(WBFF) — After serving the community for years, the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys is set to close following a vote from the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners.
During a meeting Wednesday, school officials cited low academic achievement and financial struggles in the decision not to renew the charter. Officials said the school was “underperforming,” and said data reflected that the majority of schools in the school system were performing better than them.
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“My reaction to the board’s vote last night is one of disappointment,” said Edwin Avent, CEO of the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys. “If you look at our data, and you compare the same demographic of young male, African American, economically disadvantaged, and you looked at it across the board, at those pieces of data, you’ll see that we either surpass some of their schools, or we’re equal to some of their schools.”
Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises, who supported closing the school, argued that renewing the charter would set a precedent by keeping schools open that are not meeting district standards.
During previous school board meetings, other community members, including Baltimore City Councilwoman Odette Ramos, advocated for the school.
“It’s very important, the school is important to the neighborhood, it is important to the families, it is important to our young men, the success of the young men who have been through that school,” Ramos said.
“We feel like we really provide a great service to Baltimore City by being able to get hundreds of boys ready to, you know, Go in, go out into society as good, constructive citizens,” Avent said. “We call up all of our guys collegiate gentlemen. And you know, we’ve been helping them to grow from little boys into gentlemen by the time they leave us, and then they’re sticking in high school, and they’re graduating at a 90% rate. And so we really believe that we’re doing a great service to the boys.”
This isn’t the first time this discussion has come up. A few years ago, the fate of the school was also up for debate. However, this time, officials argued the school had not made enough progress.
“I’d like to encourage the citizens of Baltimore to keep you know demanding you know the best for the students, and particularly for young males in this city, I think we all owe it to the young males in this city to give them the best possible opportunity, with regards to their social and emotional learning, their mentorship, their guidance, to help them make it into manhood safely,” Avent said.
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