By Matt Bove and Gabrielle Mediak
Bengal News Reporters It’s a crisp fall afternoon as you take a walk down Lafayette Avenue. As you continue down you hear children laughing and then see something that looks brand new. What used to be a 41-unit apartment complex, now has a sign in front saying West Buffalo Charter School.
The school at 113 Lafayette Ave., which includes kindergarten through third grades, is about to expand.
Construction on a new wing to accommodate a fourth grade is set to begin in the early spring 2014 and will be completed in time for the August 2014 start of school. A gymnasium will be added as part of this multi-phase construction plan, said Elizabeth Sterns, the school’s finance and operations officer.
Two years ago, School Leader Andrea
Todoro signed the papers and took ownership of what was an apartment complex. With the goal of making
it into a charter school in just eight short weeks, the construction team got to
work and finished just two days before the school year starting.
“In the beginning it was a mad dash. Friday we
got the keys and the kids started on Monday.
We had 48 hours to take this beautiful building we had, and turn it into
a school,” Todoro said.
The first year went surprisingly
smooth for the brand new school. It offered
kindergarten through second grade and began an expansion to add the third grade
for the next year. The expansion money
was generated through enrollment. As a charter school, it only gets $12,000
per pupil from Buffalo, while public schools get $29,000 per pupil.
“What’s different about a charter school and
typical public school is that most public schools do not pay for their
facilities, we have to,” Todoro said.
Todoro noted how when typical
schools do building projects they get back 98 cents per dollar spent, only
costing the school around two cents. The charter school has to pay full cost since they aren’t a public school.
West Buffalo successfully
added three classes of third graders, and even an additional class of second
graders, adding over 100 students. New
teachers and an additional teaching assistant per class were hired.
“Our charter says we are going
to be K-4 so we do have to add 4th grade. At the same time expanding we don’t have any
more room in our building. It will be
tight financially to get 4th graders in while building for them at
the same time,” Todoro said.
Deborah
Raiford, a mother and former teacher herself, just recently enrolled her
seven-year-old son.
“He loves it. He adjusted the first day and
felt comfortable; we are new here in town.” Raiford said. “He’s doing very well, the teachers work with
the kids and it’s just great. I really do love this school.”
Todoro describes the school as a "big, happy family, where everybody knows every child's name."
"I think we have a school here, that really gets to know everybody on a personal
level which helps because then you have that relationship, and with that your
willing to work for each other," Todoro said. "And I
think the kids can sense that we really do care about them. We’re not just here to be their teacher, but
to be a support to them in and out of school. “
Not only is West Buffalo different because
of the family atmosphere, but for what its
charter entails.
“What makes us different from
other Buffalo schools is our charter was founded on the idea we would offer the
language to literacy program as part of our school day. We still abide by common core standards, but
put focus on literacy and building literacy skills,” Todoro said.
According
to the school’s website westbuffalocharter.org “WBCS is a place
where students come first, individual differences are accepted, and student
learning is maximized.”
“In the next few years I see our school in the
new expansion, more classrooms and staff in place.” Todoro said. “The vision
still stays the same, I’d like to be full, K-4 with a very long wait list,
showing that our students are making progress and growing.”
