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Critics have distributed fliers accusing outsiders of denigrating their schools by saying an American education is inferior to that of Russia, China, and Germany. At a forum last week, assistant superintendent John Petrin demanded to know, "Where's this proposal coming from? Where is the need? It's coming from the outside."

Audience members said Sigalovsky's school would be based on a model that is as discredited and obsolete as Communism. "She talked about Germany, how they teach in . . . China and Japan. I don't want my kids educated like Germans," said Tom Leveillee, 77, a retiree and World War II veteran.

By meeting's end, Sandra Witkos, an academy supporter, was furious. "They may have well said `Commies!' " said the Marlborough mother of three.



Boston Globe
January 13, 2004
A rigorous way to teach
Soviet-schooled educator angers some with charter school proposal

By Suzanne Sataline, Globe Correspondent | January 13, 2004

MARLBOROUGH -- The Soviets ordered them to leave most everything behind. When Julia Sigalovsky fled the Soviet Union in 1989 she took only her husband, their son, Linda the collie, six suitcases, $400, and a titanium-strength foundation in math and physics. The latter proved to be her most valuable asset as she navigated refugee camps and multiple career changes to establish herself in Massachusetts.
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Moscow School No. 2, she realized, gave her the tools to become a geochemist, then an MIT ceramics process researcher, then the founder of her own environmental engineering firm. Two years ago, while trying to find a rigorous kindergarten for her second son, she thought: What if she created a school where children received the training she did? What if they studied a subject not just for one year, but for five or six?

"I believe kids in elementary and middle school are just wasting their time in school. Everybody feels they're supposed to have fun," said Sigalovsky, 48, a Sudbury resident. "They're capable of learning at a much higher level."

Sigalovsky's charter school proposal for the Advanced Math and Science Academy, serving grades 6 to 12, is being discussed this week at state Department of Education public hearings. Her radical idea has created a counterrevolutionary storm in Marlborough and nearby towns.

The math and science academy -- like charter proposals for Cambridge, Lynn, and Springfield being debated tomorrow and Thursday -- has plenty of opponents for reasons fiscal, political, and philosophical. But unlike the other plans, Sigalovsky's idea has unleashed a torrent of patriotic pique.

Critics have distributed fliers accusing outsiders of denigrating their schools by saying an American education is inferior to that of Russia, China, and Germany. At a forum last week, assistant superintendent John Petrin demanded to know, "Where's this proposal coming from? Where is the need? It's coming from the outside."

Audience members said Sigalovsky's school would be based on a model that is as discredited and obsolete as Communism. "She talked about Germany, how they teach in . . . China and Japan. I don't want my kids educated like Germans," said Tom Leveillee, 77, a retiree and World War II veteran.

By meeting's end, Sandra Witkos, an academy supporter, was furious. "They may have well said `Commies!' " said the Marlborough mother of three.

Sigalovsky's friend and future curriculum developer, Anna Charny, said the last time she experienced this sort of treatment was as a refusnik, a Soviet citizen who was barred from emigrating. She was also barred from studying at Moscow universities.

"This whole thing, telling us `these Eastern Europeans' is so reminiscent of what we fled," said Charny, a Cisco Systems computer scientist who received her doctorate from MIT. "There we were called `you Jews!' This is so disappointing."


The Boston Globe
A rigorous way to teach
Soviet-schooled educator angers some with charter school proposal

By Suzanne Sataline, Globe Correspondent | January 13, 2004

MARLBOROUGH -- The Soviets ordered them to leave most everything behind. When Julia Sigalovsky fled the Soviet Union in 1989 she took only her husband, their son, Linda the collie, six suitcases, $400, and a titanium-strength foundation in math and physics. The latter proved to be her most valuable asset as she navigated refugee camps and multiple career changes to establish herself in Massachusetts.

Moscow School No. 2, she realized, gave her the tools to become a geochemist, then an MIT ceramics process researcher, then the founder of her own environmental engineering firm. Two years ago, while trying to find a rigorous kindergarten for her second son, she thought: What if she created a school where children received the training she did? What if they studied a subject not just for one year, but for five or six?

