Boston U Will Operate Public School System in 10-Year Experiment

When public school students returned to class there was something else beyond the usual change of new classes, new teachers and new books. There also was a new administration, run by Boston University.

After months of sometimes bitter controversy, the private university was at the helm of the Chelsea public school system. It is the beginning of a 10-year experiment to see if academia’s resources can make a difference.

“It’s like Christmas morning and we’re ready to go,” said Ted Sharp, an assistant dean at BU’s School of Education, on the first day of classes earlier this month.

Despite the fanfare, there was little evidence of the university’s new role. Signs welcomed students and university officials in Vietnamese, Cambodian and Spanish, reflecting the native tongues of a third of the student body.

There also was talk of a new computer system and a special program for truants. But the university has longer-term goals than improving attendance or school equipment.

University officials talk of creating a new climate in this working-class community of 26,000. There are plans to teach parents about nutrition, child care, even neonatal care, with the idea of preparing children for school long before they can read or write.

“We’re talking about a philosophy that education can emancipate the underclass in the United States,” said Peter Greer, dean of education who oversees the management team.

But there are many who still have doubts about the university’s involvement in the local schools. The teachers’ union and Latino parents have filed separate suits challenging the agreement. Others are worried the city may be left in deeper debt if the university doesn’t raise the $2 million to $3 million it promised for special programs this year.

“I’m concerned we may get stuck if the money doesn’t come in,” said Elizabeth McBride, chairwoman of the Chelsea School Committee.

The unique agreement between the university and Chelsea follows years of hard times for the 3,500-student system. An influx of immigrants from Latin America and Southeast Asia swelled the school population; declining tax revenues cut school budgets.

Chelsea spends $1,600 less per student annually than the national average. Test scores, graduation rates and teacher salaries are among the state’s lowest.

School committee members sought help by approaching John Silber, president of Boston University, who has long sought to use his school’s resources in public education. After months of negotiations among the school committee, aldermen and the Legislature, an agreement was reached in June giving the university control.

Althoug planners have talked about new courses and individualized teaching plans, an emphasis has been placed on preparing children and their parents for school. Last spring, the university experimented with a literacy program for mothers and their young children.

There are other plans for parental courses in nutrition, and classes for expectant mothers, all aimed at improving the health of future students.

But the ambitious plans require money. University officials talked of raising $50 million through the life of its contract with Chelsea. More money is expected, but only $726,000 in pledges are in hand.

And there are other concerns. Chelsea’s teachers are mindful of Silber’s stormy relations with his university’s unions; Latinos, fearful that the new management might end bilingual education, went to court to try to stop the takeover.

The university has tried to soothe those fears, appointing a management team with several bilingual experts, including Diana Lam, a Peruvian-born Boston school administrator, picked to be Chelsea’s new school superintendent.

The union has signed an interim contract with BU that gives teachers an average bonus of $1,300.

“There was some apprehension on the part of the teachers,” said Edwin Weinstein, head of the Chelsea Teachers Union. “Now they’ve adopted a wait-and-see attitude.”