The charter school debate: Does money follow child or community?
As expected, Ivy Prep Academy students and parents showed up in force at the Gwinnett County Board of Education meeting Thursday to protest a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the school’s funding. The AJC has a good story on the meeting.
More than 100 parents of girls at Ivy Prep and their daughters protested the lawsuit Gwinnett Schools filed against them at the Gwinnett Board of Education Thursday. AJC Photo/Hyosub Shin
I understand the enthusiasm of the students for their school. I also went to an all girls school, but it was a Catholic school and my parents paid tuition.
To me, the unresolved issue is who decides where public money goes. Does the elected school board? Do parents? Does the Legislature?
In suing the state, Gwinnett alleges that the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, which approved Ivy Preparatory Academy of Norcross to operate, is illegally funding and authorizing new schools outside the mandates of the state Constitution. The main issue: The state commission’s approval also means that Ivy Prep now gets local tax dollars.
“They don’t have the right to take away local dollars from our schools, ” said Robert McClure, a Gwinnett board member.
One parent at the meeting said, “True local control is parental control. The money should follow the student. Why should public education be the exclusive domain of the traditional school district?”
But is true local control the parents or the larger community? Do parents have a right to dictate how education dollars collected from the entire tax base are spent?
Gwinnett maintains that its school board was elected by the community to make decisions and that single-gender schools are not part of its education blueprint.
That decision may not suit everyone and it may be shortsighted, but isn’t it the legal right of the board to make it?
If parents disagree with the board, can’t they organize and vote in a new board that would be more open to single gender schools? (I know this is not easy because of voter apathy; lots of bad school boards stay in power due to voter inertia. But it is possible and it is an option.)
McClure told the audience the lawsuit was not meant to be “personal,” but is a constitutional issue.
“I deeply regret that Ivy Prep finds itself in the middle of this issue,” McClure said. “We didn’t charter the school. We didn’t start the unconstitutional Charter Schools Commission. … You don’t just obey the constitution when it suits your purpose.”
Parents would respond that they have only one purpose: Giving their kids the best education possible.
It is understandable that they’re fighting for a school they believe is the best fit for their child.
But is the law on their side? Should it be?
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SBC Charter Roundup 22 – Schools Building Communities
October 9th, 2009
10:47 am
[...] Calif. — Activists Protest City’s Proposed Charter School (Berkeley Daily Planet) Ga. — The charter school debate: Does money follow child or community? (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Ga. — BOE votes to make Maxwell a charter school (Gwinnett Daily [...]
BlackGirl
October 9th, 2009
11:01 am
The real issue here is one that we’ve discussed for years…the failure of public education. As taxpayers we don’t hav choice as to whether or not we pay into public education, but shouldn’t we have a say as to how those dollars are spent?
For years we’ve know that the traditional classroom does not meet the needs of all students. There are students that get lost. We have an obligation to ensure that those students learn. Many will argue that it’s up to the parents, but the reality is that there are those parents that won’t take an interest in their child’s education. If we look at the increase of crime in the metro area, we must acknowledge that many of these kids are dropouts. What if we took the time in public school to educate them in a way that would excite them about learning. We may not reach all of them, but I am positive that we’d reach many.
I’ve paid for Catholic school for my oldest and kept my youngest in public school. There is a very big difference in her education in public school. There is very little creativity occuring in many of our public schools. Lessons have become scripted. Dekalb is the only system I’m aware of that actually offers a variety of school choices for students including Montessori and a school for the gifted.
It takes bold steps and a creative mind to improve our current situation in public schools. I say change the laws and let’s do what’s in the best interest of children.
TW
October 9th, 2009
11:14 am
‘Equal rights for everyone, privileges for none.’
- A. Finch
jim d
October 9th, 2009
11:27 am
McClure told the audience ” You don’t just obey the constitution when it suits your purpose.””
