Erie School Board Hears Gary Horton's Charter Proposal

    DECEMBER 13, 2012- On the heels of the school board hearing a proposal for a charter school from one community activist, another proposes his...

    The Erie school board was all ears as former board member Gary Horton proposed his plan for a new charter school that would reach out to the refugee population of Erie. 

    Gary Horton says his school would help refugee children live out the American dream.     His charter school would focus on individualized learning, teaching students English as a second language.

    Horton's school would take in student's k thru 8 and is said to embrace culture, tradition and rigorous training in learning English.

"It's important to reach out to this kind of community to speak to the aspirations of youth," says Horton.

    Kalif Hassan is a 16-year-old who moved to Erie 8 years ago from Kenya.  He says the school is necessary and wishes it would have been available when he first moved here.

"But if we make a new charter school they're going to have teachers that speak different languages so we can help new kids with everything they need," says Hassan.

    Horton's Charter School would operate out of the now vacated St. Johns Holy Rosary School at 504 East 27th Street.

    "800 new families expected next year and we're trying to work with the public school system to helping them out," says Horton.

But the board argued that Horton's plan is already in use and there are already programs in place.

"We also have ESL ELL programs so we have to weigh out what they offer and what we currently offer," says board member Robbie Fabrizi.

    With more than 1,000 refugee students in the district and the population growing, Horton says a specialized charter school is needed.

    The board could vote down Horton's charter.

    The board must wait until after January to make an official vote.