Blogging live from Senate committee: Any ideas on saving charters?
It was standing room only at a Senate committee hearing today on the fate of 16 charter schools approved by a state commission now deemed unconstitutional. (Phil Skinner/AJC)
I am sitting in a corner on the floor at the Senate hearing on the fate of 16 charter schools ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court because they were established by a state commission over the objections of local boards of education.
The hearing is packed with children in red shirts from Atlanta Heights Charter, one of the schools left in the limbo last month by the high court ruling. (The ruling was 4-3, and the court has been asked to reconsider its decision.)
State Sen. Fran Millar, chair of the Senate ed committee, is speaking now, giving the background on the situation and the options. Millar says he has talked to “people in Washington” about Race to the Top grant funds and whether they can be tapped to rescue these schools and assure them full funding.
“Unfortunately, Race to the Top monies cannot be used to fill these holes,” he said.
Other ideas Millar says have been suggested to help the schools:
1. These charter schools can become private schools and the state can create vouchers that students could use. (That would take legislation.)
2. Change the Georgia constitution but it would not solve the immediate problem of what these kids can do in August when school is supposed to start as it requires a statewide referendum.
3. Now, Millar says that the constitution allows the state board of education to put a question on the ballot asking local school districts to help fund state special schools, which these charter schools could now become. (Don’t see such a question winning voter approval in financially strapped towns already cutting away at their existing schools.)
“Our immediate concern today is try to come up with a solution for these young people and their families,” said Millar.
Now, Mark Peevy, executive director of the state Charter Schools Commission, says he urged schools to become locally approved charters. He repeated many of the comments he made two weeks ago at a meeting of charter school operators.
He noted that the existing eight commission charter schools are no longer concepts, but actual schools with students in classrooms so local boards may be willing to adopt them now.
“These are schools with proven performance and we are very happy with the results we are seeing. And when we are all said and done, we are talking about student achievement,” said Millar.
“We have two categories of schools,” said Millar. “Existing ones that are proven and new ones on the block that we expect would do as well.”
Of the 15,644 affected students in the 16 charters, 10,000 of them would be taking classes virtually through online schools. One virtual school is operating, the Georgia Cyber Academy, and two were due to open this fall. So, in terms of brick and mortar schools, they represented only a third of the affected students. Two-thirds of the students are online students — which presents a special challenge.
Since virtual schools are statewide and cannot apply to a single school board for approval and funding, their situation is trickier. Peevy is saying they can go back to the state and become state charter special school, but those schools only receive state funds. There is no local money when a charter school is commissioned by the state board of education.
Now, Tony Roberts, CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, is urging the Senate to not only help the existing eight schools but the other eight that were planning to open. He asked the Senate to continue pushing local systems as he said they are giving schools a tempered message of encouragement.
“Let me tell you how these conversations are going right now. The school systems are saying, ‘We are not going to approve you as a charter school. We are going to give you one year, bridge funding so to speak, then we will consider whether you continue as a charter school.’ I don’t want you to think the action right now is going to solve the problem,” Roberts said.
“We are telling our schools to keep all their options open,” said Roberts. “I do not want our schools to have less funding because children in these schools are same children as children in other schools, but I am here to tell you, charter schools, because of their flexibility, because of their commitment, they can do with less money. I am not advocating for less money.”
If the General Assembly created a special supplement for these schools, Roberts thought it would spur foundation help and grants. He suggested it would be worthwhile for DOE to seek aid from the feds even if Race to the Top is off limits.
“They have money and grants that we don’t even know about, that they don’t even know about. I would encourage the state, governor, our state superintendent and this Legislature to really apply everywhere with the U.S. Department of Education to make this difference up,” he said.
Now, Matt Arkin, head of School of the Georgia Cyber Academy, is speaking. The school was due to get more funding this fall as a result of becoming a charter commission school. It is getting $3,200 per student now, Arkin said, but was going up to $5,800 as a result of its new commission status.
They had 6,500 students this year. They have 8,500 enrolled for this fall in k-10. They serve kids in all counties but five. “We are a true equalizer,” Arkin said. They have 800 special need students, 42 percent minorities and around 15 percent gifted.
“We work well for parents and families in Georgia, Our students work at home with a parent or other adult who have to work with them during the day,” he said.
As a newly approved charter commission school, Georgia Cyber Academy will lose between $20 and $30 million in anticipated local dollars because of the Supreme Court decision.
“Sacrifices will continue by our students and our teachers. Any support our Georgia General Assembly can provide for the things our students should have had these past three years as well would be appreciated,” Arkin said.
One of the heads of a school that was about to open is now speaking. Monica Henson is executive director of Provost Academy, a public online high school with 800 seats due to open in the fall.