What a bunch of hypocrites. can we say OPEN FRIGGIN MEETINGS Mr. McClure??
jim d
October 9th, 2009
11:33 am
Mo,
Actually if enough people get pissed they can recall just about everyone of them.
jim d
October 9th, 2009
11:41 am
GCPS BOE M.O.
For years—even a decade this BOE has maintained the knowledge that they can get away with angering small groups of people in non election years and everyone will forget when the elections do come around. apparently a good plan but one that hopefully will soon bite them in the arse.
oldtimer
October 9th, 2009
11:49 am
Competition among schools, icluding charter and private, will improve all education.Parents should have a choice about what type of school their children go to. And, most importantly public schools would get better!
jim d
October 9th, 2009
11:49 am
So now we have two that the GCPS has approved
Wooo Hooo
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=65553
Maureen Downey
October 9th, 2009
11:49 am
jim d, They could, but Clayton parents tried that and it’s a daunting process.
I think it would be easier to vote people out through the ballot box.
But even in the heat of the Clayton mess, voter turnout was low in school board races. I just don’t think people understand the power of school boards. And they certainly don’t understand how much money they control.
Maureen
jim d
October 9th, 2009
11:54 am
yeah, i agree Mo,
In Gwinnett its just a two with 9 zeros and we all know that a zero = nothing.
TW
October 9th, 2009
12:08 pm
Every time I hear stuff like this, it makes me even more grateful my kids go to school in East Cobb.
catlady
October 9th, 2009
1:09 pm
I wonder if the vote would have been different if it had not been a single-sex school?
Why can’t the state fund the state granted charter schools out of general revenue BEFORE giving each county its cut? That way the whole state “suffers” financially, but only those at the local county level can benefit….oh, wait a minute, nevermind.
What, exactly, does Gwinnett think is wrong with the proposal? Will the school serve mostly black girls (Looking at the photo of parents I make an assumption on that)?
I am starting to come around to (what I perceive) jim d’s take on this is–let the money follow the child. The money the individual taxpayer put into the revenue stream (divided by how many kids they have in school), not some mythical average number. Set some rules like: no coming back to the public schools in the middle of the year, state tests required, etc.
Unfortunately, in my county there are only two very small private schools, and no charter schools.
catlady
October 9th, 2009
1:10 pm
Didn’t make it clear that the proposal I made is my idea, not exactly jim d’s.
catlady
October 9th, 2009
1:10 pm
My post prior to 1:10 seems caught.
Jennifer
October 9th, 2009
1:24 pm
A school board refuses to consider a viable educational option under a charter petition, (and perhaps has violated lots of charter and ethical laws in doing so); the school then turns to the state to have them consider if they feel the educational option is unique and an option for students across the state to consider. Don’t you think that the state has a vested interest, as an obligation to their role in education, to fund it adequately as long as students from across the state support and attend and the school performs ? Last I remember we also elected the legislators, Kathy Cox, and Governor Perdue to help reform education. We can’t help it if we have bonehead board members who are on an off election year when these decisions are being made. The students can’t wait. And by the way, the Superintendent had the nerve to laugh yesterday in the afternoon board session when he said that there was no plan anytime soon for relieving overcrowding in selected elementary schools. These elementary schools are in the district where girls have chosen to attend Ivy Prep. What does that tell you ?
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Hugh
October 9th, 2009
2:09 pm
Dr. McClure noted “not personal” but it is. So if case shows not constitutional issue guess our constitution school board member will resign or maybe he is product of our educational system which defends itself as ” I am not against you but following the rules “. Yep their rules. Issue in Gwinnett is if this goes thru many charter schools as partners somewhat tired of our school system and tax rates.
philosopher
October 9th, 2009
2:10 pm
School boards should be answerable to the taxpayers- MOst are answerable to NO ONE. They do as they please. Dr. P answers to no one and does whatever he pleases…no point in bothering to go to the board meetings because they don’t have to listen. When the school boards have enough power to prevent the president of the United States from talking to our students about the importance of staying in school and getting an education, (and Lord knows Georgia’s kids need all the encouragement they can get!) they are way out of control!!!
