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Colleagues,

We met this morning with Tisha Edwards, who scheduled today's meeting on short notice yesterday.

We have good news. We think our persuasion campaign and our submission of an academic implementation plan secured the future viability of BCSB. Tisha will recommend to the Board that we have some time and leeway to develop an institutional partnership with a university for our early college model. While our efforts to secure Bard as a partner were applauded, Tisha would like us to seek an institutional partner that can demonstrate a long-term commitment to BCSB and will assume a role in our governing structure. This is our next goal post---to find and reach an MOU with university partner. We will likely have until mid-September, 2014 to accomplish this task.

On another front, Tisha would like us to resume (her words) momentum towards opening in the Fall of 2015. She is working on a promise to support our principal during a planning year.

The only concern from today's meeting is a decision by Tisha and her legal team: They will not sign the conditions statement proposed by USDoE. They are concerned about the burdensome reporting requirements and the staff time North Avenue would need to commit to monitoring single gender schools in Baltimore. Despite their decision, the District will participate in a conference call that has been requested by DoE.

Attending today's meeting: Betsey Hobelmann, Kimberly Moffitt, Jack Pannell and Raja Mishra (standing in for Alan Sun).

Our next steps:

1) Await confirmation of the above following the school board meeting on Tuesday, May 27. The school board will vote in the private meeting before 6 pm. We will NOT organize a public information campaign utilizing parents and other supporters.
2) Organize meetings with local college presidents, including meetings with incoming UB President, Kurt Schmoke and Dr. Wilson (Morgan State).
3) Communicate broadly with our constituents that BCSB's opening is delayed to Fall 2015.
4) Fundraise!

We will likely propose a board meeting time next week, once we are able to evaluate our standing with North Avenue. This will be held the weekend of May 31, June 7, or 14. We are very encouraged by today's news. Our hard work paid off. I would like to thank Jack for the enormous amount of work he and many others have accomplished this spring. Tisha and her team were very impressed.

Below is a poem I received from a friend at Baltimore School for the Arts when she heard of our meeting at BCPS today. It’s by Geoffrey Canada, who founded Harlem Success Academy. Onward!
Betsey


DON’T BLAME ME
February 2007

The girl’s mother said, “Don’t blame me.
Her father left when she was three.
I know she don’t know her ABCs, her 1,2,3s,
But I am poor and work hard you see.”
You know the story, it’s don’t blame me.

The teacher shook her head and said,
“Don’t blame me, I know it’s sad.
He’s ten, but if the truth be told,
He reads like he was six years old.
And math, don’t ask.
It’s sad you see.
Wish I could do more, but it’s after three.
Blame the mom, blame soci­ety, blame the sys­tem.
Just don’t blame me.”

The judge was angry, his expres­sion cold.
He scowled and said, “Son you’ve been told.
Break the law again and you’ll do time.
You’ve robbed with a gun.
Have you lost your mind?”
The young man opened his mouth to beg.
“Save your breath,” he heard instead.
“Your daddy left when you were two.
Your momma didn’t take care of you.
Your school pre­pared you for this fall.
Can’t read, can’t write, can’t spell at all.
But you did the crime for all to see.
You’re going to jail, son.
Don’t blame me.”

If there is a God or a per­son supreme,
A final reck­on­ing, for the kind and the mean,
And judg­ment is ren­dered on who passed the buck,
Who blamed the vic­tim or proudly stood up,
You’ll say to the world, “While I couldn’t save all,
I did not let these chil­dren fall.
By the thou­sands I helped all I could see.
No excuses, I took full respon­si­bil­ity.
No mat­ter if they were black or white,
Were cursed, ignored, were wrong or right,
Were shunned, pre-judged, were short or tall,
I did my best to save them all.”
And I will bear wit­ness for eter­nity
That you can state proudly,
“Don’t blame me.”