“About 40 percent of students who seek online high school options generally can be classified as at risk of dropping out,” she said.
Henson said addressing the school to prison pipeline — she prefers to call it a bleeding wound than a pipeline– was one of her goals in launching an online high school to give potential dropouts a way to stay in school. “I ask that the Legislature consider additional options,” she said.
Millar called charter schools an economic engine as well as a successful reform model in Georgia.
“Charter schools are a way to make parents and guardians responsible for their children. I’m a believer,” he said.
Now, Superintendent John Barge is speaking — without a microphone so I am straining in my corner floor spot to hear him. He is saying that DOE has offered flexibility to systems.
There are two initial options for these schools, he said, local approval, which brings full funding, or state board approval, which brings only state dollars.
“We are going to get bureaucracy out of the way and take care of students,” he said. “The best option is for local school districts to approve these schools when it comes to funding and their relationships in the community. We are asking local districts to honestly consider these charters. We have waived some deadlines for them.”
“In the end it comes down to a funding issue,” said Barge. “I cannot change that. Only the Legislature can change that.”
At that point, Millar said, “I promise you that the governor, the lieutenant governor, the leadership of the Senate, the leadership of the House, we are urging local boards wherever possible to approve these schools. That is going to be the best short-term solution.”
Meeting over.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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142 comments Add your comment
bob leblah
June 4th, 2011
7:43 am
@Heron- Yes, but my point was you moved to an area either hoping to get into a charter or what? The community isn’t required to give you a “special” school (different from other kids in the community) with public money. Private isn’t an affordable option? Not trying to be offensive, but that’s not anyone else’s problem. It is noble that you are seeking a better education for your kids.
Are you sure you can’t afford? Do you have car payments? Do you eat lunch out at work? Eat at restaurants a lot? Sometimes its just an adjustment in priorities.
just sayin'
June 4th, 2011
8:49 am
So what you are saying EAST Cobb Parent, is that charter schools are better because they don’t have the “problem” kids. So maybe the solution is not charter school, but how can we change public schools to fix that.
Ronin
June 4th, 2011
8:57 am
@
Doc Spinks
“Let’s make sure that our tax monies are being spent effectively and efficiently by requiring a periodic external audit of each public educational institution and program. Such an audit would be conducted by a competent, disinterested, out-of-state agency and its report would be disseminated to the public via the internet as well as by statewide print and electronic media. Each auditing agency would be incentivized to find and report waste, fraud and abuse by receiving a small portion of the misspent funds as a bounty.”
That’s an excellent idea to apply to education. Insurance companies use this method ALL the time.
The problem is, again, the people with the posh jobs at the top want to stay at the top. This type program would measure performance and achievement based on a dollars spent per child, it would also look for and eliminate spending on programs that don’t achieve results. When there is a program that consistently below average, someone has to be accountable, the leader. Replace the current leader with someone new. There are many BOE’s, many, if not most are highly political. They spend the local, state and federal funds. The state even has an association. http://www.gsba.com
On page 7 of 8 from the Georgia School Board Assoc. under strategy it states:
” Develop a plan to address the loss of control that occurs when the state initiatives restrict the use of funds and cause a redistribution of authority of local boards”
this is the link: http://www.gsba.com/portals/0/GSBA%20Strategic%20Plan/sp_brochure08.pdf
There are about 15 – 16 strategies that are in place to maintain the BOE system.
This is “branding” at its best, or worst, if you want to maintain the current level of efficiency at the state level.
If the link to the site does not work, it’s under the gsba site, click “about us”, then click GSBA strategic plan. It’s worth two minutes to read.
Heron Bay parent
June 4th, 2011
9:22 am
@Bob. We moved from Gwinnett to Henry to get away from the crazy citylife. At that time, there was no charter school plans, as far as I know. The charter school idea for my community was started after we moved.
I don’t really want to get into my financial details, but trust me, we have hashed and rehashed. I save every penny I can, but you can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.
Anyway, I feel like I am whining now and I don’t mean to. I am just frustrated.
Ronin
June 4th, 2011
9:24 am
From the Augusta Chronicle:
“Attorney General Sam Olens and several of the schools have asked the court to reconsider its decision. The county districts that challenged the law filed a motion Friday praising the court’s “carefully rendered” decision, and urging it to resist another review.
State School Superintendent John Barge said the best option would be to persuade local school boards to adopt the charter schools as their own. He said he’s already given the districts and charter schools more flexibility to meet the usually strict deadlines for filing petitions.
This is spin control: “persuade the local school boards to adopt the charter schools as their own”
In other words, we, the BOE maintain control, short and long term. Appease the legislature to keep the kids in the program, yet maintain control of the issue as mandated in the GSBO charter.
