Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School

“Lighthouse Charter School loses director applicant, board member.” Cape Cod Today (MA) 6/28/11

Director applicant withdraws, three board members not replaced / Are things coming apart at the Cape's only charter middle school?

The school room where last night's Cape Cod Charter School's (CCLCS) Board of Director's meeting was held had the feeling of a bunker with beleaguered people hunkered down to avoid an attack. The skylight was half covered with a tarp to protect us, and gave added meaning to the board's earlier decision to have their last director Kathy McNamara find a new home for the school.

But that prospect seems dimmer than ever as it was announced that the board's choice to replace recently resigned director McNamara had pulled her name out of consideration as the school's 8th director in its 16 years of existence...

Present Chatham school principal Lisa Sjostrom was expected to be introduced at last night's meeting, but instead board president Norman Michaud said she had withdrawn her application...

Perhaps more ominous, three members of last night's eight member board are retiring after the meeting, and the nominating committee reported that no new names would be submitted for consideration until at least the September board meeting.

The next three months are important in the negotiations to buy the Regal Cinema building on Route 137 in Harwich, and these departing board members were on the school's building committee.

All this while contending with the demands of newly unionized teachers and trying to raise two million dollars to buy the Regal Cinema building which the school has under a sales and purchase agreement...

The school plans no salary increases, but that depends on the ongoing negotiations with staff which has recently joined an ALF/CIO teacher's union.

One assumes the negotiations will be more vigorous than in the past. One of the reasons suggested for the teachers joining a union was resentment over funding for the new school building in Harwich rather than pay raises for the teachers.

Some teachers have reportedly complained about the extra work which may accrue to them with the new Harwich location drawing more Mid Cape students needing extra tutoring and/or special ed...