East Boston’s Excel Academy Charter School has received endorsement from Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester for expansion into Chelsea and Boston. The application, backed by Commissioner Chester late last week, requires final approval from the Massachusetts Department of Education scheduled for February 28. “Along with the expansion of other high-performing charter school organizations in the area, this news marks a truly great day for families across the greater Boston area,” said Excel’s CEO Dai Ellis. Pending DOE approval, Excel will open a middle school in Chelsea this fall, with a second, larger facility serving grades 5-12 opening in Boston the following year. These two new schools would quadruple Excel’s current enrollment.
According to Ellis, preparations for the Chelsea location are already underway. “Excel has already been gearing up to open its second school in Chelsea this August,” said Ellis. “Stephanie Morgan, who will be leading the Chelsea school, has been working closely with our existing school’s principal Komal Bhasin to prepare for her new role.” Morgan has begun assembling her founding team and is in advanced stages of securing a facility. The response from Chelsea families has been strong. “We already have more than enough applications to fill our inaugural fifth grade class,” said Ellis. “After only a few weeks of applications being available, over 15 percent of current 4th graders in Chelsea have applied for a spot in the fifth grade class at Excel Academy–Chelsea.”
The Chelsea expansion should relieve capacity at Excel’s Eastie location, which currently serves students from both communities. Excel is relocating its Eastie school from Saratoga Street to the former St. Mary’s Star of the Sea school building. The Boston Archdiocese sold the former parochial school and adjacent convent to Excel for a reported $1.8 million. Students from Chelsea will continue to be served at the Eastie facility.
In January, Excel signed a purchase and sale agreement and began securing community backing. At a neighborhood meeting that month, residents reviewed proposed designs featuring the convent’s demolition, a new glass solarium entrance, and landscaped grounds. Neighbors in the Star of the Sea area expressed enthusiasm about the vacant three-year-old building’s return to educational use. According to the Boston Redevelopment Authority and project architects, construction could begin in July if community approval proceeds smoothly, with the building and grounds ready by August 2012 for the 2012/2013 school year opening.
Ellis indicated Excel’s ambitions extend further. “We plan to apply for additional charters over time,” said Ellis. “We are building our network of supporters, creating a strong pipeline of talented teachers and school leaders, and developing systems to ensure that we preserve what has made Excel so distinctive as we grow.” Commissioner Chester’s decision represents a significant turning point, Ellis suggested. “Families will have a rapidly growing opportunity to ensure that their children have access to the highest quality education,” said Ellis. “While Massachusetts has always been a pioneer in education, Boston now has a real chance to become a leader in closing the achievement gap.”