Town seeks advanced program
By Josh Shaffer
Star-Telegram staff writer
Westlake plans to create the only charter school in Northeast Tarrant County, offering an academic program so rigorous that students would need three languages to graduate.
The Board of Aldermen is scheduled to vote Monday to start the application for Westlake Academy, a 400-student school with classes from kindergarten to 12th grade, Town Manager Trent Petty said.
Westlake's goal is to start an international baccalaureate program, which Petty describes as the most challenging in the world.
If the school succeeds, Westlake would have another edge in attracting European-based businesses to the fast-growing town, he said.
"Our area is becoming more diverse, and we need to grow with it," Petty said. "I think the board is absolutely ahead of its time."
Westlake would be the first town government to seek a charter school, said Debbie Graves Ratcliffe, spokeswoman for Texas Education Agency.
There are 193 charter schools in Texas, including seven in Tarrant County, and almost all of them were founded by private citizens, she said.
Three school districts cross through Westlake: Carroll, Keller and Northwest. But the town only has about 250 residents, Petty said, so none of the districts is likely to build a school in Westlake. However, Westlake's population is expected to increase to 5,000 within five years, with housing developments such as Glenwyck Farms, a gated subdivision where home prices start at $650,000.
Charter schools are attractive because they are eligible for state money and exempt from many state requirements.
But they have had a troubled history since the state first allowed them in 1996. Studies have indicated that charter schools spend less per student, have less experienced teachers and have a higher student-teacher ratio than their public school counterparts. At least 17 of the schools have closed.
"I am just not familiar with many success stories," said Karen Simpson, deputy superintendent for Keller school district.
Westlake will be different, Petty said.
The typical Texas charter school offers courses for students who need extra help, not the academically advanced, he said.
Westlake Academy would be open to anyone who applied, attracting gifted students regionwide, Petty said.
"We're not trying to duplicate the school districts," he said. "We're not trying to compete with them. We're simply trying to offer kids an alternative."
Still, it is an ambitious plan, said Charles Bradberry, superintendent of Keller school district.
"When you begin to start competing for the best people, you're competing salarywise," he said. "You've got to have the best people to have the best programs."
Petty acknowledges that the academy would be a financial challenge for the town. The state does not assist charter schools with construction costs for a school building, which eventually would be a necessity in Westlake.
But the town plans to seek donations from private business and perhaps residents.
"We're going to be entrepreneurial in the way we finance it," Petty said. "It will not become anything mandatory as far as taxing people. That's not our intent."
The plan is in its infancy, and the town has to determine where it would build the school. Enrollment could eventually increase to 800 to 1,000 students, Petty said.
He expects opposition, he said. Northwest school district officials have said that they are concerning that Westlake, neighboring Trophy club and other affluent subdivisions would try to split from the district.
But so far, the school districts are content to wait and see.
"We've heard rumors," said Jerhea Nail, special assistant to the superintendent of Northwest school district. "Really, at this point, without seeing what their plan is, we're not able to make a comment."
Carroll and Northwest school districts are classified by the state as rich because property values exceed $295,000 per student. That means the districts must contribute money for redistribution to poorer school districts.
Northwest district will owe the state about $2 million by the end of the school year, Nail said.
Petty said the benefits of an advanced academic program in the region would outweigh any loss.
"When you go and try to seek European businesses to move to your community, the first thing they look at is your school systems," he said. "Many of those potential tenants look for a different alternative, and foreign language is huge."