: Rwykoff@fostercity.org
Please send a copy of your email to the Foundation at phyllismoore1@comcast.net
Resident Action Guide for Ensuring that the Ed Center/High School is Built
- Watch future newsletters for “Calls to Action,” some examples are listed below.
- Attend important Council meetings to show your support for the Ed Center/High School.
Especially, attend the September 17, 2007 Council meeting
- Email Council members (see above) and encourage them to support the project.
- Help distribute flyers at Foster City schools and in your neighborhood.
- Become a part of our “Team.” Call Phyllis Moore (349-5676) to learn more.
- Make a contribution to support the work of Foundation.
- In the upcoming November 2007 election, vote for candidates who promise to strongly support the Ed Center/High School in Foster City.
Stop and Talk with a Foundation Representative at the Foster City Library on Sundays
A Foundation representative will be available to answer questions on Sunday between 1:00 pm and 3:00 p.m. in front of the Foster City Library. This provides an opportunity to get your questions answered in detail and to learn more about what needs to be done to establish the Community Educational Center/Charter Public High School on the 15-acre Civic Center site in Foster City.
Contact me at phyllismoore1@comcast.net or 650-349-5676