It’s no wonder that some people spend $20,000 a year to send their kids to private school or invest their own personal time to home school their children. Fran Millar was right about one thing, other areas of the country are watching how GA is able to work through this issue. It will be interesting to see how we are judged.
justbrowsing
June 4th, 2011
11:52 am
@Ronin- I value tenure- however- I in no terms just “sit behind a desk”. Those who understand the politics of education can attest that it serves more than the purpose of protecting any and every teaching job. Inadequate teachers can, and are, removed if they are in fact inadequate.
O'Neil
June 4th, 2011
12:10 pm
The data shows charter schools as a whole do not perform any better than public schools. In fact, charter schools are public schools designed to exclude the poor and channel our tax dollars to private business.
If charter schools are so successful, then remove policies and regulations that hinder all public schools not just charter schools.
In addition, the data shows parental education levels significantly impact child learning whether in charter schools or other public schools.
The problem is channeling our tax dollars to private interests; and are charter schools inclusive for every child in the public school system regardless of race or ethnicity? http://www.ideas4teaching.com/
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/09/02/2010-09-02_accept_it_poverty_hurts_learning.html”
Committed Educator
June 4th, 2011
12:17 pm
If traditional public schools were given by the legislature the same kind of flexibility, concern and interest as given to charters perhaps many of the concerns expressed in this blog would be addressed. I am a traditional school teacher who is extremely committed to teaching and the welfare of my students. I have consistently high results over my years of teaching with student achievement, discipline and parental involvement. Many of my coworkers can also claim these type of achievements. We are in a Title 1 school with over 95% Free and Reduced Lunch. We struggle daily for adequate supplies, materials, and day to day teaching tools. We are continually confronted with the results of budget cuts. Our salaries have not increased over the past two or three years and have actually decreased due to furloughs. Many highly trained and successful teachers have been laid off throughout our school, county and state due to the state budget cuts in education. The following quote can explain our situation: As the American Civil Liberties Union explains, “For most students, the pipeline begins with inadequate resources in public schools. Overcrowded classrooms, reduction of qualified teachers, and insufficient funding for ‘extras’ such as counselors, special education services, and even textbooks, lock students into second-rate educational environments.” I agree so much with this statement.
We talk about special laws and allowances for the commission charter schools? Many of these schools are privatized with boards having minimal exposure to the communities. So, special laws have to be created for tax payer dollars to be placed in the pockets of private companies when the local schools are suffering? It is all about politics. If these legislators were so interested in the state of education in Georgia, there would not have been such drastic budget cuts in education that have adversely affected each and every traditional public school and school system in this state.
If parents of charter school students displaced by the recent court ruling could be as involved in their local schools, perhaps positive changes could occur. Elect board members who actually represent your interests. Be active in the school and DEMAND change. Advocate for decrease in central administration and increase in school staffing and resources. Be active in selection of texts, resources, activities. Become a member of the School Advisory Committees and PTA/PTO. Create your own parent groups and be vocal in your needs for improvement within the schools. These are public institutions that are supported by your tax money. You have a voice. But it all boils down to the local boards so it is very important to have the proper representation. If board members do not support your collective visions of what you want for your schools, get rid of those board members. They represent you and your districts.
There are thousands of effective and supportive teachers in this state who do an exceptional job in the education of children. They need to be recognized and given the proper supports to do their job. As the innovation of charter schools are heralded, the same freedoms should be given to the traditional public school teachers. We need freedom to teacher, support of parents and community, and adequate resources to do our job.
Chris
June 4th, 2011
12:42 pm
@ Bob Leblah, you said that “What I have said is private schools benefit from the simple fact that if a parent cares enough to pay, they obviously care about their kids education. That usually means good parents. That means the elimination of kids whose parents don’t care.”
Could you explain to me how this means the elimination of these kids? It doesn’t eliminate anyone. What it does is segregate the students whose parents can afford private school, maybe now with the help of vouchers, from students whose parents cannot afford private school, even with a voucher for 100% of their students’ FTE.
Mass privatization of schools creates two classes of schools based on SES. It is a very specific precedent that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”. The supreme court unanimously decided that 57 years ago. The push to privatize schools, with any use of public tax money, only slightly changes the criteria by which we are trying to segregate.
Are we really willing to throw in the towel on tens of thousands of students because they have either disinterested or poor parents? Millions of taxpayers around this state, with no children attending school, pay property taxes to support the public schools. We do not pay property taxes (and I pay way more than my share of property taxes) so that the state can take that money and create a privatized education system which inherently favors the wealthy and upper middle class.
