Changing course; More schools seek `innovation' approval.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: Jacqueline Reis

WORCESTER - The city already has a handful of innovation schools, and three more are working their way toward approval.

Of the five that applied in the fall, only three remain: Worcester Technical High School, Worcester East Middle School and Lincoln Street School.

Burncoat Street Preparatory School also passed a three-member screening team of Superintendent Melinda J. Boone, School Committee member John F. Monfredo and teachers union President Leonard A. Zalauskas, but the state later designated the school Level 4, among the lowest performing and least improving in the state. That designation carries its own process for improvement, which the school will follow instead of continuing with an innovation school proposal its leaders developed jointly with Lincoln Street School.

Claremont Academy's proposal did not make it past the screening committee, according to Jeffrey J. Mulqueen, the district's chief academic officer.

Innovation schools are designed to have charter-school-like autonomy over issues such as curriculum, length of school day and hiring, but they remain part of the traditional school district. The state created the model as part of the 2010 Act Relative to the Achievement Gap.

The three remaining proposals are gathering the two-thirds approval needed from their faculty. Worcester Tech and Worcester East Middle have already done so, while Lincoln Street's is scheduled for Feb. 27.

Worcester Tech had two votes. The first won majority approval, but not two-thirds, Mr. Mulqueen said. The second vote Tuesday was approved with two-thirds majority. The school's principal, Sheila M. Harrity, said she was pleased the faculty approved the plan to make the school a science, technology, engineering and math early college high school. The second time, she said, the faculty had been assured that the innovation plan could not change without another two-thirds vote.

Mr. Zalauskas, however, took issue with some aspects of the plan, including its proposal to use a hiring committee for new teachers and make seniority less of a factor. He said it moves the criteria from objective facts to subjective considerations.

Ms. Harrity, however, said the new process would result in the "best qualified person" getting the job.

Lincoln Street's plan also asks for more autonomy in hiring, as well as oversight of out-of-neighborhood transfers into the school.

Worcester Tech would keep...