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Board OKs conversion of Thomas Jefferson to Dream Academy but defers vote on neighborhood-zone waiver
Summary
The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners voted June 10 to approve Arts for Learning Maryland’s conversion of Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle into a charter conversion called Dream Academy effective July 1, 2026, but deferred a separate, contested waiver request that would eliminate the school’s neighborhood enrollment zone and replace it with a 35% geographic attendance-area preference until July 8.
The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners voted June 10 to approve Arts for Learning Maryland’s application to convert Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle into a charter conversion called Dream Academy effective July 1, 2026, but delayed a separate, contested waiver request that would eliminate the school’s neighborhood enrollment zone and substitute a 35% geographic attendance-area preference.
The CEO’s office recommended approval of the conversion after finding Arts for Learning demonstrated experience in arts-integrated instruction, a piloted model at Thomas Jefferson, a layered professional learning/coaching plan, and a pending $1.4 million federal Charter Schools Program grant (pending authorization). Board staff also identified remaining work required on middle-school programming, but presented those as developable conditions rather than disqualifying weaknesses.
Why it matters: conversion charters change how a neighborhood school serves local families. A conversion ordinarily preserves guaranteed placement for children who live in the school’s…
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