2nd grade teacher
June 4th, 2011
2:19 pm
@fed up mama-
Obviously you didn’t read my whole comment:
My next question is, if you want to be able to be involved in your child’s education and feel its important, why does it seem on this blog, that the only way to do that is by going to a charter or private school? Do teachers not encourage that in your school? I am just curious because this year I had 19 students, and 8 parents that helped in my room regularly and then 3 more that helped occassionally.
I was asking a question because there are so many of you that feel that PS is inadequate for your children and many people feel that they can’t be involved enough.
Kathy II
June 4th, 2011
3:20 pm
@2nd grade teacher..believe me, you are the exception, not the rule when it comes to involving parents in the classroom. Many teachers “choose” ONE room parent to coordinate or be the lliasion between them and the “parents.”
Moving on: I would like to know. If lawmakers found a way for parents and businesses to transform “tax dollars” into “private school scholarships” then why can’t we allow those same laws to “fund private charter schools?” Bottom line: being able to designate tax dollars toward private education seems like an exclusive opportunity….tax payer monies for private schools vs. tax payer
monies for public or private charter schools…why not? How is it LBOEs don’t seem to be phased about missing out on tax dollars morphing into scholarships and designated for 29 private schools, BUT they are fighting the 16 commissioned sanctioned charter schools?
Kathy II
June 4th, 2011
3:33 pm
There is a 1 cent Local Option Sales Tax in Georgia to fund public education. SO, anyone who buys anything in this state….pay toward educating the children. Therefore, it might be a good idea to remember stakeholder strata. Should those who pay less money in taxes have less educational opportunities or leverage? Parents who have children in the education systems are primary stakeholders and are directly affected by decisions being made regarding their children. However, parents and teachers are the LEAST likely to be in any real decision making process..as per the Ga. Constitution.
Kathy II
June 4th, 2011
3:41 pm
@committed teacher: I am curious why you left out School Councils as being a legitamate source for parents to be directly involved. How much, do you know about Ga. Law OCGA 20-2-85-86?
I do agree with your ideal suggestions and ideas, HOWVER, not all schools have Title I federal, state, or local mandates as you have described. If a child attends a NON Title I school, we do not have the opportunities your parents have. Section 1116-1118 of NCLB pertains to Title I schools. Education has at least two standards…a Title I standard and NON Title I standard, and the laws governing the two systems is accessible and evident.
BTW: Title I schools and Non Title I schools are required to have School Councils in every school in Georgia…however, there is absolutely zero consequences for NON compliance of the Georgia School Council law.
Ronin
June 4th, 2011
4:44 pm
@Justbrowsing:
-”I value tenure- however- I in no terms just “sit behind a desk”. Those who understand the politics of education can attest that it serves more than the purpose of protecting any and every teaching job. ”
Reply: With all due respect, and I mean that. Tenure on any level of k-12 or beyond has no business in the public/government education system. All the people covered by this program are government employees, in this case state employees and should be subject to the same volatile situation as the private sector. I am in favor of a one year contract for all teachers, but it is renewable each year. Second, as to the politics of education, that’s part of the problem. You have some adults in administrative positions, acting like children, playing politics and basically trying to make co-workers miserable. All the while, valuable time that could be used teaching is used to CYA.
Please know, that most teachers do MUCH more than “sit behind a desk”, some are very skilled and passionate about their profession, however, more and more new teachers are leaving because of the “politics”. Teachers are like any other profession, doctors, lawyers, carpenters, some are excellent, tops of their fields, while others, somehow stumble through the day.
Committed Educator
June 4th, 2011
4:45 pm
@Kathy II…..sorry for the typo. I was referring to the School Advisory Council – not Committee which I typed. In regards to the Non compliance consequences, it seems that the legislature needs to be involved in this type of problem throughout our state. There appears to be so much energy and time being spent on charter schools, yet the problems with traditional public schools linger….where are the legislators? Hello…..we need your involvement and assistance as well. We at traditional public schools have needed increased state concern for our declining budgets and problems with non compliance of existing legislation for quite some time. Still waiting…
Ronin
June 4th, 2011
5:04 pm
Enter your comments here
Paddy O
June 4th, 2011
6:26 pm
Fed up mama – read your own post “there should be public school options available beyond traditional public school” – why? Because in your grossly self absorbed world you think the universe, and all its taxpayers, exist to serve your whims? YOU should have analyzed the public schools where you live. It is YOU who are responsible for living in an area – do you go to a county or city school system, could you please name it? – where YOU find the school systems inadequate. YOU don’t like your decisions and want somebody else to solve the proble YOU created. Hubris. Send your child to private school – or, hire a private tutor. Don’t expect your neighbors to subsidize even further your existence. If you can not afford a private school, then you have met reality – and you simply have unrealistic expectations.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2011
6:27 pm
Honestly, the best way to deal with this is to amend the Constitution (or attempt it) and see, really,how many people statewide perceive the regular public school system as a problem – and, whether they think a bunch of unelected folks, with large egos, located on a commission in Atlanta, should be making decisions which usurp the authority of their locally elected BOE. I suspect it will fail by a larger margin than the trauma center boondoggle on the last ballot. All have a choice. Most of the folks advocating for the charter schools don’t like the bed that they made that they are sleeping in.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2011
6:36 pm
O’Neil – poverty damages everything, which is why most immigrants to the country move past it in about 3 generations. some of the folks make chronic bad decisions (drug use, fornication, criminal activity, etc), which in many ways causes them to move backwards. That is freedom. For the person of average intelligence, the burden of poverty should be a high motivator in leaving this status of lifestyle as far behind as possible. Some are just horrible at autonomously detecting cause & effect.
