Chinese Charter School Denied Expansion

According to DOE Minutes 2/28/11

Request for Review: Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School

Commissioner Chester said the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School was first chartered in 2007. The commissioner said the school requested a charter amendment to add 120 seats, he denied the request for the reasons presented in the memo, and the school has exercised its right to seek a review of that decision from the Board.

Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School Executive Director Richard Alcorn read a statement and said it was challenging for the school to not be able to look out five years to develop its program. Commissioner Chester said his decision is based on the fact that the school is operating under its first charter and there is not yet sufficient evidence to support the amendment. The commissioner said the school has not yet reached its maximum enrollment and has yet to undergo a comprehensive review. Commissioner Chester said the school has five years to demonstrate its success under its initial charter.

Ms. Chernow asked whether the 6th grade entry was new. Mr. Alcorn said the school is seeking to backfill vacant seats, per the new state law. Associate Commissioner Jeff Wulfson said the school was chartered for K-8 and did not require additional approval for 6th grade entry. He said the school may have made a commitment to the U.S. Department of Education but it was in anticipation of approval that the Board had not yet granted.

Secretary Reville said the state has been supportive of this school and its Chinese immersion program, and the school is not yet bumping up against its maximum enrollment. The secretary asked if there is precedent to grant an expansion amendment to a school in its first 5-year charter. Associate Commissioner Wulfson said he could not recall such a precedent. Commissioner Chester said there is great value to language immersion but it is premature to expand the school’s charter right now.

On a motion duly made and seconded, it was:

VOTED: that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in accordance with General Laws chapter 71, section 89, and 603 CMR 1.00, hereby denies, for the reasons presented by the Commissioner, the request by the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School to increase their enrollment from 300 to 420 students.

The vote was 10-0-1. Ms. Kaplan abstained.

Original Memo of denial from Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester

To: PVCIC listserve
Sent: Sun, May 22, 2011 7:04 pm
Subject: PVCI Family Association Discussion with Executive Director Thurs May 26

Meeting with PVCICS Executive Director

Thursday May 26 at 8:30AM, Richard Alcorn will be available to talk with parents regarding recent newspaper articles around the proposed expansion of PVCICS. Richard will discuss ways in which parents can help support the school in its efforts to respond to issues raised in the article. The proposed addition of a high school will affect all PVCICS families- not just current middle-school students. Please attend. (Richard will be available at 5:45PM on the same day for parents who cannot attend the morning meeting)

The morning after

North Pleasant Street (opposite former Frat Row)

Allen Street (Gateway District)

Phillips Street (Gateway District)

Party night of the semester?

10:30 PM Hobart Lane checkpoint

With all available APD boots on the ground including both Captains and the Chief, reinforced by five state police and one k9 unit the town is under control.

Anyone trying to enter Hobart Lane for the mythic "Hobart Hoedown 2011" has to cross a police checkpoint and if their names are not on the tenant street list someone who lives in the apartments must come down to vouch for them (In the hour I was there many quickly turned away.)

The bars in downtown Amherst are not turning any students away, however.

11:00 PM McMurphy's
Stacker's Pub

Gateway: A shift in focus

Kendrick Park: green triangle your left, center right: 2 L shaped buildings 1 parking garage on frat row, green common in front

After intensive discussion with stakeholders, town officials, ARA members and a diverse cross section of Amherst residents we now have a preliminary plan, and the focus has shifted a tad closer to Amherst town center with less emphasis on commercial development and no student undergraduate housing, thus allaying fears of downtown business owners concerned about competition and nearby neighbors fearing rowdy undergrads.

The former Frat Row would maintain green space, a "new common," on the entire strip of frontage contiguous with North Pleasant street (and a smaller green "plaza" on the other side of the street) with mixed-used buildings and a parking garage on the rear two thirds.

But the new shift in attention is now to the west side of Kendrick Park and the intersection of East Pleasant/North Pleasant/Triangle streets with hopes for a "signature building" on the rise overlooking the northern tip of Kendrick Park currently occupied by the University Lodge hotel owned by hotel magnate Curt Shumway,president of the Hampshire Hospitality Group, who carries the surname of one of the founding families of Amherst.

East Pleasant straight , North Pleasant (on your left) Kendrick Park southern end (center)

East and North Pleasant intersection looking towards UMass, hotel behind house

University Lodge (owned by Curt Shumway)
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Final chance for public comment:

Saturday, 4/30 – Draft Plan Presentation

8:30–10:00 AM Review of Open House Results
10:00 AM–3:00 PM Finalize Plan
Finalize street design
Renderings and sketches
Finalize land use calculations
3:00–6:00 PM Printing & Powerpoint preparation
6:00 – 9:00 PM Draft Plan Presentation

Gateway intensive visioning

Town Manager John Musante and Giani Longo of ACP

Last night's three-hour kick off charrette--1st of three--started out with a bang as it looked for a moment like the public meeting would become part two of the Jerry Springer show when Town Manager John Musante was interrupted in his opening remarks by Murray Eisenberg (an immediate neighbor) demanding to know the status of "undergrad housing" within the Gateway.
Murray Eisenberg sits after causing a scene (and soon left the meeting)

Musante took advantage of the jarring segue to announce the "Memorandum of Understanding" signed by Chancellor Holub, former Town Manager Larry Shaffer and ARA Chair John Coull on September 1, 2010 was now "off the table," meaning specifically private student housing would no longer target undergraduates--the major concern of vocal neighbors (assuming developers can stay within state and federal housing law).

