By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com
A final vote to decide the future of The Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys will take place on Jan. 14.
The vote will be live streamed and comes after a second public hearing, held on Jan. 8, at the Baltimore City Public Schools District Office. The all-boys charter school is asking the school board to give them another chance after avoiding closure back in 2023.
“Baltimore Collegiate was instrumental in my growth when we talk about building courage, integrity, leadership, hard work and grit. I wouldn’t be able to possess all of these skills without my matriculation at Baltimore Collegiate,” said D’jibril Barry, a Baltimore Collegiate alum who attended the school from 2014 to 2018.
Barry, now a 22-year-old senior at Delaware State University, is slated to graduate in May and attend Rutgers Law School. He traveled over an hour to the public meeting from Delaware to share his personal testimony on the impact that Baltimore Collegiate had on him.
“This is a school that should stay open for all Black boys throughout Baltimore, especially during a time where Black men aren’t going to college, aren’t going to high school, aren’t doing the things they need to do,” said Barry. “A former Baltimore Collegiate faculty member gave me $10,000 for study materials in order for me to be able to prepare for law school and do what I need to do for me to make it here.”
Another Baltimore Collegiate alum and current sophomore at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore credited the school for changing the outlook on his life and inspiring him to want to become a children’s trauma therapist. He was part of an event held on Jan. 7 to highlight the achievement of school alumni.
Baltimore Collegiate is a school that prides itself on providing Baltimore boys from grades four through eight with personal development skills and mentorship that may not be available to them elsewhere.
At the Jan. 8 public hearing, Baltimore Collegiate President Kelvin Bridgers addressed academic performance concerns, citing that students are vastly improving in their mid-year assessments. Bridgers provided test scores to the board showing that students were performing in the 22nd percentile in math at the beginning of the year but those scores rose to 55th percentile by winter break. Additionally, reading scores went from the 29th percentile to the 50th within the same time frame.
Chief Executive Officer Edwin Avent boasted the number of Baltimore Collegiate alumni that go on to graduate high school, citing that 85 percent to 92 percent finish as opposed to the 61.35 percent of economically disadvantaged Black boys that graduate throughout Baltimore City.
“I urge you to look honestly at our data and I urge you to ask yourself this question: with this school and its outcomes with this plan and this much support, if we can’t keep this school open, what message are we sending about our commitment to Baltimore?” Avent told the school board.
Avent claimed that Baltimore Collegiate projects to raise over half a million dollars each year over the next two years through “community fundraising, major gifts and foundation support.” He also said there is a plan in place for a buyer to purchase the charter school’s building which will reduce rent by $20,000 a month.
Baltimore Collegiate staff, students and alumni are hoping that improvements in academic performance and a plan to address poor financial management will keep the school open for the foreseeable future. The school currently enrolls about 300 boys, which is considered low. The reported allowed minimum is 480.
The board will vote on whether to renew the charter for Baltimore Collegiate on Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Click here to watch the Board meeting live.
A petition pleading for the school to remain open currently has over 1,600 signatures.