Local control
June 4th, 2011
8:21 pm
People, local boards are concerned about one thing and one thing only; control. That means control over money, and your child is one giant dollar sign. So when all these local boards and their propaganda machine, Georgia School Boards Association, talk about the children, just remember if they cared about children they would not care where a child received a high quality public education. They care about children so long as your child brings in the dollars. MONEY MONEY MONEY is the only thing those local boards and Georgia School Boards Association cares about.
And these people have done such a good job all over the state. APS is being investigated by SACS and cheating is rampant. Same goes for DeKalb. Don’t forget the jail sentence coming to Crawfish Lewis. Clayton maybe the worst of the bunch.
I pray our legislators have the wherewithal to do something to actual help our state. Same goes for Governor Deal.
Ronin
June 4th, 2011
11:38 pm
@Local Control, you’ve 8:21 post pretty much sums it up. The GSBA charter is to support local boards. I posted a link to the information earlier today. The Charter school movement is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s just the first wave of concerned parents wanting and expecting more from a public/government education, and rightly so. I’ve read posts from people like “Committed Teacher” who in good conscious say support us, support the programs, go to the PTA. The current process is too broken to fix. Not due to the efforts of hard working or dedicated teachers, but more so to an administrative nightmare that refuses to be accountable for its actions. In a 100 years, people will look at the current education system and its limited options and wonder how children learned anything.
Paddy O
June 5th, 2011
4:04 am
when funds are in short supply, most people are concerned with their budget. I do think the typical county BOE admin is way overpaid and under accountable (similar to the office corps of our military). I do not think the entire system is as bad as press accounts make it.
Student Tax Info June 5, 2011 - We Spy on US Language Schools! - Language School Spy
June 5th, 2011
8:32 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
SouthGeorgiaTeacher180
June 5th, 2011
10:10 am
This is what happends when legislators pass unconstitutional laws…they do not know anything about schools and therefore are given the power to do what they want when they want…this has been the typical track record of these “bastions of unaccoutable power” in the Gold Dome on education here in GA…everything revolves around the Atlanta Metro area and they do not care about the rest of the state.
Can I get an AMEN for my South GA bretheren?
Kathy II
June 5th, 2011
11:29 am
Amen to local control’s 8:21 post. @committed educator :advisory committee or council…doesn’t matter in this case as NEITHER is the school council. However, it is the symantics and the Jargon that helps to confuse parents, then add on top of the “confusing language” Legislators amended the original law, 2000 HB 1187, in 2004 with HB 1190, and then I believe once more by way of a Senate bill. So, like everything else, a law is passed one year then tweaked the following year, such was the case with HB 251 signed in 2009 and then “tweaked” in 2010 regarding LBOE elections. Regardless the symantics, Jargon, or acronyms used to confuse the average person there are more opportunities for TItle I parents than for parents who pay a full price for their child’s lunch. One thing that does not make sense to me…it is the Title I parents who have all these opportunities, YET, they are the LEAST likely to have the resources to get or be involved. WHere I live the majority of schools are Title I, which means, NON Title I schools are a minority and we serve at the pleasure of the school principal.
I am certain every house and senate education committee member knows my name and the concerns, suggestions, and ideas regarding education I submit regardless if they are in session or not. I believe I am active, but always looking to do more for every child. We are fortunate to have the resources to supplement whatever educational concepts our child doesn’t get, but not everyone is so fortunate. I also believe there are Georgia LAWS currently on the books that could and would make a difference. However, creating the laws in Atlanta is NOT the same as implementing and enforcing the laws at the Local levels….and no BOE is going to disclose or hold a town meeting as to any law that “decentralizes” their power…and that is a fact based on 10 years of observation.
Concerned Teacher
June 5th, 2011
4:40 pm
I don’t want to save the charter schools. I want that effort and money put into the same type of program in the public schools. Public schools are a microcosm of our society. We need to learn to work together, pool our strengths, and make a better place to live for all of us.
