Worcester Cultural Academy to open in 2 diocese-owned buildings. What does its lease say?

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify the reasons that the Worcester Public Schools no longer lease space in diocese-owned buildings.

WORCESTER — The new Worcester Cultural Academy charter school will hold classes in two buildings owned by the Diocese of Worcester this fall, at the former sites of St. Joseph’s School and the La Familia Dual Language School.

But a review of the lease for the former St. Joseph's School, at 81 Plantation St., showed that language previously stipulating the charter school would not provide teacher materials "inconsistent" with the doctrines or teachings of the Catholic Church had been removed.

In addition to 81 Plantation St., the school will also occupy space at the former St. Stephen School, 355 Grafton St., for the 2023-24 school year. It will occupy the Grafton Street building, which until recently was home of the public schools' La Familia Dual Language School, on a short-term lease, due to renovations on Plantation Street.

Pamela Boisvert, chairperson of the Worcester Cultural Academy board of directors, confirmed the news in a statement:

“It is not uncommon for new charter schools to need some bridge space in the first year while they work to ready permanent space. We are working on a short-term lease of school space directly across the street at 355 Grafton St. This allows us to complete renovations at the 81 Plantation Street building that address the long-term needs of our students without impacting teaching and learning in the short term.”

It has not been decided which grades will be in which building yet and the specific length and cost of the lease at Grafton Street and is still being negotiated, Boisvert said.

The work being done at 81 Plantation St. includes internal reconfiguration to create classroom space, general repairs and replacing equipment.

St. Joseph's School lease lasts five years

The charter school provided the lease for the Plantation Street building.

The school began leasing the building July 1 and will continue to lease it for the next five years, until June 30, 2028.

For the first year, the school will pay $275,000 in rent to the Diocese of Worcester.

Rent is due to increase each school year, with the school paying $300,000 the second year, $303,000 the third, $306,030 the fourth and $309,090.30 the fifth year.

The lease for the Plantation Street building also includes use of nearby 10 DuPont St., also known as the “gymnasium” building, according to the lease. The gymnasium also includes a parish hall, with a cafeteria and multipurpose room.

How many students will go to the school, and what will the teachers be paid?

The school also provided its nearly $3.2 million budget for the coming school year.

The school confirmed it will open with 140 students, a slight increase from the number reported last month. The enrollment includes 50 kindergartners, 24 first graders, 23 second graders, 24 third graders and 19 fourth graders.

The school anticipates $3.1 million in expenses for the year including salaries, rent and utilities, and instructional materials. The school expects to end the year with a surplus of $42,825

The data shows that the school has hired 12 out of the 24 budgeted positions, 19 of which are full time. There are offers pending for two other positions.

A teacher with a bachelor of arts degree and no prior experience can expect to be paid $50,140, while a teacher with a master of arts degree and no prior experience can expect $52,815.

The pay matrix includes 12 steps, with each step corresponding to one year of experience. A teacher with 12 years of experience and a bachelor of arts degree can expect to be paid $76,005, while a teacher with the same experience and a master of arts degree can expect $78,747.

In comparison, the new Worcester Public Schools teacher contract stipulates that a teacher with a bachelor's degree and no prior experience will make $54,363, while a new teacher with a master's degree will make $61,497.

At the top of the nine-step scale, a teacher with a bachelor's degree will make $85,176 and one with a master's degree will make $92,636.

Worcester Public Schools no longer using diocese buildings

Concerns had previously been raised about the public schools using diocese-owned buildings.

In January, Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez stopped a plan to have students from the La Familia school shuttled to another location for sex education classes.

Diocese leaders, including Bishop Robert McManus, have encouraged families to opt students out of courses that are part of the district’s comprehensive sex education curriculum.

"I find the program to be morally unacceptable for our Catholic children or any child," McManus said in 2021, in a letter sent to Worcester families.

The district's lease for the Grafton Street building was terminated by the diocese, and since the lease for the the Alternative School at St. Casimir’s was expiring this year, the district decided not to renew.

A group known as Free Worcester, which was critical of the new charter school, also previously pointed to the language in a draft lease agreement about the types of material the school could teach in the building, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest.

The school said the language had been removed in the final draft of the lease and a review of the lease confirmed that the language was not present.

Is the state auditor investigating Worcester Cultural Academy and Old Sturbridge Village?

The school has come under scrutiny from city and school leaders over its financial ties to Old Sturbridge Village.

In February, the Worcester School Committee voted unanimously to call upon the state auditor, the Office of the Inspector General and the State Ethics Commission to investigate those ties. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said she would evaluate the concerns.

So far, no one from the charter school or Old Sturbridge Village has been contacted by DiZoglio's office or any state entities in connection with the issue.

When asked about the situation, DiZoglio provided the following statement:

"Following conversations with the Worcester School Committee, State Delegation and community members, our office is in the initial phases of conducting an audit pertaining to approval processes and procedures regarding the issues they've raised."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Cultural Academy: Budget details, lease with diocese