How one charter school is trying to revive west Baltimore

Her school is the Green Street Academy, a public charter school that opened its doors to a new building this month. The school is using its independence and flexibility as a charter school to meet students’ unique needs, with an interesting focus: environmental sustainability. Green Street says its curriculum is “sustainability-infused” and “workforce-oriented.”

The school moved to be closer to its students in west Baltimore, not afraid of the challenges that come with educating students from challenging backgrounds. For every 100 students in the school, 96 are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For a family of three, that implies an income of less than $37,000 a year. Nearly every student at the school comes from a family in those circumstances.

Within the background of April’s unrest and other violent acts that have occurred within a few blocks of the school in recent weeks, student safety is a real concern.

“How can you learn when you’re constantly worried about being harmed?” Cummings said. “It’s almost impossible.”

So it’s important to acknowledge Diamond also told Cummings, “I feel safe” at school.

“That’s what Green Street presents for our children: a safe environment,” Cummings said.

Thanks to Green Street’s move, 60 percent of students can walk to school, up from 5 percent.

The portion of special education students at Green Street also presents a challenge: almost one in three. Cummings pointed out that doesn’t mean those students don’t have a future. With the right education, students can rise from special education to become a member of Congress, as Cummings did.

Through effective, career-oriented education, the school hopes to become an anchor for revitalizing west Baltimore, while acknowledging it alone won’t be a silver bullet.

As Cummings mentioned in his keynote address at the school’s re-opening ceremony Monday, students will have to give back to the community they come from.

“You get an education so you can emerge … and make a difference. That’s what it’s all about. This is not just about you, this is about generations yet unborn. I beg you to take your education seriously … of all the investments that you can make, education is the one I believe that will pay off over and over and over again until you die.”

True to its sustainable mission, the school’s new building put its money where its mouth is. Rather than move into a newly-constructed building, the school moved into a former junior high school building that was mostly vacant. As part of the move, the school had many green renovations done.

Classroom lighting levels now vary automatically depending on the level of daylight. There are plans to build functioning ecosystems within the school’s two courtyards. The original flooring from 1925 is now uncovered and in perfect shape for use. Overall, the building uses 70 percent less energy than the average building completed today, let alone a building finished in 1925, according to Daniel Schochor, the school’s executive director.

The price of the move and building improvements was hefty: $23 million. Thankfully, businesses lent a helping hand, including loans from Bank of America and the Reinvestment Fund.

As the school grows, it will eventually hold up to 1,300 students. That might be enough to make a small difference in west Baltimore, but other students throughout the city are struggling, too. It would help to give other schools the freedom and autonomy that Green Street has.

“Through my experience, I know for a fact that charter schools change the trajectory of student lives every day,” Schochor told the Washington Examiner. “Some of the things that we’re able to do here with the autonomy that we do have would be difficult to replicate at a traditional school. So, through that logic, I’m a huge proponent of charter schooling. I’m a huge proponent of students with options.”

Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.