Baltimore school board votes to not renew charter for Collegiate School for Boys

The Baltimore City Public School Board voted on Wednesday to not renew the charter for the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys (BCSB).

The board voted 6 to 4 in favor of not renewing the school's charter.

District leaders pointed to declining student achievement, a lack of resources for the school's special education program, and insurmountable financial issues with the school.

Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys opened in 2015, and it holds 362 fourth through eighth-grade students, intending to prepare them for high school and college.

School Board Commissioners vote

During Wednesday's City School Board meeting, commissioners questioned the data they received from the school district and from BCSB.

School district data shows the charter school isn't meeting expectations revealing low performance levels.

"They are certainly underperforming to a large extent across the board when it comes to a lot of the key measures," said City Schools Chief of Achievement & Accountability Officer Theresa Jones.

Board commissioners called it a difficult decision.

"I support having a boys' school," said School Board Commissioner Khalilah Slater Harrington. "I think we all want that. It is just sad that we have arrived at this point."

"What I see here, what I see in data does not demonstrate that Collegiate has made the necessary progress to continue to move along academically," said Robert Salley, the chair of school board commissioners. 

BCSB CEO disappointed

Edwin Avent, the CEO of BCSB, said he and his team had a vision for the school that would impact the city for the better.

"Our mission was to try to continue to fill a pipeline of boys going to college and hopefully becoming professionals down the road," he said.

Avemt said the school focuses on academics and teaching students about life skills.

"If you have a place where we're actually getting African American males, primarily African American males, to the point where they're becoming gentlemen. They're learning how to dress and comport themselves," Avent said. "It's extremely disappointing when that's being taken away."

Avent said he announced to students Thursday morning that the school will be closing. He said some students are still processing their feelings.

"We're proud of the work that we were able to do and the lives that we were able to impact for the about 800 plus boys that have graduated from here," Avent said. "Our word for them is continue to push on guys."

What comes next?

Avent said he's already having conversations on what this closure will look like in terms of cleaning out school furniture.

Avent said since staff members work for City Schools, they'll likely get re-assigned to another school. Families will have to look for alternative schools for their students.

Avent said he's holding onto hope. He said if there's a chance to get more funding or turn things around, he'd fight to get the school's charter back.

Former students reminisce about BCSB 

Last week, former students put together an event in an effort to save the public charter school.

They credited the school with their success.

"Honestly, this brotherhood created who I am today," former student Domenic Caerry, who graduated from BCSB in 2020 and now attends the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, told WJZ. "I wouldn't be trying to be a children's trauma therapist today. I wouldn't be in college, and also I would be an angry boy. I was real angry before BCSB."

The school hosted its annual alumni breakfast, with many former students returning to credit the school with their success. 

BCSB is the only all-male charter school in Maryland. The school works to create an environment that teaches more than academics. It supports its students emotionally and psychologically, taking into account their home life and possible challenges. 

According to the school, nearly 90% of the boys who leave BCSB graduate from high school, and 50% of them go on to a two- or four-year college. 

"I don't think I would be as successful and as upfront about the things I want without this school," said former student Tori Holmes, who attends Loyola. "Without this school, I wouldn't be as willing to try new things, even if I fail at them, at least I know I tried."