Kathy II
June 5th, 2011
7:07 pm
@concerned Teacher: It all sounds so simple, and it would be if we were talking about machines or even dogs, but we aren’t. We are talking about humans where NO two people are the same, and we take a utilitarian approach to education becuase that is likely to be what is affordable. (Utilitarian approach is when we do what the greatest number of people will benefit from) Learning is a human science that can be affected by neurological, biological, chemical, and/or genetic factors….all of which we have no control. To acknowledge that we are all created equal is one thing, but to believe we all have equal cognition is simply not factual. In Georgia, there are compulsory school age laws…age 6-16. The letter of the law is clear, but what is NOT so clear is the “spirit” or fundamental belief that education in Georgia is the key to a lifetime of opportunities. Given the economy and lack of jobs….what is the incentive to get an education? Also, as long as the US DOE continues to give billions of dollars (Title I funds) to school districts that produce high rates of poverty and uneducated students …then the brick and mortar is a moot point, don’t you think?
Charter Proud
June 5th, 2011
11:11 pm
@ Duped No More, Just wanted to let you know that of our 26 staff at our charter school, not ONE has “jumped ship”. We even had new teachers sign contracts AFTER the ruling! (Oh, and those were teachers leaving other jobs, not unemployed teachers.) That is what believing in something is all about! Thanks for your sensitivity to the growing unemployment rate though!
Charter Proud
June 5th, 2011
11:28 pm
@ all who say “Let’s fix the problems with our local boards, rather than dividing”, PLEASE tell me how to fix the local boards and the problems in the local public schools. I would MUCH rather help fix those problems than spend two years of my life neglected my kids while I work to build a school for them, just to give them a chance at a good education. What can be done with a school board that is loaded with members that pick people up at their homes to take them to vote on their way to buy them beer? (Yes, this actually happened.) And no offense, but when over half of your counties population are high school drop-outs, how do you expect them to make educated decisons at elections? Even the school board members really want the best for our kids; they just don’t have the management skills to follow through with that. My point is, sometimes the problems can’t be fixed, at least not by the parents in the community that care. I love this community. I don’t want to move to another community with good public schools, as some charter school opposers would suggest. I pay school taxes here, just like other parents that want a quality education for their kids. So, we come up with a different solution: creating a charter school, where our kids are safe and getting a quality education. Why can’t parents in a democratic America have that choice?
Kathy II
June 5th, 2011
11:31 pm
If the parents want the charter school….THEN let there be choice! For anyone who does NOT have children in the education process…YOU HAD YOUR TURN……what are you so scared of? A population that you reserved your low expectations for….actually being educated?
Kathy II
June 5th, 2011
11:53 pm
@charter proud…don’t give up….you are doing the right thing. If by any chance the LBOE decides NOT to allow your charter….you might want to look closely at your child’s zoned school’s compliance with Georgia Laws regarding parent involvement…OCGA 20-2-85 through 86, and OCGA 20-2-237 and scrutinize HB 605 for compliance. If your child is zoned for a Title I school…ask to see the evidence where parents were involved in creating the parent, teacher, student compaq; ask to see evidence of parent involvement in deciding where the Title I funds are being used; ask to see the credentials of every teacher at the school: ask to see the School Council Minutes and see if the school is in compliance. Check our NCLB Section 1116-1118 regarding Title I and parent involvement. Georgia School Council Institute for state law compliance. Write SACS and find out what SACS is doing to ensure complliance of state and federal laws…scrutinize and make a paper trail….You parents are trail blazers…and we appreciate your efforts.
Duped no more
June 6th, 2011
1:23 am
Despite my sensitivity to the growing unemployment rate, I turned down two other positions in education, both with higher salaries and better benefits, to accept a position at a charter school. A school with an excellent reputation, a darling in a change-hungry community where public school parents actually signed petitions asking the school board to close two local schools and bus their kids longer distances to higher performing schools in the district. I am an experienced educator who was thrilled and honored to earn a position at a charter school that has made headlines across the region for its community (and sometimes even celebrity) support. CharterProud writes, “We even had new teachers sign contracts AFTER the ruling!” That’s fabulous news, and it suggests that at least one of the following is true: 1) you are a parent or an administrator at the school (not a lowly non-administrative employee who fears where he/she will end up when the dust settles); 2) your school wasn’t actually one of the 16 affected; and/or 3) you are a board member who tips a glass at an occasional fund-raiser and pushes the Like button on the school’s Facebook page daily without having any real idea what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough: I have never received a contract. Not a single staff member has. CharterProud, how proud are you? Would YOU swallow your pride and ditch your common sense and let somebody jerk you around like that? (Feel free to substitute jerky boyfriend for ersatz employer–a scenario which probably hits closer to home for you than the icky middle-class practice of having to work for a living.) I’ll still be educating children. And I wish it were at the charter school that offered me a job three months ago. Alas, I have to pursue that pesky paycheck.