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October 9th, 2009
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Girls empowered
October 9th, 2009
2:19 pm
Philosopher, on that note… I’m curious how many tax-payers in Gwinnett county even know who the heck their school board members are. Sure, they are “elected,” but what percentage actually votes? Also, many times they take the position because of the politics, NOT because they know what is right.
I believe with all my heart that truly local control is site-based control. NYC has transformed its school system by providing schools with site-based management so that, in order to get something done, they don’t have to go through all the red tape. Georgia is behind the times, and this is the opportunity for us to catch up, and to finally help our students achieve to their potentials. It IS personal, and true, maybe the current laws can be interpreted to protect the GCPS, but also, maybe those laws are outdated.
philosopher
October 9th, 2009
2:24 pm
The school boards will not willingly allow money to go where they cannot control it…we need to change that if we want money for charter schools. And… we can change school boards with a great deal of effort by voting, but superintendents are hired, not elected…at least here.
Cobb County
October 9th, 2009
2:30 pm
The issues with the school board are spread throughout GA. In Cobb County, parents turned out and packed board meetings to protest the standards based report cards. School board member, David Banks, was elected because he was against the standard based report card. Once elected, “he was educated” and did a 180 endorsing the new report cards. Parents did not and still do not want them. Parents presented studies and facts supporting a traditional approach to grading. When it came time to vote, the board voted for the new report cards. We’ve got the same debacle with a cell phone tower. School boards continue to act as if they are answerable to no one. To be honest, if SACS is worthwhile they would pull accrediation from Cobb and other counties because of they way the boards conduct themselves.
None of this addresses whether the Charter Commission should have gone forwsard with the approval for Ivey Prep. I can’t see any reason that Gwinett did not approve in the first place. If it’s working let’s embrace it and let the children suceed.
Don’t know who TW is, but I’m in East Cobb and it’s a mess. I do not sent my children to public school. It is a waste of time. Every time you read the MDJ you hear that someone on the school board, once again, lied to the public.
oldtimer
October 9th, 2009
3:24 pm
As a retired teacher, I saw why not try single-sex schools if the parents of these girls would like it. We need to try new things. Single-sex schools have worked over time and in many places.
AlreadySheared
October 9th, 2009
3:50 pm
A thought experiment:
Restaurants A and B sit in the same neighborhood. A serves lunch to whoever shows up to eat, for free.
B sells lunch for $15 (plus tax and tip). Around lunchtime, B usually has around a 20 minute wait, while A always has immediate seating with no wait. Absent additional information, what would you infer about the quality of food in A compared to B?
I recognize the value that universal public education brings to our country in terms of equal opportunity and quality of life, but I also recognize the massive difference in perceived value that must exist when parents take a pass on free education ( which doesn’t cost anything because it is FREE) to go through a rigorous application process to earn the priviledge of coughing up $10,000 or $12,000 or $15,000 to buy something that apparently is being GIVEN AWAY down the street.
In the spirit of compromise, balancing the public good of universal public education vs. a perceived disparity in the quality of public schools vs. private schools, I propose that the answer be HALF.
Let half of the money spent of educating a child in public schools follow the kid; the other half can stay in the school the child is zoned to attend. As parents opt out of their neighborhood schools, per-pupil expenditures for the kids who stay will rise, giving additional resources to decrease class size, add more teacher training, and all the other benefits that allegedly flow from showering money on education.
Decreasing the disparity in quality between public and private will induce more parents to OPT IN, increasing neighborhood involvement.
In balancing the need to provide education for all children with the need to address the chronic underperformance that plagues some of our public schools, HALF is more than fair.
