Proposed charter schools include all-boys Latin prep

David P. Hardy plans to model the school on the academically rigorous, prestigious Boston Latin.
By Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Ten new charter schools have been proposed in Philadelphia, including an all-male charter school modeled after the academically rigorous Boston Latin.

David P. Hardy, a former administrator at Community Academy Charter School in North Philadelphia, is seeking to open the boys' charter high school in Southwest Philadelphia that would offer students four years of Latin.

If approved by the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, the charter would open next fall with 125 ninth graders.

"When you look at SAT scores, the kids who take Latin, as a group, score the highest," Hardy said. "Latin puts an academic tone on the school that gets people serious from when they come in the door."

He said Latin also helps students with English grammar and vocabulary and provides a pathway for learning other languages.

"Latin is something that takes some effort to master," he said. "If you can get kids to fight the fight to master it, they won't be afraid to do anything."

Hardy said the school would aim to provide the academic rigor of Boston Latin, the nation's oldest public school, and also offer support services for students, after-school tutoring and summer programs.

In addition to teaching students Latin, Boston Latin's curriculum offers a contemporary approach to classical studies.

Other charter proposals include an arts-based elementary school in Northern Liberties, an elementary school with a multicultural focus, and an alternative high school aimed at helping older students complete the credits they need to earn their high school diplomas.

Philadelphia is already home to 55 charter schools that are educating approximately 24,000 students this academic year.

William Tomasco, an official in the district's charter school office, said six of the proposals are new. Four, including the Northern Liberties and the multicultural school, were resubmitted by groups that had been turned down in the past.

"It is such a community effort, it doesn't die," Monika Kreidie, a member of the Northern Liberties group, said last night. She said the proposal has the backing of 125 families.

Ismail Kul, who teaches physical chemistry at Widener University in Chester, said he and a small group of area faculty members and scientists from local corporations, including DuPont, were seeking to open a rigorous college-prep high school with a focus on math, science and technology.

He said the group had found that high school students "were weak in math and some science courses. We thought we can offer the community a college prep charter that will enhance their training and expand their academic goals."

He said Truebright Science Academy has proposed opening in the fall with 200 students in the vicinity of Einstein Hospital.

Under the school district's new charter policy, a 13-member panel will read and evaluate all the proposals. Those receiving at least a score of 3 on a 4-point scale will advance to public hearings scheduled for Nov. 15. In the past, hearings were held on all charter applications.

Tomasco said that applicants can earn extra points for proposing charters for areas where there are few existing charters or for plans that would help relieve overcrowding in district schools.

He said the School Reform Commission was expected to vote on the charter applications in January.

The commission approved two of the 11 proposals submitted last year.

Charter schools are funded by taxpayers, but they are independent schools that are not subject to all the laws and regulations that apply to traditional schools.

Many charters are organized around a specific theme.

Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or at martha.woodall@phillynews.com.