Thomas MacMillan Photo
Just as a plan to sell a vacant Dixwell Avenue school to a charter organization seemed to be nearing the finish line, a driver put the brakes on.
That driver was Newhallville Alderwoman Brenda Foskey-Cyrus (pictured). On Monday night, in an about-face, Foskey-Cyrus derailed the forward progress of a $1.5 million charter school deal she had previously championed, by having the deal sent back to committee for another hearing.
That surprising turn took place at a full meeting in City Hall of the Board of Aldermen. After a stormy public committee meeting a week earlier, the deal was supposed to move forward Monday night with a “first reading,” setting the stage for a full final approval two weeks later.
Along with Alderwoman Delphine Clyburn, Foskey-Cyrus has been spearheading a proposed deal to sell the vacant Martin Luther King school on Dixwell Avenue to the Achievement First charter school organization, which plans to raze it and raise a new school — Amistad High — in its place.
For months, Foskey-Cyrus and Clyburn have been holding community meetings and shepherding the plan through the approval process. Last week, the aldermanic Community Development Committee, which Foskey-Cyrus chairs, voted unanimously to recommend the approval of the deal over last-minute objections from a group of Newhallville clergy.
Then at Monday night’s meeting, Foskey-Cyrus moved to send the matter back to her committee, a motion her colleagues approved unanimously.
She reversed course, she said, because she first wants to make sure the final details are settled in a “community benefits agreement” between neighbors and Achievement First. Those details may be proving thornier to finalize than expected; Monday night’s move puts pressure on both sides to strike a deal.
Foskey-Cyrus said she’s looking for guaranteed spots at the new school for neighborhood kids, guaranteed jobs for neighborhood adults, and answers on why the property in question has been assessed at several different values; the proposed sale price is based on a lower value from an Achievement First appraisal, rather than a higher value from a city appraisal.
Reshma Singh, vice president of external affairs for Achievement First, said the charter organization has offered to give a lottery preference to local kids and has a record of exceeding equal opportunity hiring requirements for the construction of its schools. She said the proposed price for the property is based on the highest assessment the organization received for the land, minus the cost of environmental cleanup.
Singh said time is of the essence in approving the deal. Achievement First is already behind on its target timeline, which would have the new school open by the summer of 2014.
The proposed deal is now headed back to the Community Development Committee. The Board of Aldermen might still approve the deal at its Dec. 17 meeting — if Achievement First can quickly come to an agreement with Newhallville alderwomen.
“Just Making Sure”
Clyburn.
The Achievement First deal was up for “first reading” at Monday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting, meaning that it had passed out of committee and would be up for a “second reading” and vote at the following meeting of the board. “First reading” items are usually simply noted officially by the majority leader, who controls the agenda.
On Monday, however, after Democratic Majority Leader Alderman Al Paolillo noted the item, Foskey-Cyrus stood to make a motion to recommit it to her committee.
“We are still negotiating the community benefits agreement with Achievement First,” she said. Among the outstanding items is the question of “why LCI [the Livable Cities Initiative] came up with an assessment different that the property developer says it’s worth.”
Foskey-Cyrus said she was looking to ensure as transparent and conclusive a process as possible. She said the deal still might be put up for a vote at the next meeting of the Board of Aldermen, on Dec. 17. If an agreement is reached, the Community Development Committee could vote to discharge the item directly to the full board for a vote, thus avoiding a repeat “first reading.”
After East Rock Alderman Justin Elicker and Downtown Alderman Doug Hausladen asked for clarification, several aldermen stood in support of the move to send the deal back to committee.
“We’re just making sure that things are well with Newhallville,” said Alderwoman Clyburn.
“There are still some things that need to be worked out,” said Foskey-Cyrus, after the meeting. “I need seats for children in my ward. I need guaranteed seats. I also need jobs for the people in my ward.”
Foskey-Cyrus said nothing had changed between last week’s approval by her committee and her move Monday night to recommit the deal, except that she “sat down and carefully read the agreement they sent to me.”
On The Table
Elm City College Prep parent Nathan Jones supports the deal.
“We’ve been negotiating in good faith,” said Singh. She was one of about 25 people in the aldermanic chamber wearing red shirts that read: “Charter Schools = Equal Public Schools.” Achievement First had organized a large number of parents and students to turn out at the meeting in support of the deal.
Singh said Achievement First and the neighborhood were about 80 percent of the way toward agreeing on a community benefits deal. There is “definitely a way for us to find common ground.”
On the question of guaranteed seats for neighborhood kids, Singh said Achievement First is offering preference in the charter school lottery for placement of Newhallville kids in Elm City Middle School, one of three feeder schools for Amistad High, the new charter high school Achievement First plans to move to its new building on Dixwell.
Singh said Newhallville teens already comprise 20 percent of the school’s student population.
Amistad draws its students from three feeder schools, two in New Haven and one in Bridgeport. The school can’t accommodate any outside students, Singh said.
As for local jobs, the high school would be built with state bonding, so 25 percent of all construction jobs have to be given to local contractors, Singh said. Achievement First’s previous school construction projects have exceeded such requirements, she said. Alderwomen asked Achievement First to add a requirement for the hiring of ex-felons, Singh said. “We’ve agreed to that as well.”
Sing said LCI came up with an assessment of the property $2.88 million. The highest of several that Achievement First received was $2.2 million. The organization took that number, subtracted the estimated $700,000 it will cost to clean up the site, and arrived at the $1.5 million proposal that LCI agreed to. Lawmakers want to know why a city asset should be sold for less than the city determines it’s worth.
Singh said Achievement First is not on track with its desired timeline for the project. The project still needs state approval, and Achievement First hopes to have the school open by summer of 2014.
Singh said she’s “cautiously hopeful” that Achievement First will be able to reach an agreement with alderwomen.
Look I'm no huge fan of charter schools but Alderwomen Delphine Clyburn and Foskey-Cyrus either didn't do proper due diligence with their prior approval, or they're being shaken down for more benefits by the local clergy. Either way, this is no way for prominent projects to be executed.