Tony
October 9th, 2009
4:26 pm
This new law that Gwinnett and others are attacking takes money from local schools to fund charter schools for priviledged students. This is on its face unconstitutional for many reasons, but most importantly because the authority for taxation rests with local boards of education, commissioners and city councils. The newly created state panel by approving a charter petition sets up a situation where local tax money is transferred under the authority of a panel appointed by the governer. They are not elected and they are not accountable to the people in the school district.
The state argues, incorrectly, that the money they are taking is state money and not local BOE money. However, they determine the amount by figuring the per pupil expenditures for a local system, check the enrollment of the charter school, and grant them that amount. This figure is then deducted from the allotment for the local BOE from the state. So, yes, they are taking money away from the local board, the panel is not elected by the people of the district, and only select people benefit from the redistribution of the funds. May I emphasize the word REDISTRIBUTION.
TW
October 9th, 2009
5:21 pm
Cobb County – if your kid can’t get a stellar education in the Walton cluster, then it’s not the school that’s the problem. My kids have experienced nothing but highly effective teachers and administrators since we moved down here from Montgomery County, MD ten years ago. We left excellent schools and made sure to move into an area that offered the same. And from what I hear on this blog about the nightmares in the rest of the metro area, I have absolutely no regrets.
Go Raiders!
ScienceTeacher671
October 9th, 2009
6:29 pm
The section of the Georgia Constitution dealing with education may be found here:
http://www.gsba.com/policymanuals/legal_ref/georgia_constitution_art-8.htm
Knowing what the constitution says could be very helpful in deciding whether or not something is constitutional…
Marie
October 9th, 2009
7:09 pm
Cobb County, You need to qualify your statement that Cobb schools are a mess. I’m a former teacher and I can tell you that very little of the board’s activity affects what goes on the classroom.
TW, you may or may not be aware but I think one reason Walton scores so highly is because it is a charter school. So the school has a lot of autonomy to run itself. I’m a former educator in West Cobb and I visited the school once to learn about its teaching methods and they use different textbooks, different scheduling, and have optional tuition classes before and after school.
I’m positive a significant part of the school’s performance is due to its wealthy socioeconomic makeup but truthfully, I’m amazed at the degree to which the school was/is run like a private school without any county level direction. And Cobb’s school board has renewed the charter every time it’s come up for renewal. They have also approved Kennesaw Elementary school’s charter fairly recently. So, I’m not sure to how Cobb’s school board is impacting Cobb schools as they seem to be open to granting their schools autonomy when desired by the community.
catlady
October 9th, 2009
7:19 pm
I think the spam filter is a fisherman: it seems to have a catch and release program built in.
TW
October 9th, 2009
7:28 pm
Thanks Marie – great post!
d
October 9th, 2009
7:44 pm
Oldtimer said competition will help. Well, let’s use AlreadySheared’s. Suppose restaurant A is providing a quality meal, but now to inspire competition, we take away whatever money it has and give it to B which has another source of funding. How can A possibly compete? Oldtimer, I will never argue against parental choice in education. All I will say is don’t take my tax money to fund your choice. If you want something else, work for it and earn it. That is the capitalist mentality anyway. If you don’t earn it, you can’t have it. How much were the vouchers Eric Johnson proposed last year? $2,500? $5,000 per child? Now wait just a minute, I pay roughly $1,000 a year for my entire house in school taxes, so if I have 3 kids, that entitles me to $15,000 in vouchers. Bull.
David vs. Gwinnett Board of Education
October 9th, 2009
8:21 pm
Just a couple stones for David..
Georgia General Assembly HB 881
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/sum/hb881.htm
Colorado Court Of Appeals
http://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Court_of_Appeals/opinion/2009/2009q1/07ca1599.pdf
jim d
October 9th, 2009
9:07 pm
Tony,
the fallacy in your thinking is in that the state is taking local money when in fact all they are doing is not GIVING them state funds.
Even the school systems now feel entitled—and we wonder why individuals feel the same?
ScienceTeacher671
October 9th, 2009
9:39 pm
@d, and the $15,000 you get in vouchers will pay the tuition for ONE of your 3 children at a quality private school….