"I believe kids in elementary and middle school are just wasting their time in school. Everybody feels they're supposed to have fun," said Sigalovsky, 48, a Sudbury resident. "They're capable of learning at a much higher level."

Sigalovsky's charter school proposal for the Advanced Math and Science Academy, serving grades 6 to 12, is being discussed this week at state Department of Education public hearings. Her radical idea has created a counterrevolutionary storm in Marlborough and nearby towns.

The math and science academy -- like charter proposals for Cambridge, Lynn, and Springfield being debated tomorrow and Thursday -- has plenty of opponents for reasons fiscal, political, and philosophical. But unlike the other plans, Sigalovsky's idea has unleashed a torrent of patriotic pique.

Critics have distributed fliers accusing outsiders of denigrating their schools by saying an American education is inferior to that of Russia, China, and Germany. At a forum last week, assistant superintendent John Petrin demanded to know, "Where's this proposal coming from? Where is the need? It's coming from the outside."

Audience members said Sigalovsky's school would be based on a model that is as discredited and obsolete as Communism. "She talked about Germany, how they teach in . . . China and Japan. I don't want my kids educated like Germans," said Tom Leveillee, 77, a retiree and World War II veteran.

By meeting's end, Sandra Witkos, an academy supporter, was furious. "They may have well said `Commies!' " said the Marlborough mother of three.

Sigalovsky's friend and future curriculum developer, Anna Charny, said the last time she experienced this sort of treatment was as a refusnik, a Soviet citizen who was barred from emigrating. She was also barred from studying at Moscow universities.

"This whole thing, telling us `these Eastern Europeans' is so reminiscent of what we fled," said Charny, a Cisco Systems computer scientist who received her doctorate from MIT. "There we were called `you Jews!' This is so disappointing."
Page 2 of 2 --

The charter school hopes to draw 276 students in its first year from Marlborough and the nearby towns of Hudson, Clinton, and Maynard. Rose Marie C. Boniface, Marlborough's superintendent of schools, said the district would be forced to relinquish $2.4 million of its $40 million budget for those who attend the charter school. Boniface said the decrease in enrollment dents would not great be enough for the district of 4,700 students to save money by closing schools or consolidating staff.

Some critics cite Sigalovsky's failure to widely publicize her plan until it received preliminary state approval. They say they were blindsided by a statement in her proposal that "given the wealth of high-tech resources available in the region" there is a "relatively poor quality of the available education."

Results from the 2003 MCAS show 22 percent of Marlborough's fourth graders failed compared with 16 percent statewide, and 36 percent of eighth graders failed compared with 33 percent across the state. In sixth grade only 24 percent failed, vs. 26 percent statewide.

Comparisons with surrounding communities such as Berlin, Hudson, and Sudbury that have better MCAS scores are unfair, Marlborough officials say, because the district has far more students who are immigrants, poor, or who have special education needs.

Many critics are put off by the rigor of the academy's curriculum, saying it would not truly be a public school because many children, including those with special education needs, could never keep up. The charter school would skim the cream, Boniface said, leaving the underperformers. "If you drain the top kids, your ability to be at or above the state average is diminished," she said.

Sigalovsky's concept is founded on some basic principals: that children should, and can, grasp theoretical knowledge before learning examples. That schools should teach physics, chemistry, algebra, geometry, and biology not just once in four years, but every year. That history should not be divided by country, but should survey the modern world. That literature should parallel the history courses and should focus on periods and movements instead of countries. That geography is not tangential, but an integral part of understanding world history.

Specialists in their fields would be recruited to teach. There would be some drilling, a famous aspect of Soviet education. A child would have to be enrolled by seventh grade. "If by the age of 13 they don't have the habits, the hard work, and logical thinking, it's too late," Sigalovsky said. She says they will accommodate special education needs, but if a child cannot keep up, he will not advance.