Duped no more
June 6th, 2011
1:45 am
Despite my sensitivity to the growing unemployment rate, I turned down two positions with higher salaries and better benefits to accept a long-pursued “dream job” at a charter school. I am an experienced educator who was thrilled and honored to earn a position at a school that has made headlines across the region for its community (and sometimes even celebrity) support, in a change-hungry neighborhood where public school parents actually petitioned the local board to close schools and transport their children longer distances to higher performing schools in the district.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough: I received a formal job offer many months ago BUT HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A CONTRACT. Not a single non-administrative staff member has.
The dirty little secret is that even in charter schools, it’s all about the money.
Charter Proud writes, “We even had new teachers sign contracts AFTER the ruling!” That statement indicates that at least one of the following is true: 1) Charter Proud is either a parent or an administrator (as opposed to a new teacher, who may or may not have actually received a contract); 2) Charter Proud’s school was not one of the 16 affected; and/or 3) Charter Proud is a charter board member who tips a glass at an occasional fund-raiser and presses Like daily on the school’s Facebook page, without having any idea what really goes on behind the scenes. Would you swallow your pride and your common sense and let a potential employer jerk you around indefinitely? (Charter Proud: feel free to substitute jerky boyfriend for ersatz employer, if that scenario resonates with you more than the icky middle-class practice of having to work. For money.) I will be educating students in the fall. And I wish it were at the charter school that offered me a job so long ago. Alas, I have to pursue that pesky paycheck. That, too, “is what believing in something is all about!”
cgregister
June 6th, 2011
8:15 am
I think if the parents, who put so much time and effort into Charter school would put that time and effort into their community schools, they too would be great. I understand that Charter schools don’t have to jump to the same tune as the one run by school boards, maybe some one should take the time and effort to look into changing the way school boards or run and the way they run our schools.
Ronin
June 6th, 2011
8:21 am
@Kathy ll, thanks for your technical data on public schools.
While the Charter issue won’t be decided on this blog. There have been some excellent points made.
My opinion is that the potential positive aspects of the program outweigh the negatives, if any.
The argument is made that Charters remove funding from local schools and cause a hardship in operation of the brick and mortar school. If the child is not at the B&M, the resources are never needed to begin with. As far as being local, a Charter school could be just as “local” as another BOE governed school just down the street. The child knows no difference. He/she only knows if the experience is engaging, fun and learns something in the process. So actual “seat time” in education is an antiquated way to link learning to performance.
The virtual learning schools such as GCA, the yet to open Connections Academy and Provost Academy, offer cutting edge technology delivery programs. For the motivated and focused student, these programs have tremendous potential. Same, in the next 10 years, there will be more college content available on line as schools look to enhance their delivery method. So allowing these students to transition to this type of learning model is truly allowing them to prepare for the future of higher education.
So, hopefully the State of GA will be able to work through the politics of the issue and allow families the choice of fully funded Charter schools for students who want/need an option to enhance their k-12 education.
Concerned Teacher
June 6th, 2011
10:15 am
No, Kathy II, I don’t agree, but I appreciate your viewpoint. I have been in education for many years. Many of the perks you present for charter schools could be employed in the regular public schools. I totally agree that there are many ways of learning, many ways of teaching, and many levels of socio-economic backgrounds. If the administration and faculty are truly interested in improving their schools for real – not just for the reviews to maintain AYP – these same methods can be used in the public schools. What is missing in public schools is the latitude to handle discipline problems. Alternative schools should be the answer for those disruptive students who diminish the learning environment. Alternative schools (and A+ programs or other credit recovery jokes) should not be in the equation for AYP. Virtual classes should only be used for classes not offered at a high school because of lack of staff for a particular subject. The virtual school should be used only for enrichment and be a result of student interest. A rebirth of the neighborhood school where students, family, and community could all be involved because each would have an interest in its outcome would also help neighborhood decay. The public school is a microcosm of our society. We need to learn to work together wherever we are. “Cut and run” doesn’t solve problems. Charter schools are a “cut and run” band-aid. Our kids deserve better than this.
Kathy II
June 6th, 2011
11:18 am
@concerned teacher: quick comment about your statement…”What is missing in public schools is the latitude to handle discipline problems.”
I agree that is an issue, which is why I recommend everyone read HB 605, the Student Discipline Act of 1999 and where OCGA 20-2-237 is significant.