BJ Van Gundy
October 9th, 2009
9:42 pm
Tony,
Where did you get the idea that the children are “priviledged students”? The school has children from all over metro Atlanta and has no screening process. They had several hundred entries into a lottery that was chosen at random. Hardly a system to assure “priviledge”.
What these students are is “loved” and “cared about” by parents who will go the extra mile to get their children out of the government mandated school that happens to be geographically located nearest their house. Geography would hardly provide anyone the ability to have “choice” and or assure a good fit for a child.
As I said. These children were entered in a lottery that they sat and waited through, biting their finger nails hoping that their name would get pulled so they didn’t have to go to the failed school down the street.
If their ticket wasn’t pulled? Ask the 400+ kids that that happened to.
The bottom line Tony is that it is “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt” (attributed to Lincoln, Twain and several others)?
Before you chime in on whatever blog you consider yourself an expert on next, consider checking into the validity of your assertions prior to making them. Fool.
ScienceTeacher671
October 9th, 2009
9:54 pm
@jim d: “the fallacy in your thinking is in that the state is taking local money when in fact all they are doing is not GIVING them state funds”
There’s some food for thought in that sentence…the state only has money because it takes from taxpayers, so the state funds ultimately come from individuals somewhere in the state.
I’ve seen studies that show some states pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits from the federal government, and some states receive more in federal benefits than their residents pay to the U.S. Treasury. I wonder if anyone has done a study to show which counties in Georgia are net “givers” and which are net “receivers”, or whether it’s all basically a wash?
CharterStarter
October 9th, 2009
10:34 pm
Thank you, ScienceTeacher, for the link to the Georgia Constitution. We need read no farther than the first section:
“Article VIII. Education
Section I. Public Education
Paragraph I. Public education; free public education prior to college or postsecondary level; support by taxation.
The provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. Public education for the citizens prior to the college or postsecondary level shall be free and shall be provided for by taxation. The expense of other public education shall be provided for in such manner and in such amount as may be provided by law.”
Unlike Florida’s Constitution, in this state the STATE does in fact have the ultimate authority and responsibility for public education up to college, and it may pay for that education through taxation and through “law” that the state may deem necessary to pass. HB 881 and the Georgia Charter Schools Commission ARE both constitutional and legal, and I have no doubt that a new day is dawning for charters and choice in Georgia.
d
October 9th, 2009
11:31 pm
671 — you’re right, and simple supply and demand would push the price even higher as demand for private education increased due to this increase in the income of the parents — and that’s what it is, an increase in income, you pay $1,000 in taxes and get $15,000 in vouchers. It is nothing but a scholarship opportunity for those who don’t need it at the expense of the students who attend (and quite often thrive) in public schools. When it all comes down to it, I truly believe parental involvement makes the difference, not how much one pays for the education.
d
October 9th, 2009
11:40 pm
Charter Starter — read further:
Section 5 Paragraph II. Boards of education. Each school system shall be under the
management and control of a board of education, the members of which shall be elected as
provided by law.
The Charter School Commission has usurped the power of the Gwinnett County BOE by sending Gwinnett tax dollars to a school that is not under its control.
Lynn43
October 9th, 2009
11:52 pm
I am so sorry that some of you have negative things to say about your BOE members. I do hope that you just have a “chip” on your shoulder, and your comments are not true. I have been a part of the education community for over 60 years as a student, parent, grandparent, school secretary, teacher, administrator, and now-a Board member. My entire life has been dedicated to working for all children. I have found that most people do not know how “schools” operate and only see to their door, but Board members have to consider all children. In my county, we do not receive any money or “perks”. In fact, being a Board member cost us personal money, but we are totally devoted to our students and schools.
Now about Charter Schools. Only a few students can go to a charter school, so what about all the others. Which services do you reduce for the majority of students so that a very few can attend what they perceive to be a “private” school? Do you cut the music program, the art program, the teacher of the gifted, new textbooks?