Since September, Sigalovsky has tried some of her concepts at the MetroWest School of Mathematics, a private evening program she founded in Marlborough that tutors children in grades K-10. Public school officials acknowledge that some of her students have improved. Beyond that, Sigalovsky's idea has exposed a different vein of thinking. Some in Marlborough "have a world view that America is tops in so many things," said proponent David Foster, 53, a father of six, "that people coming from other countries that are not as advantaged economically . . . couldn't possibly have an education superior to ours."

The intense reaction has, in an unexpected way, helped her cause, Sigalovsky said. "I'm getting calls from parents."

----------------------------------------------------------
The Boston Globe

December 21, 2003, Sunday ,THIRD EDITION
COMMUNITIES UNITE AGAINST CHARTER SCHOOL
In a rare show of regional unity, school districts in Marlborough and three nearby communities have banded together to fight a proposed charter school that is backed by an advocacy group behind most of the state's charters the past two years.

Public school leaders and advocates in Clinton, Hudson, Marlborough and Maynard have begun an intense campaign against the school, which would be called the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School. The school would teach some 270 sixth- and seventh-graders from those communities in a program that stresses immersion in subjects. Over time, the school plans to grow to nearly 1,000 middle- and high-school students.


The school would probably be in Marlborough and draw students primarily from the area, though all Massachusetts students would be eligible to attend.

School administrators and committee members have skewered the plan, which they say would hurt public schools already on shaky fiscal footing. School committees in Marlborough, Maynard, and Hudson have all passed resolutions calling for a one-year moratorium on new charter schools and supporting an overhaul of the state funding system for charter schools, which they say punishes traditional public schools by siphoning off money.

"To sustain further cuts to local aid would just be devastating to us," said Ann Pratt, the Maynard School Committee chairwoman. Pratt said her opposition was practical rather than philosophical, insisting that she supported charter schools under a revised funding formula.

For charter school opponents, the uncommon display of regional unity is necessary to meet what they describe as an unprecedented financial threat. Warnings from Framingham school leaders, who waged a losing campaign against a charter school, also spurred them on.

At the same time, charter school opponents are angry over the school's stated rationale: to cater to professional families who have grown unhappy with local schools or were scared away by their reputations. In a blunt criticism that has rankled districts, the school's application says that "analysis of the demographics of the area shows that professionals, although they may work in these towns, nevertheless prefer not to live in them, because of the low quality of the school education in the region."

John Petrin, Marlborough's assistant superintendent, acknowledged that the criticism has stung on a personal and professional level and had charter school opponents spoiling for a fight.

"It's not just financial; it's about reputation, too," he said. "In order for them to satisfy their own needs, they are taking shots at us, and we don't like hearing from outsiders that we're not doing our jobs."

Opposition accelerated amid fear that the state's education board will approve the charter school. The school's leading sponsor, Julia Sigalovsky, is a fellow at Building Excellent Schools, a Boston-based group that pays yearly $50,000 stipends to individuals and groups to design charter school plans and learn to run such schools. In the last two years, the group's fellows have received seven of the 10 charters awarded by the state education board.

That record stands in stark contrast to the overall rate of success for charter school applications; the state board approved just five of 50 last year. Sigalovsky's plan is among seven finalists now under review by the state.

Charter schools are publicly funded but most operate independently from district administrators and elected local officials. The state finances charter schools through tuition charges based on districts' average per-pupil spending.

Supporters say charter schools foster innovative teaching and provide a sorely needed alternative to lackluster local schools. Charter schools may indeed result in fewer students and less money to existing schools, they concede, but the schools would need less money because of lower enrollment.

The charter school would receive $6,700 to $7,700 for each student it enrolls, depending on the student's hometown.

But Petrin is worried that the charter school's criticisms of existing schools have already sullied their reputations. He objected to proponents of charter schools equating "blue collar with poor quality."

"They are trying to use our demographics against us," he said. Marlborough students perform well on standardized tests considering that many of them are not native-English speakers, he said.

The state will award new charters in February. Three public hearings on the charter school plan for the Marlborough area are scheduled for next month. If approved, the school would open next year.

