Published in the Oct. 28 – Nov. 10, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Brian Sullivan
The Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees voted 7-0 Sept. 29 to renew the Charter School of Morgan Hill for another five years. CSMH first opened its doors in 2001 and has grown from serving 168 students to 620 students. Going through a charter renewal is a time consuming process for both the CSMH staff, who have to write the petition, and the MHUSD staff, who must carefully review the petition.
The law requires a renewal petition to address 16 different elements pertaining to the operation of the school and the educational program. The process encourages a charter school to review its programs and to identify strengths and areas for improvement. It also creates another opportunity for the charter school and the authorizer to dialogue, provide constructive feedback and share with one another.
We are all aware of how fast the world is changing and the importance of providing an education to our children that equips them for tomorrow.
Through inquiry and project-based learning, students at CSMH are developing into problem solvers and critical thinkers. When teachers at CSMH create a project, they are required to fill out an extensive project planning form. The projects often include multiple standards from different subject areas.
Many of the new Common Core State Standards in language arts and math and the Next Generation Science Standards are incorporated into the projects. Teachers must also determine how they will assess the students throughout and at the conclusion of the project. Technology is used in projects to assist with research, to create presentations or to collaborate with others. Every CSMH project contains a community element, such as a field trip or guest speaker. During projects, students are continually taught the skills they need to work effectively with others.
At the Morgan Hill board meeting, prior to the renewal vote, CSMH Principal Susan Pfefferlen told trustees: “Quoting from John Dewey, ‘Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.’ In reading the district’s response to our petition, one aspect that was concerning to me was a criticism of our execution of project-based learning. I felt like it was an attempt to tell a bunch of apple farmers that they don’t know how to grow apples.”
Pfefferlen went on to explain how PBL has been at the center of the mission and vision since the inception of the school, and detailed many of the measures that have taken place to ensure that this continues. She discussed thorough planning, collaboration, incorporation of the standards, and making sure projects were rigorous and differentiated to challenge all learners at their own level.
The staff has done extensive work with leaders in the field, keeping CSMH teachers up to date on best practices, serving as a model school for others in the state of California. She ended her comments by saying CSMH is always looking for ways to improve, but one thing they feel confident about is their ability to grow apples.
Executive Director Paige Cisewski also spoke at the meeting and recognized CSMH’s commitment to increase the number of students who are English learners and socio-economically disadvantaged.
The school is currently investigating how to provide busing and is working hard to have transportation in place early next year. In the renewal document, CSMH implemented a two-to-one weighted lottery for English learners and students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.
Both Morgan Hill Unified and Charter School of Morgan Hill are committed to serving all students and have sought new and innovative ways to educate children in our fast-paced, technological society. MHUSD has opened academies at some of its schools and continues to expand on this idea. Moving forward, CSMH and MHUSD have the opportunity to work cooperatively and build on their developing relationship.
Three years ago, former CSMH board member Roger Knopf and I had a meeting with then Superintendent Wes Smith to begin a dialogue between the charter school and the district with the focus on how we could work together to benefit all students. This same discussion took place when current Superintendent Steve Betando was hired and he arranged a joint meeting between our two school boards in February. Two MHUSD board members and two CSMH board members have also begun to meet on a regular basis to discuss items of mutual concern and talk through any issues that need to be addressed.
These meetings proved to be extremely helpful during the renewal process. I will continue to work to ensure the staff and board members of Morgan Hill Unified and Charter School of Morgan Hill work as partners to provide the best education possible. Although there will remain differences, we have made a great amount of progress moving forward because we share the same goal — providing an excellent education for all Morgan Hill students. The renewal has been a building block upon which to strengthen a more solid foundation. We look forward to continuing an open dialogue and sharing best practices, so that our educational system can be a model for serving our community and the students will reap the benefits of our collaboration.
Brian Sullivan is the chair of the Charter School of Morgan Hill Board of Trustees. He wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.