There are some places where Charter Schools might help, but these places are not where the organizators of charter schools want to put them. All schools in my system made AYP, my system made AYP, out SAT scores are above the state and national average, and our graduation rate is above average. Charter schools CANNOT provide anything that we do not already offer.
Unless charter schools are governed by the public through the people that they have elected, then the school is not Public. Private charter schools want to say they are public, but if they are not accountable to the public then they are not public, they are private. Do you want your child’s education compromised because your tax money is going to fund some other child’s private education? Before you speak, think it through.
OvenBaked
October 10th, 2009
12:22 am
Control is always the underlying motivator of the mainstream Anglo society especially in Gwinnett. They have to have control and feel threatened when that control is challenged. A charter school is a charter school. There is no doubt that the make up of the students that attending this school is why the establishment feels threatened. I live in a predominantly Black and Latino part of Gwinnett. Why is it that 96% of the teachers are Anglo women? The Anglo government that is Gwinnett county feels threatened by the potential precedent that may be set and the success of the students and this new school. Nina, just keep doing what you are doing and don’t let those bastards prevent the academic and social development of the children you serve.
Larry
October 10th, 2009
7:57 am
Mr. Van Gundy, let’s focus on the point of the lawsuit.
The schools my kids attend receive less then QBE calculated state funding. The reason they receive less is because the state took it away and gave it directly to Ivy Prep, which is now receives state funds in excess of QBE calculations.
I don’t want to misunderstand or read anything into your public position, so I will ask you to kindly answer just one specific question:
Why do you oppose applying the state QBE funding calculations equally to all public schools?
M
October 10th, 2009
8:56 am
So, the funding follows the child…from newspaper articles, the children that attend Ivy Prep are from other counties so shouldn’t some of that funding be taken from those counties?
Simone
October 10th, 2009
12:19 pm
M,
There are other children from other counties, about 10 others to be exact, and the money is following the children from those counties, and funds are not coming from Gwinnett for those students.
By the way, those other counties have not filed suit. It looks like they are using the money and control that they have to take care of the kids that are in their schools instead of spending tax-payers dollars on a law suit for a few students who chose to attend this charter school.
Tony
October 10th, 2009
3:02 pm
Van Gundy – Please understand that I take no pleasure in sharing some of the harsh realities of the school choice movement, but there are multiple articles detailing the effects on diversity (socioeconomic and ethnic) on charter schools and public schools. I also understand that many parents who care deeply for their children’s education sacrifice a great deal in order to support that worthy goal. The unfortunate side-effects of the school choice agenda should not be simply brushed aside. Choice and competition will only exacerbate these ill effect and the real fools are the ones that put their heads in the sand and call other names when they don’t like the news being shared. I hope you will take some time to research the disparity of charter schools and become more informed yourself.
Girls empowered
October 10th, 2009
4:08 pm
M and Simone,
Ivy Prep has students from 10 counties, but only receives funding from Gwinnett and Dekalb. HB 881 states that ALL the money should follow the students, but IPA is still under-funded. Compared to last year, when they received about $3,000 per student (consider that Atlanta Public Schools has $14,000 per student and you can see the obvious disparity), the extra boost from Gwinnett and Dekalb certainly gives the school some much-needed support in providing its 310 girls with a high-quality education, but the school still is not receiving what it deserves.
Tony –
What “disparity” are you talking about? Charter schools can serve any population, but oftentimes they are opened with the intention of serving students who do not have the means to seek out better opportunities than the school down the street. If the charter proves to be successful, oftentimes more middle class families start to show interest and put their name in the lottery, hoping that their student can receive a strong, diverse school experience at no cost. However, it is still a lottery, so they are not ovverrun by these middle class families. Also, many charter schools actively recruit disadvantaged students so that, even if their parents are not actively seeking out better opportunities, the kids can receive them. For example, the director of KIPP Strive, a charter school which just opened in southwest Atlanta, went door to door in the neighborhood to tell families about his school and encourage students to enter the lottery.