In an e-mail message responding to a reporter asking for comment, Sigalovsky, a Russian native who lives in Sudbury, described the school as a "unique and innovative educational model" and said that opponents appear more upset with the concept of charter schools and how they are paid for than her plan specifically. She said that though studies have found that existing public school districts improve when new charter schools arrive, area public school administrators seem threatened by a new challenge.

"We are left to believe that the anger among public officials is generated not by the quality of our proposal, but by the fact that the opponents are not willing to face the competition as well as by the fact that the law requires that the children coming to the public charter schools take their funding with them," she said.

In previous interviews with the Globe, she described the school's curriculum as "rigorous" and said there is an untapped demand in a high-tech region for math and science expertise.

Elizabeth Milligan, a member of Maynard's Democratic Committee, said she can appreciate parents wanting educational alternatives and said that a charter school might lure some of the district's better students. But towns should work on improving their existing public schools instead of starting new ones, she said.

"At this time of budgetary setbacks and duress, this would really hurt the public schools financially, which would only make the problem worse." she said.

---------------------------------------------
November 13, 2003, Thursday ,THIRD EDITION
EDUCATORS RAIL AT BACKER OF CHARTER SCHOOL
A new proposal for a charter school has blasted the performance of local public schools, leaving administrators angry and quick to refute the accusations.

The Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School, whose final application is due tomorrow, would draw on students from Marlborough, Hudson, Maynard, and Clinton in grades 6 through 11.

The initial 49-page application, submitted in September, bluntly criticizes the performance of local public schools as a main reason that a charter school would succeed. One passage in particular has upset local administrators: "This small geographic area has a high concentration of exceptional national and worldwide recognized corporations," the application states. "However, analysis of the demographics of the area shows that professionals, although they may work in these towns, nevertheless prefer not to live in them, because of the low quality of the school education in the region."


"I clearly am not happy about the charges in the proposal," said Rose Marie Boniface, superintendent of schools in Marlborough. "It suggests that there's a dissatisfaction with the public schools, and I think that's a bold statement to make. I think they misrepresent what's going on."

Maynard Superintendent Mark R. Masterson said the passage was "nonsense."

Julia Sigalovsky, the lead sponsor of the proposed charter school, said in response to several e-mail questions that her conclusions were based largely on 2000 US Census data, which shows that 31 percent of residents in the four towns have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 33 percent statewide.

The number is lower than would be expected for communities along the high-tech Interstate 495 corridor, she stated, in large part because of the "low school quality."

She also contended that college-educated parents in the area tend to send their students to other schools, although she doesn't provide data to support the claim.

According to data from the state Department of Education, 91 percent of students living in the four towns attend public schools, which is slightly above the state average.

Sigalovsky's proposal also states that test scores from the public schools are "a sad exception" to other schools in the area, particularly in mathematics.

She uses SAT math results from 2000 as well as the average MCAS math score from last year's 8th- and 10th-graders. All scores are compared with the average from eight school districts that border the four towns, although Framingham is not included.

Aside from feeling slighted, school administrators are also concerned over the funding they would lose, should the charter school gain approval.

"With the reductions in state funding, this would in effect be another budget cut," Masterson said. "This is not the moment to be punishing towns and cities by opening a new charter school."

Charter schools receive state aid based on districts' average per-pupil spending.

For each Marlborough resident who attends, the charter school would receive $7,700, the average amount the city spends to teach each student. For Maynard, it would mean $7,300; for Hudson $7,500; and for Clinton $6,700.

Susanne Morreale-Leeber, president of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce, initially served on the board of trustees for the charter school, but she resigned in September because her "plate was pretty full."

"The schools are very upset," she said in a telephone interview. "I've encouraged [Sigalovsky] to work with what's there instead of going at this independently."

Sigalovsky, who lives in Sudbury, said that she has met with school officials in Hudson, at their request, but has not met with other administrators.

The school expects 276 students in grades 6 and 7 in its first year of operation. After six years, the school would have 966 students in grades 6 through 12.