Let me clear about one point…we are in Georgia. A state that did NOT integrate or deliver equitable educational opportunities for minorities or the disabled, and looking at the data, ONE COULD conclude things still might not be equitable. Now, I know that is NOT politically correct, but if all the children can learn simply by all of us working together…then why does the Georgia Constitution Article VIII section 5 only mention the Local BOE as being,”Authority is granted to county and area boards of education to establish and maintain public schools within their limits.” Local BOEs vote for a superintendent, who is an educator. That superintendent surrounds themselves with asst. superintendents who are educators, and then there are program directors, principlas, asst. principals all are educators…..so given all these “educators” who actually believes an elected BOE member who can be anything from an educator to a salesman knows anything about education? LBOEs relinguish their power to the GSBA and to their chose superintendent. The average parent is not believed to know anything if they have no education degree or is they are NOT an educator in that district. The culture or middle class values in the US is NOT always the case in Georgia…. and I get that….
Concerned Teacher
June 7th, 2011
8:35 am
You cannot legislate that students with disabilities must be able to do all the things that students who have no diabilities can do. You should not diminish a gifted child’s education to allow the disabled child the ability to earn the same grades in the same classes. The idea of the charter school should be part of the regular public school agenda. Free and appropriate education with the least restrictive environmnet is still part of the law. No child with an IQ of 60 should be made to sit in classes they have no hope of every understanding without a special education teacher giving them answers and totally managing their projects. With this said, this can be managed in the public school. The ideals of the charter schoool are to educate a specific group of students: private school without the tuition at the expense of the local public school. The charter school concept can work within the public school setting. The powers-that-be just have to be stronger and not continue as puppets of unfunded state and federal mandates. We are talking about “kids” here. Each student is different and no two days are alike in a school setting. You make some interesting points, Kathy II, but I cannot in good conscience support the exclusive enrollment at public expense of the charter school in my county.
Ronin
June 7th, 2011
11:24 am
@concerned teacher: “The idea of the charter school should be part of the regular public school agenda” The charter is also a public/government school.
“Free and appropriate education with the least restrictive environmnet is still part of the law.” There is no FREE education any more than there is FREE lunch, someone else pays for it when another person does not have the money.
“The ideals of the charter schoool are to educate a specific group of students: private school without the tuition at the expense of the local public school.”… Can you please tell us what specific group that is? Also, as mentioned previously, if the child is home schooled or attends private school, the local school board does not receive any funding…. so if the child attends a charter school with a curriculum approved by the DOE, how does that differ? In each of the above three examples, the local brick and mortar school receives no funding for the child, because they do not incur the expense to transport or provide a desk for the child? Maybe I’m missing something, but how is that “at the expense of the public school’?
“The charter school concept can work within the public school setting. The powers-that-be just have to be stronger and not continue as puppets of unfunded state and federal mandates”… It’s not gonna happen, simply because the powers that be are just that. Change would happen more swiftly by sitting around a fire and singing kumbyya than waiting on the “powers that be”.
Okay, this is the crux of the issue. The local BOE does not own the child or the funding that goes with them anymore than a teacher or school administrator owns their job.
I’ve yet to see a compelling argument made by anyone (it’s a the expense of the local school has been debunked) as to why moving forward with this option is a anything but a positive move?
Kathy II
June 7th, 2011
2:09 pm
well said Ronin….I am reminded that parents and businesses can designate “tax dollars” to private schools and we call it scholarships. So, in a way, law makers found a way for “public dollars” to go to private schools..I would also like to remind folks that;”Under Title I, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to provide services for eligible private school students, as well as eligible public school students. In particular, §1120 of
Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), requires a participating LEA to provide eligible children attending private elementary and secondary schools, their teachers, and their families with
Title I services or other benefits that are equitable to those provided to eligible public school children, their teachers, and their families.” ”
The Title I services provided by the LEA for private school participants are designed to meet their educational needs and supplement the educational services provided by the private school. ” www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/psguidance.doc · DOC file
Kathy II
June 7th, 2011
6:34 pm
Non-Regulatory Guidance
Title V, Part B
Charter Schools Program
The Charter Schools Program CSP) was authorized in October 1994, under Title X, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, 20 U.S.C. 8061-8067. The program was amended in October 1998 by the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998 and in January 2001 by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The program, which provides support for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools, is intended to enhance parent and student choices among public schools and give more students the opportunity to learn to challenging standards. Enhancement of parent and student choices will result in higher student achievement, however, only if sufficiently diverse and high-quality choices, and genuine opportunities to take advantage of those choices, are available to all students. Every student should have an equal opportunity to attend a charter school
www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/cspguidance03.doc · DOC file
Ronin
June 9th, 2011
9:20 am
Maureen, has anyone heard if the Supreme Court of GA is actually going to take a second review of this ruling? If so, when?
Also, there is an excellent opinion piece in today’s AJC by Mr. Rosenbloom.