She's back.

Sandra Lassiter is preparing for her third pitch before the Topeka Unified School District 501 school board in what has become a quest to open a charter school. The 10 months that have passed since her last charter plan was rejected have helped reshape her plans and the local school board that will largely decide their fate.

 

Mike Burley / The Capital-Journal

Sandra Lassiter first became involved in charter school proposal in 2000

Still, Lassiter said, her motivation remains the same.

"There are children who are doing very well in the traditional public school," she said. "However — and I got that from one of my charter people — the 'however' kids are the kids we need to be concerned with.

"Their scores negatively impact the schools, but because we are concerned about those children as well, we are using their money and they are sitting there not getting the proper education, two and three grade levels behind," she said.

Circumstances have changed dramatically since Lassiter first was part of a group proposing a charter school in 2000. In the intervening years, the former Quinton Heights Elementary School principal resigned under pressure and then sued the district.

The district settled in 2005 — an agreement in which the district acknowledged that Lassiter had done nothing criminally wrong and stated she was committed to children. No money exchanged hands, and Lassiter waived future discrimination claims if she applied for a job and wasn't hired.

Last year, Lassiter and friend Betty Horton developed two charter proposals for using the historic Sumner Elementary School — significant for its connection to Brown v. Board of Education. Following contentious meetings with questions about the ability to get the long-vacated school back into operating condition, the plans were rejected. During the last rejection, Horton threatened to unseat a school board member in the spring elections and did just that. Another Lassiter supporter, Janel Johnson, also won a seat on the board.

Johnson said her children's former principal has a charter plan that could create a model of what can be done to help struggling children. The third time, she said, could be the charm.

"I hope it is," Johnson said. "I actually do."

Since the last rejection, Lassiter has made steps toward taking ownership of the Sumner building. This month, Community First Inc. — of which Lassiter is secretary — secured a contract to buy the old school at 330 S.W. Western from the city with the contingency that Community First come up with the millions of dollars in financing needed to put the building back into working order.

While her charter school plan identifies another possible site in southeast Topeka, Lassiter said she is focusing on getting Sumner up and running — perhaps before the six-month deadline called for in a contract with the city. She said she is working on a plan combining historic tax credits, private funding and foundation funding.

Lassiter said she believes she can have portions of Sumner ready to be occupied by a private preschool — unrelated to the charter plan because charter funding isn't available for preschools — in the spring. She would open a charter in the fall, starting with about 50 children in fourth through eighth grades.

"I'm going for Sumner," she said. "At the rate I'm going, Sumner is going to be ready."

Lassiter knows it may sound odd to start with fourth- through eighth- graders and later add kindergarten through third grades. For her reasoning, Lassiter points to the fact that only one district middle school made adequate yearly progress this year — a No Child Left Behind performance benchmark.

Here are some highlights for her vision for Sumner and the charter:

• An extended school year, running from August through June.

• Small class sizes of 10 children to each teacher.

• Strong student support, with three mentors for each student.

• Dual language instruction in English and Spanish for the younger students.

• After-school learning and activities.

• A school campus open to the community, including ballroom dancing for seniors and a police office.

• A private preschool.

More so than last year, Lassiter said she is optimistic.

"I feel like we have some board members who understand change, appreciate flexibility," she said. "I feel like maybe they understand and know it's not just me doing this."

Horton said she hasn't been involved in the charter plans since becoming a school board member. (Lassiter said she has turned to others for assistance, including another former USD 501 school administrator.) However, Horton said she still wants to check on conflict of interest policies before saying whether she will vote on the plan.

"I don't want to do anything that is not straight-up and honest and right," she said.

Board member Ned Nusbaum said discussions eventually will come down to money. Charter-school start-up funds eventually run out. At that point, the school district would have to pick up any extra expenses.

"I think when you cut through any charter application, the bottom line will be the financial cost to the school district — direct and indirect," he said. "There are so many indirect things you have to talk about, like bringing the computer cabling to the building, transportation, food service, many things like that. It's just like opening up another school."

And then comes the question of who would lead the school. Lassiter envisions herself as principal. If approved, the charter school would become a district school, and staff members would work for the district.

When asked if she would step back and let someone else take on the vision, Lassiter seemed skeptical.

"My feeling is I'm already in the trenches," she said. "If somebody had the passion like I had, they should have done it already."

Barbara Hollingsworth can be reached at (785) 295-1285 or barbara.hollingsworth@cjonline.com.