Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School
Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) is a charter school founded in 2005. It is located at 201 Forest Street in Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S., in a few remodeled office buildings.
History
On February 30, 2004, the Massachusetts Department of Education granted the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School a five-year charter. Throughout the entire process, there had been a lot of controversy surrounding the school and founder Julia Sigalovsky. Opponents of the school managed to delay the opening of the school by a year by filing numerous lawsuits against the school. The school had to convince lawyers to wait until the school's funding to recoup over $30,000 in legal fees.[2]
The school finally opened on September 6, 2005, in time for the first day of school. The original class consisted of 250 sixth and seventh graders. In each successive year, one additional class of middle schoolers were added to the school. Following the 2010 school year, the school's charter was renewed for another five years.[3]
In 2014, teachers at the school unionized, organizing with the Teamsters Local 170, in response to reported poor treatment under then Executive Director John Brucato.[4]
In 2019, AMSA became the first public institution in the state of Massachusetts to own a scanning electron microscope thanks to a donation from Thermo Fisher Scientific.[5]
Mission statement
"AMSA will create an atmosphere of celebration of knowledge where children of all backgrounds and abilities excel in all subjects, especially in math, science and technology, empowering them to succeed in the workplace in our modern high-tech world."[6]
Legal challenges
A lawsuit filed by three local school districts (Maynard, Hudson, and Marlborough) charged that the Massachusetts Department of Education failed to observe its own rules in granting the charter. The municipalities lost their case when the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that municipalities have no right to judicial review of the chartering process. The MetroWest Daily News reported that local school districts have no role in the granting of a charter, that the State Board of Education has "the final decision" on granting charters.
AMSA also faced many challenges with its landlord and withheld rent for many years as the buildings were not up to standard.[7] This dispute ended in court with the landlord giving the school a large sum of money.
Notable People
Faculty
- Barbara E. McGann - former executive director; one of the first women to achieve two-star rank in the United States Navy
References
- ^ "Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - 2020-21 SAT Performance Report - All Students Statewide Report". Archived from the original on 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
- ^ "Steep learning curve – The Boston Globe". Archived from the original on 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ http://www.amsacs.org/pdf/ANNUAL_REPORT_2009-2010.pdf [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Charter school teachers turn to union for help". Archived from the original on 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
- ^ "AMSA Students Expand Scientific Exploration". 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ "Admissions - the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School". Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ "AMSA gets hefty arbitration award". Archived from the original on 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
External links
- Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School homepage
- Article from Christian Science Monitor, June 7, 2006
- Charter school suit seen, Boston Globe, March 21, 2004
- Hostility inflames charter school debate, Boston Globe, February 22, 2004.
- [1]
- v
- t
- e
- Barnstable (Barnstable
- Sturgis Charter)
- Bourne (Bourne
- Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical)
- Chatham
- Dennis-Yarmouth Regional
- Falmouth
- Harwich (Cape Cod Regional Technical
- Harwich
- Monomoy Regional)
- Mashpee
- Nauset Regional
- Provincetown
- Sandwich
- Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter
- Hoosac Valley
- Lee
- Lenox Memorial
- Monument Mountain Regional
- Mount Everett Regional
- Mount Greylock Regional
- North Adams (Drury
- Charles H. McCann Technical)
- Pittsfield (Pittsfield
- Taconic)
- Wahconah Regional
- Attleboro
- Dartmouth
- Dighton (Dighton-Rehoboth Regional
- Bristol County Agricultural)
- Fairhaven
- Easton (Oliver Ames
- Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical)
- Fall River (B.M.C. Durfee
- Diman Regional Vocational Technical)
- Joseph Case
- Mansfield
- New Bedford (Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical
- New Bedford)
- North Attleborough
- Norton
- Seekonk
- Somerset Berkley Regional
- Taunton (Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical
- Taunton)
- Westport
- Martha's Vineyard Regional
- Martha's Vineyard Charter
- Amesbury
- Andover (Andover
- Greater Lawrence Technical)
- Beverly (Beverly
- Northshore Academy)
- Danvers (Danvers
- Essex Agricultural and Technical)
- Georgetown
- Gloucester
- Hamilton-Wenham Regional
- Haverhill (Haverhill
- Whittier Regional Vocational Technical)
- Ipswich
- Lawrence
- Lynn (Lynn Classical
- Lynn English
- Lynn Vocational and Technical)
- Lynnfield
- Manchester Essex Regional
- Marblehead
- Masconomet Regional
- Methuen
- Newburyport
- North Andover
- North Shore Technical
