The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners approved an estimated $14.6 million contract with Edison Schools Inc. on Tuesday, extending the for-profit company’s management of three city elementary schools for two years, with a possible one-year renewal.
The exact dollar amount of the contract is still being negotiated, school board documents said.
The Maryland State Department of Education hired Edison Schools to run Furman Templeton Elementary School, Montebello Elementary School and Gilmor Elementary School in 2000, when they were three of the city?s worst-performing schools (thereby qualifying them for state supervision). The schools are back under city control this year after recent changes to federal No Child Left Behind laws.
Under the control of Edison, Furman and Montebello elementary schools have been taken off the “needs improvement” list. However, Maryland State Assessment test scores in all three schools fell in 2006, according to data from the state Department of Education.
Jacqueline Marshall, Edison?s vice president for development in Maryland, said there has been a noticeable change in the culture of all three schools.
“They are different environments than they were. They are clean, safe, they are fun,” Marshall said.
All three schools are enrolled to maximum capacity and withdrawal rates have declined nearly 15 percent since 1996, according to data from Edison.
“It?s more pleasant there,” said Velma Moseley, who has eight great-grandchildren enrolled in Furman Templeton Elementary.
The vote on the school contract was delayed two weeks ago. One issue with the contract was that the teachers at Edison schools are required to work about an hour longer than teachers at other city schools, Marshall said. According to Board of Education documents, the Baltimore Teachers Union agreed to the extended teacher workload.
“There are some that think we should have [voted on this contract] months ago,” said Brian Morris, chairman of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners.
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