The school's main mission is to provide a more focused curriculum, covering several subjects in depth rather than teaching a wide range of topics. Seventh-graders would start taking physics, for example, giving them five years with the subject instead of one in high school.

Sigalovsky said she has not decided where the school would be located.

The proposed charter school was among seven others chosen to submit final applications tomorrow. The charters will be awarded in February and the schools could open next year. The 10-member state Board of Education has the final say on applications.

Massachusetts now has 50 independent charter schools and seven charter schools that local school boards administer, according to the Massachusetts Charter School Association.
---------------------------------------------


October 5, 2003, Sunday ,THIRD EDITION
TWO CHARTER SCHOOLS PROPOSED

As legislators consider placing a moratorium on new charter schools, state education officials are reviewing proposals to open two new ones that would include students from Marlborough.

The two proposals call for a Russian-English bilingual school called Spark Academy, which would be for pupils in kindergarten through third grade, and a middle- and high-school called the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School. The schools would be independent of the local School Committee.

Spark Academy, which would enroll pupils from throughout the suburbs west of Boston, seeks to open next year with 432 students, according to the state Department of Education. The math and science school hopes to draw 276 students from Marlborough, Hudson, Clinton, and Maynard by next fall and expand to 828 students in subsequent years.


But Marlborough public school officials said the proposals for the new charter schools, which they learned about just last week, would have dire financial consequences if approved by the state.

"In terms of the finances, it will be devastating to the city of Marlborough, as [charter schools] have been to other districts," said School Committee member Kathleen Robey. Robey said charter schools drain state money from the traditional public schools.

Charter schools are publicly funded, but most operate independently from district administrators and elected local officials. The state finances charter schools through tuition charges based on districts' average per-pupil spending.

In Marlborough, the charter schools would receive about $8,500, the average amount the city spends to teach each student, for each Marlborough resident that enrolls. This year, the state provided partial reimbursement to participating districts for the lost state assistance.

John Petrin, Marlborough assistant superintendent, said much of a district's per-pupil costs are fixed and do not directly correlate with enrollment. If both schools opened with projected enrollments, the district could lose $3.5 million in state assistance, he said.

"The problem with charter schools is the financial responsibility," he said. "Basically we would lose between $8,500 and $9,000 for each student. Just because you take 100 kids away, it doesn't mean I can just shut down a school."

Yet judging from the state's stringent selection record, the odds of the two proposals gaining approval are slim. Last year the Department of Education endorsed just five of 35 charter school plans, according to the Massachusetts Charter School Association.

Kimberly Beck a spokeswoman for the Education Department, said officials will decide by February whether to approve any charter school plans. The state this fall has received 14 applications for new charter schools to open next fall or in subsequent years, she said.

While the state is currently proceeding with plans to review the applications, some lawmakers have called for a moratorium on new charter schools to ease the financial pressure on cash-strapped school districts. This summer, some state legislators supported imposing a funding ceiling and a three-year moratorium for the schools but neither effort succeeded. The moratorium bill is pending in the House.

Massachusetts now has 50 independent charter schools and seven charter schools that local school boards administer, according to the Massachusetts Charter School Association, an advocacy group that backs the schools. Under a state law that caps the number of charter schools, that leaves 63 spots available.

While opponents say charter schools unfairly strip traditional public schools of their financial base, supporters say charter schools foster competition and innovative teaching, and give families, particularly those who cannot afford private schools, an alternative to local schools.

"Wealthy people in Massachusetts already have school choice," said Marc Kenen, executive director of the Charter School Association. "Middle-class and working-class families don't."

The state has tended to approve charter schools in urban communities of average or below-average wealth. In the western suburbs, there are charter schools in Framingham and Franklin.

Kenen described the state's formula for financing charter schools as fair, saying the reduced funding for traditional public schools is commensurate with the number of students they no longer have to teach.

Robey said she sympathized with parents of students who have no choice except to attend poor-quality schools but said she had received few complaints about the quality of education in Marlborough. The school board needs more information before it takes a formal stance on the plans, she said.