- Peabody Veterans Memorial
- Pentucket Regional
- Rockport
- Salem
- Saugus
- Swampscott
- Triton Regional
- Frontier Regional
- Greenfield (Four Rivers Charter
- Greenfield)
- Mohawk Trail Regional
- Montague (Franklin County Technical
- Turners Falls)
- Pioneer Valley
- Ralph C. Mahar Regional
- Agawam
- Chicopee (Chicopee Comprehensive
- Chicopee)
- East Longmeadow
- Holyoke
- Longmeadow
- Ludlow
- Minnechaug Regional
- Monson
- Palmer (Palmer
- Pathfinder Vocational Technical)
- Southwick Regional
- Springfield (SABIS International Charter
- Springfield High School of Commerce
- Roger L Putnam Vocational-Technical
- Springfield Central
- Springfield High School of Science and Technology
- Springfield Renaissance)
- West Springfield
- Westfield (Westfield
- Westfield Technical)
- Amherst Regional
- Belchertown
- Easthampton
- Gateway Regional
- Granby Junior Senior
- Hampshire Regional
- Hopkins Academy
- Northampton (Northampton
- Smith Vocational and Agricultural)
- Smith Academy
- South Hadley (Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter
- South Hadley)
- Ware
- Acton-Boxborough Regional
- Arlington
- Ashland
- Ayer (Ayer Shirley Regional
- Francis W. Parker Charter)
- Bedford
- Belmont
- Billerica (Billerica Memorial
- Shawsheen Valley Technical)
- Burlington
- Cambridge (Cambridge Rindge and Latin
- Community Charter School of Cambridge
- Prospect Hill Academy Charter School)
- Chelmsford
- Concord-Carlisle
- Dracut
- Everett (Everett
- Pioneer Charter School of Science)
- Framingham (Framingham
- Joseph P. Keefe Technical)
- Groton-Dunstable Regional
- Holliston
- Hopkinton
- Hudson
- Lexington (Lexington
- Minuteman Career and Technical)
- Lincoln-Sudbury Regional
- Littleton
- Lowell (Lowell
- Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter)
- Malden (Malden
- Mystic Valley Regional Charter)
- Marlborough (Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter
- Assabet Valley Regional Technical
- Marlborough)
- Maynard
- Medford (Medford
- Medford Vocational Technical)
- Melrose
- Natick
- Newton (Newton North
- Newton South)
- North Middlesex Regional
- North Reading
- Reading Memorial
- Somerville
- Stoneham
- Tewksbury Memorial
- Tyngsborough (Greater Lowell Technical
- Innovation Academy Charter
- Tyngsborough)
- Wakefield (Northeast Metro Tech
- Wakefield Memorial)
- Waltham
- Watertown
- Wayland
- Westford (Nashoba Valley Technical
- Westford Academy)
- Weston
- Wilmington
- Winchester
- Woburn Memorial
- Avon Middle High
- Bellingham (Bellingham
- Primavera Junior/Senior)
- Braintree
- Brookline
- Canton (Blue Hills Regional Technical
- Canton)
- Cohasset
- Dedham
- Dover-Sherborn
- Foxborough (Foxborough
- Foxborough Regional Charter)
- Franklin (Franklin
- Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical)
- Holbrook Junior Senior
- King Philip Regional
- Medfield
- Medway
- Millis
- Milton
- Needham
- Norwood
- Quincy (North Quincy
- Quincy)
- Randolph
- Sharon
- Stoughton
- Walpole (Norfolk County Agricultural
- Walpole)
- Wellesley
- Westwood
- Weymouth
- Abington
- Apponequet Regional
- Bridgewater-Raynham Regional
- Brockton (Brockton
- Brockton Champion
- Edison Academy
- Frederick Douglass Academy
- Goddard Alternative School)
- Carver
- Duxbury
- East Bridgewater
- Hanover (Hanover
- South Shore Vocational Technical)
- Hingham
- Hull
- Marshfield
- Middleborough
- Norwell (Norwell
- South Shore Charter)
- Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
- Old Rochester Regional
- Pembroke
- Plymouth (Plymouth North
- Plymouth South
- Rising Tide Charter)
- Rockland Senior
- Scituate
- Silver Lake Regional
- Wareham
- West Bridgewater
- Whitman-Hanson Regional
- Boston (Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter
- Another Course to College
- Boston Arts Academy
- Boston Community Leadership Academy
- Boston Day and Evening Academy
- Boston Latin Academy
- Boston Latin School
- Brighton
- Charlestown
- City on a Hill Charter
- Codman Academy Charter
- Dorchester
- East Boston
- Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers
- The English High School
- Excel
- Fenway
- Greater Egleston
- Hyde Park
- Jamaica Plain
- Jeremiah E. Burke School
- John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science
- Madison Park Technical Vocational
- Match Charter
- Monument
- New Mission
- Odyssey
- Roxbury Charter
- Roxbury Memorial
- Snowden International School
- South Boston
- TechBoston Academy
- West Roxbury)
- Chelsea (Chelsea
- Phoenix Charter)
- Revere (Revere
- SeaCoast)
- Winthrop
- Algonquin Regional
- Athol
- Auburn
- Bartlett Junior Senior
- Blackstone-Millville Regional
- Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical
- The Bromfield School
- Clinton
- David Prouty
- Douglas
- Fitchburg (Fitchburg
- North Central Essential Charter)
- Gardner
- Grafton
- Hopedale Junior Senior
- Leicester
- Leominster
- Lunenburg
- Milford
- Millbury
- Murdock
- Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical
- Narragansett Regional
- Nashoba Regional
- North Brookfield
- Northbridge
- Oakmont Regional
- Oxford
- Quabbin Regional
- Quaboag Regional
- Southbridge
- Sutton
- Upton (Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical
- Nipmuc Regional)
- Worcester (Abby Kelley Foster Charter
- Burncoat
- Doherty Memorial
- Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI
- North
- South High Community School
- University Park Campus School
- Worcester Technical)
- Shepherd Hill Regional
- Shrewsbury
- Tahanto Regional
- Tantasqua Regional
- Uxbridge
- Wachusett Regional
- West Boylston
- Westborough