February 8: Top Story - ‘Pressing for Changes to Charter School Law’

According to the Baltimore Sun, Maryland charter school supporters see this General Assembly session as the time to pass long-sought changes to the state’s charter school law.

In other headlines...
‘State Must Remove Handcuffs from Charter Schools’
‘Virginia’s Efforts for Race to the Top Funds Modest So Far’
‘Pennsylvania Bill Would Expand Overhaul of Schools’
‘Charter Schools Possible’ in Mississippi
‘Sanford Seeks Charter School Stimulus’
Prioritize Quality or Desegregation?

‘Pressing for Changes to Charter School Law’

According to the Baltimore Sun, Maryland charter school supporters see this General Assembly session as the time to pass long-sought changes to the state’s charter school law. "We are trying to focus on Race to the Top issues,” said David Borinsky, president of the Maryland Charter School Network, “because they correspond substantially to issues that charter schools have been concerned with for many years." State Senator Nancy Jacobs has drafted two bills: one would make charter schools eligible for capital funding; the other would allow charter school teachers to opt out of unions. "With the economic times we're in, I think it would be very unfortunate if Maryland didn't look at this as opportunity for education reform and to bring money into our schools," said Jacobs.

Source: Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.charterschools07feb07,0,1891756.story

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‘State Must Remove Handcuffs from Charter Schools’

A Hartford Courant editorial argues that Connecticut could win $175 million in ‘Race to the Top’ federal funding to shrink its achievement gap, but that it “must stop treating charter schools like the unequal stepchildren of the educational system.” The state Board of Education is calling for legislation to increase charter school per-pupil expenditure from $9,300 to the state average f $10,300, and for the repeal of the 350-student cap per charter school. “These steps are critical to getting Race to the Top money…The Obama administration will not award dollars to a state that does its best to curb some of its most innovative schools. Nor should it.”

Source: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-better-charter-schools.artfeb07,0,2943725.story

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‘Virginia’s Efforts for Race to the Top Funds Modest So Far’

According to the Washington Post, Virginia has not made any legislative changes in order to be more competitive in the ‘Race to the Top’, even as states like Florida, Louisiana and California have passed new laws in order to raise teacher and school accountability. "There's only about seven or eight states that really presented plans, passed laws, took administrative actions to take their school reform to the next level," said Charles Barone of Democrats for Education Reform. "Virginia isn't one of them. They don't stand out." The state’s application gives local schools incentives to develop more rigorous teacher evaluations, experiment with merit pay, and encourage charter school operators to take over nine failing schools.

Source: Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020702833.html

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‘Pennsylvania Bill Would Expand Overhaul of Schools’

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that about one in five of Pennsylvania’s schools could be turned into charters by majority vote of their school boards, if new legislation is passed. Hearings are underway on State Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola’s Education Empowerment Act, which Piccola said was inspired by the academic gains made in Philadelphia after dozens of charter schools opened there. Under current law, more than half a school’s parents and teachers have to vote for it to become a charter. The new law would also allow merit pay programs for teachers, salary incentives in areas with teacher shortages, and the assignment of teachers to schools or classes regardless of seniority rules.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/83784127.html

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‘Charter Schools Possible’ in Mississippi

The Clarion Ledger reports that the Mississippi Senate is considering a charter school bill, after 14 similar bills have died in the House. “It's not the panacea to ... all our education problems," said Senate Education Committee Chairman Videt Carmichael. But charter schools are "another tool that we could use in this state to help improve education." The bill has bipartisan support, and Governor Haley Barbour supports charter schools in general, according to a spokesman. Nancy Loome, executive director of the Parents’ Campaign, said her group would support charter schools in certain situations. “In cases where children are not being provided access to good schools,” Loome said, “we think the state has an obligation to do something different.” Mississippi’s previous charter school bill, which allowed for six schools statewide but only produced one, expired last year.

Source: Clarion Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100208/NEWS010504/2080319/1001/news/Charter-schools-possible

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‘Sanford Seeks Charter School Stimulus’

According to the Palmetto Scoop, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford met with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to discuss his state’s bid for $300 million in federal ‘Race to the Top’ grant money. This is a reversal for Sanford, who last year went to court to block federal stimulus funds, arguing that they would drive up debt and cost the state jobs. The South Carolina Supreme Court eventually ordered Sanford to accept the money. Sanford also spoke to Duncan about extending charter school authorizations from three to five years.

Source: Palmetto Scoop, http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2010/02/05/sanford-seeks-charter-school-stimulus/

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Prioritize Quality or Desegregation?

An opinion piece by Doug Hering in the Colorado Examiner posits a question in response to a recent UCLA study which found that charter schools are less diverse than traditional public schools: “Does this report really suggest that minority parents should not have the right to choose these schools for their kids if there aren't enough white students in the schools?” As Hering points out, minority groups are often self-selecting into charter schools. “You can choose your priorities. You can dictate that a charter school's highest goal is performing high-quality education or you can dictate that charter schools have desegregated populations. You can't have two highest priorities. If you choose to serve kids with a high quality education, the school may integrate naturally over time. If you choose to desegregate, it's unlikely that you'll develop a high quality education over time. Which would you choose?”

Source: Examiner, http://www.examiner.com/x-16322-Colorado-Charter-Schools-Examiner~y2010m2d6-Will-Colorado-prioritize-quality-or-desegregation-of-charter-schools

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