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www.mybaycity.com September 4, 2003
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Bay Charter School Has 357 Students
Aims for 600 in Three Years

Academy Revitalizes Old Visitation HS
Under Banner National Chain

September 4, 2003       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Trisha Rutherford enrolls her son, Aaron, 7, in the fourth grade with Principal Bill Ignatowski of the Bay County Public School Academy
 
Assistant principal George Stevenson checks classroom monitors provided for parents in hallway.

The Bay County Public School Academy this year has 357 students in grades kindergarten through seventh and plans to have 600 students in in grades K-8 in three years.

"We totally changed the face of education in Bay County by starting all day kindergarten two years ago," said William "Bill" Ignatowski, principal and chief academic officer. "Now other districts have followed suit and parents have better options for their kids."

The school's literature notes that "students receive 20 percent more instruction time each day and attend 20 days a year more that the average public school." Students also are required to wear uniforms.

Ignatowski is justly proud of the charter school's progress over the past three years. He moved into the old Visitation High School building which had housed about 70 elementary students in the Catholic system just after the school closed in June.

"By July we had started construction and we moved in that September," said the principal.

The school is authorized by the Bay Mills Community College, approved as an authorizing agency by the state, and is managed by Mosaica which has 23 school nationwide, including 12 in Michigan. Mosaica schools use the Paragon curriculum. Paragon is an interdisciplinary approach which integrates Language Arts, Math, Science, Philosophy, Geography and History as part of a Social Studies framework with a "hands-on" approach. The goal is to enable students to see all subjects as part of their lives, rather than as separate disciplines. Mosaica schools are equipped with an Internet connected computer for every three children as well as a laptop for each teacher and administrator. The Bay County school has seven computers per classroom and technology is woven intothe curriculum.

"Our parent satisfaction is at 89 percent, third highest among the 23 Mosaica schools nationally," said Ignatowski. "We are very successful." Among reasons for the success may be that the school offers 200 days of classes and an extended school day. "We figure if we keep them longer we can make them smarter," said the ebullient principal.

The academy has no unions and operates under the "at-will" corporate model. Cash bonuses are given teachers based on student achievement, parent satisfaction and a portfolio, he said. Starting salaries are $32,000 per year, on a par with other local public school districts. The school employs 19 teachers who must be certified and meet all state public school requirements, the principal said.

The school has one unusual feature which differentiates it from other schools: a television monitoring system in every classroom. Ignatowski can turn on the monitor and watch what is happening in every classroom. Parents can view their child's class from two monitors located in the hallway. "Teachers don't even notice the cameras and this gives the parents a great way to check on their kids and the instruction going on in the classroom," said Ignatowski.

Renovation of the now unused third floor of the school is planned for completion by Christmas and that area will house the fifth, sixth and seventh grades, he said. An old gym on the property will be torn down and a new gym built in the next year.

The school is owned by Bay-Pon, Inc., a group of local investors who also financed a Mosaica school in Pontiac. Purchase of the building from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw for $700,000 is expected to be finalized soon, Ignatowski said. With renovations, the school will have $1.2 million invested. It will operate this year on a $2.5 million budget, including about $900,000 in salaries.

A large athletic field in back of the school also will be acquired from the Diocese and will provide space not only for a playground but also for a new building should it be required in the future.

Interestingly, many of the students are from the old Visitation and Handy High School neighborhoods surrounding the school, although some are from Essexville and other points farther away. Diane Geiling, administrative assistant, worked for Visitation for seven years prior to joining the academy when it opened.

Ignatowski grew up in Freeland as a neighbor and schoolmate of another well-known area educator, former Bay City School District superintendent Dr. Joe E. Gonzales. A high school athlete at Freeland, Ignatowski graduated in 1963, attended Michigan State University and earned a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling. He formerly worked in the Saginaw Township school system.

Below:(Left)First grade students at Bay County Public School Academy prepare for computer time on bank of seven computers provided in every classroom. (Right) Elementary students enjoy recess on old high school athletic field at Bay County Public School Academy.







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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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