BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Board of Education granted Enterprise Charter a 3-year charter renewal and Westminster Community a 4-year charter renewal on Wednesday.
The two schools are now on a deadline to reach academic goals or possibly face closure. They were the focus of Wednesday afternoon's Board of Education meeting.
These two charter schools were sent to close in June 2021 when the board determined they were underperforming.
Following a lawsuit, these districts were able to stay open so long as they met academic achievement targets.
PREVIOUS STORY: Westminster Community and Enterprise charter schools receive charter renewals following lawsuit
The school board released the charter schools test scores Wednesday evening.
In math, Enterprise is 15.8% below the Buffalo Public School District and 15% below in English Language Arts (ELA).
As for Westminster Community Charter School, math scores are 6.1% above the school district. However, ELA scores are 0.3% below the district average.
School leaders shared their voices with 7 News' Pheben Kassahun this evening on their plans for academic improvement.
Westminster Community Charter School Principal Teresa Gerchman said, "We have a very clear amount of time to get the work done that we need to. We know we can be better and we know we will be better."
Now that Westminster Community Charter School and Enterprise Charter have won renewal to stay open for at least the next few years, the work can really begin on improving proficiency rates.
"We were told by the state that we need to get a better handle on them, that they need to come more so under our umbrella. We want to make sure that parents get their choices but in addition to that, that they're playing fair in the sandbox and that everybody has fair opportunity to get quality education," Buffalo Public Schools Board of Education President Sharon Belton-Cottman explained.
Scores show students with disabilities at Westminster are performing well below their counterparts in the city's public schools.
Gerchman said, "I liked having the opportunity to see all of the data and where we are. It makes it much clear what we need to work on. It's not just saying, 'Yes, we are what used to be in good standing'. The problem is we still have areas where we're not meeting it. If you look at the special ed population, we are not meeting their needs so how do we change that."
Westminster Community's corrective plan includes improving student proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), math and science.
As for Enterprise Charter School:
"We know that we need to urgently improve learning at our school to make sure that our kids are really prepared to lead choice-filled lives. We're working hard on that," Enterprise Charter School CEO Jeremy Esposity explained. "We're making significant updates to our academic program to make sure every kid gets the support they need to succeed."
Enterprise Charter's corrective plan includes English Language Arts (ELA) math and science, as well as increasing student attendance and tackling chronic absenteeism.
Belton-Cottman added she believes the charter schools will be successful.
"We need to make sure that they realize that there is a process towards success. There's an equation towards success. If we can be of help, we want to be of help, but at the end of the day, do the work. It requires work and it requires spending money to get it done. Instead of sitting on your assets, start using that money to educate children and get them to where they need to be," Belton-Cottman said.
