July 1: Top Story - Fourth Los Angeles High School Looks at Converting to Charter

According to the L.A. Times the Board of Education today votes on whether Birmingham High School will secede from Los Angeles Unified School District and convert to a charter school. Three other L.A. schools already have, Palisades, Granada Hills and Locke.

In other headlines...
Two Minnesota Charters Top State Math and Reading Scores
Vote on Indiana Budget May Allow for Charter School Growth
Maine Risks Access to Race to The Top Funds by Defeating Charter Bill
Philadelphia Cyber Charter Files Suit Against State

Fourth Los Angeles High School Looks at Converting to Charter
According to the L.A. Times the Board of Education today votes on whether Birmingham High School will secede from Los Angeles Unified School District and convert to a charter school. Three other L.A. schools already have, Palisades, Granada Hills and Locke. Superintendent of L.A. Unified Ramon C. Cortines has repeatedly said that he supports charters. The district has, in recent months, increased costs and reduced revenue for new charters, and offered sweeteners to schools that remain in the district. Cortines has also said that autonomy from the district is not nearly as important as flexibility in labor contracts, which require separate negotiations with the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles.
Source: L.A. Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-charter1-2009jul01,0,2937592.story

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Two Minnesota Charters Top State Math and Reading Scores
According to Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments results released today by the state Department of Education, students performed slightly better on math and reading tests, but not high enough to prevent more schools from being added to the list of those falling behind under the federal No Child Left Behind law. However, the Star Tribune reports that the state’s achievement gap showed signs of narrowing, with black students scoring some 34 percentage points below their white counterparts in reading, and 35 percentage points below in math, down from 36 last year in both categories. And, according to a Star Tribune analysis of metro area schools, Twin Cities International Elementary charter school in Minneapolis and Tarek Ibn Ziyad Academy, a charter school with campuses in Inver Grove Heights and Blaine, do the best in math and reading, respectively, with high numbers of students living in poverty. Statewide, 64 percent of students were proficient on math tests, compared to 62 percent last year, and 72 percent were proficient on reading tests, compared to 71 percent last year. It is likely that for the first time, when the list is released in August, more than half the state's schools will be defined as not making adequate progress because their performance increases can't keep pace with rising targets.
Source: Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/49559342.html?page=2&c=y

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Vote on Indiana Budget May Allow for Charter School Growth
The Journal Gazette reports that Indiana budget negotiators struck a tentative deal Monday that would leave the state with $1 billion in reserves and give most schools a modest increase statewide. Both the House and Senate have to vote on the compromise today - just hours before the current state budget expires. If it is approved, there will be no cap on charter school growth and there will be a small pilot program for online virtual charter schools.
Source: Journal Gazette, Not Available Online

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Maine Risks Access to Race to The Top Funds by Defeating Charter Bill
Despite U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s repeated calls on states to enact charter-friendly policies or risk losing access to stimulus funds, Maine Business.com reports that on June 4th and June 8th senators voted not to allow public charter schools. However according to the May 20 survey by Critical Insights of Portland, 70% of Maine families want charter school options. The next opportunity for Maine legislators to reconsider a charter law will be during the January legislative session. If the a charter law is passed at that time the state would also be able to submit an enhanced application for the second phase of Race to the Top grants in spring of 2010.
Source: Maine Business.com http://mainebusiness.mainetoday.com/newsdirect/release.html?id=7336

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Philadelphia Cyber Charter Files Suit Against State
One week after the Pennsylvania Department of Education began the process of revoking its operating charter, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Agora Cyber Charter School has filed lawsuits in federal, state, and county courts challenging the action and seeking the return of public money the state had diverted from Agora into an escrow account. The litigation is the latest salvo in a dispute over the school's management contract with a company owned by Agora founder Dorothy June Brown. Agora opened in 2005 and enrolls 4,400 students statewide who receive online instruction at home.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20090701_Phila_-area_charter_school_fights_revocation_in_court.html

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