And since deputy chancellor Todd Diacon was in attendance and did not throw his magic marker at Musante, it probably has UMass approval. At previous ARA meetings Diacon clearly stated that undergrad housing is not the main interest of his employer.

Todd Diacon, UMass deputy chancellor (center)

Between 70-90 folks crowded into the Bangs Community Center where they sat at random around ten tables, each with a large color zoning map of the north end of Amherst. First assignment was to define the Gateway area. Obviously the UMass owned former Frat Row was ground zero and one table envisioned the area as only that (called "minimalist" by ACP consultant Gianni Longo) and it would stay open green space, while the majority of tables drew broader lines both north and south, east and west or combinations of the two.

The "Preliminary Assessment for Urban Renewal Eligibility" shows (as neighbors pointed out early on) that no "blighted" properties exist in the region, as blighted only applies to vacant structures.

And in the immediate area directly opposite Frat Row a good number of properties are identified as "exhibiting decadent conditions" meaning poorly maintained structures with either peeling paint, broken windows, dangling electrical wires, etc.

In order for the state to approve an "Urban Renewal Plan" and allow the ARA full use of all its tools--including eminent domain--the area must be deemed in need of rehabilitation on a grand scale. But since the "area" has not yet been defined, that process will take place at a later date.

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The fun continues today into the night:

Friday, 4/29 – Open House

8:30–10:00 AM Review of workshop results w/ ARA
10:00 AM–4:00 PM Preliminary Plan Development
Alternative development;
Land use considerations (Schematic Plan)
Transportation considerations (The complete street)
Sketch up 3-D model
4:00-6:00 PM Printing & Open House Preparation
6:00 – 9:00 PM Open House presentation
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Color schematic of the Gateway area showing properties with decadent conditions

9/1/10 Memorandum Of Understanding (not to be confused with a legally binding contract):
click link below to read original agreement:
Agreement with UMass/ARA/Town

Bad spirits be gone

351 Northampton Rd, Amherst Gourmet, d/b/a Ginger Garden.

About 35 years ago Steak Out restaurant chain opened perhaps the first franchise allowed in Amherst--although it practically straddles the Hadley line--at 351 Northampton Road . They only lasted about a year but had signed a long-term, iron-clad lease, thus the landlord made out just fine letting such a prime location sit empty.

Prospective tenants had to beat the guaranteed amount coming in from the absentee corporation, thus the owner had no incentive to entertain reasonable offers.

In the late 70s, just after UMass had undergone a dramatic growth spurt, bars in Amherst could serve 18-year-old's, host all-you-can-drink "happy hours" and promote discount drink specials. Back then a liquor license was a permit to print money. So more than a few entrepreneurs risked the high rent and opened a bar in that location targeting students. And they all failed.

Locals--not privy to the high rent etched in stone--started to whisper the location was haunted. Joey D's was the last student bar, and at the very end they had become so desperate for business they advertised 4-for-1 drink specials.

The jinx was broken when China Dynasty opened almost 20 years ago (the owner purchased the building after yet another restaurant failed), but the curse could not be totally denied as China Dynasty closed suddenly a couple years ago.

So best of luck to Ginger Garden, opening soon. May the cycle be once again broken.
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After 30 years in business Charlie's tavern in town center suddenly served their last drink. Another proprietor immediately wished to reopen another drinking establishment and ran into the bureaucracy known as Amherst; but it seems they will open soon--just in time for the summer lull.

Restaurants, bars and health clubs. Types of businesses than never need fear the disruptive power of the Internet. Unlike newspapers, record-book-or-video stores.

Food For Thought Books recently announced they were $250,000 behind in payments to suppliers and now hope for salvation via fundraising, kind of like the downtown typewriter shop.Video To Go, an Amherst institution, succumbed to bricks and mortar competition from national chain, Blockbuster Video who later became extinct like the dinosaurs due to Internet competition from Netflix.

And Pleasant Street Theater Video, the last remaining video store in Northampton, also a Valley legend, is up for sale (kind of like JP Morgan trying to sell RMS Titanic moments after she scraped that iceberg.) And will no doubt be replaced by yet another business--probably not a video store.
It's been a fact of life since the days of JP Morgan: The majority of start-up businesses fail to celebrate their second anniversary. But still they come. Such is the cycle of life...and death.

Town flag inches forward

Although it seems to be taking longer than the American Revolution, the Amherst town flag quest received positive feedback at the 4/20 Select Board meeting, even from Alisa Brewer who was a tad crabby about the process a couple months back.

Although you have to wonder what she meant by the Amherst schools not being interested in purchasing town flags considering their devotion to American flags, since state regulations do require an American flag in every home room.

The six town flags will cost $88.48 each and costs will be covered by the Amherst Chamber of Commerce ($530.88) and the Amherst Rotary Club will cover the slightly more expensive one for the State House Great Hall of Flags.

Nationally renowned designer Barry Moser has agreed to volunteer his professional artistic talent to design the flag (based on citizen submissions earlier in the process) as long as the town can wait until the fall. And since it has been this long in the making...