I am very well-informed about educational reform movements and would love to hear where you’re getting information, because it seems to me that you are misinformed.
CharterStarter
October 10th, 2009
10:29 pm
d, Section 1 trumps Section 5. If the Constitution said that there is no other mechanism than local boards overseeing districts, then you would be correct. The Constitution says no such thing, however.
The state has reserved ultimate responsibility for quality public education to itself, and, through the Constitution, has given itself the authority to tax and make laws to ensure that it is able to fulfill that responsibility.
HB 881 is just such a law.
Strange that neither the School Boards Association nor the Superintendents Association chose to be heard during the multiple hearings for this bill. Now they expect their members to bear the full expense of stopping this train, which means local taxpayers. One could question whether or not they served their members well then, or are doing so now.
Charters are here to stay, and charters authorized and fully funded by the state will soon be the norm in most states, not just in the few doing so today.
It would be nice to see a well-researched story on, say, Colorado and Arizona, which have state authorizers that are tremendously successful, and HUNDREDS of charter schools in each state.
CharterStarter
October 10th, 2009
10:44 pm
Lynn, you said, “Only a few students can go to a charter school.” That’s because there are so few charters, relatively speaking, in Georgia. The difficulty of starting a charter is one reason most charters start small, too. It is inordinately difficult to secure a facility, so most start small in leased space. The growing market and improvements in the law and funding will change that.
You also said, “Unless charter schools are governed by the public through the people that they have elected, then the school is not Public.” You might want to check charter school law, which was written in this state in 1998 (11 years ago) and has been amended several times. In all that time, however, the essential definition of governance has not changed. Almost all charters are governed by each school’s governing board, which is nevertheless under the “control and management” of a local board of education that has approved the charter. The vast majority of charters in Georgia fit this definition.
In every case, all charters are also approved either by the State Board of Education or the Charter Schools Commission, both of which were created by the elected representatives of the people.
So all charter schools are by law “public.”
Tony, you said, “The unfortunate side-effects of the school choice agenda should not be simply brushed aside.” At-risk students are least likely to be able to attend a charter, and most likely to benefit from attending a charter. As more charters are approved, more students attend them and more research is done, your assertion will be proven wrong decisively. I think it already has been, based on what I’ve seen at charters all over Georgia. Still, to what articles do you refer?
NewParent
October 10th, 2009
10:47 pm
@ Tony, my wonderful young daughter attends Ivy Prep and let me tell you that she did not have a good experience coming from the North Gwinnett cluster and that is supposed to be a great cluster. I actually paid for her to attend private christian school from K4-2nd and then put her back from 4th-5th. We tried again for 6th and it was horrible. I am not a rich person. We live check-to-check and we aren’t able to give our kids everything they want. But we do strive to give them everything they NEED and they NEED a good education. Ivy Prep holds these girls accountable for their own education. You can accomplish whatever you put your mind to. That’s what these teachers push to these wonderful girls. You can say that all school teachers feel that way, but they dont and I have run into many of them in our cluster.
@d, what you don’t want to seem to understand is that it is our money as well. I don’t want the money that you pay for your kid. I just want the money that I pay for my kid. If you don’t think that you should pay for my kid, why do you want me to continue to pay for yours. If my kid isn’t in your system and you are not teaching her, then why do you need the money for her. What are you going to do, put it in reserve in case you need it for something else? Wrong!!
Bottom line is this, A. Wilbanks made a bad decision and got egg on his face when these little black girls scored much higher on every subject of the CRCT. They are just mad because they didn’t see the potential of the school.
Think about it people, Ivy Prep has/had lawyers helping them out, do you really think that they would disregard the state constitution. In all good faith, there is no way that any of the lawyers or co-founders woke up one morning and said “Let’s break the law today”. Think about it.