Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994 TAG: 9401110139
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURA WILLIAMSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You might get a chance to try, if a bill being drafted by state Sen. Brandon Bell passes this year.
Bell, a Republican representing Roanoke and most of Roanoke County, said Monday he would introduce legislation that would allow groups of citizens to apply for charters to open their own schools. The schools would be financed with state money but would not have to follow many state laws.
"It opens up a wide arena for ideas, which is the whole intent," Bell said during a press conference at the Roanoke Municipal Building.
His bill would allow for 10 schools statewide, each with a three-year charter. The state Board of Education would approve applications based on criteria showing that the charter school would do something different from or better than what already was being done, Bell said.
For example, the pilot schools could change school hours or even the length of the school year, he said. They would not be required to adhere to Virginia's standards of quality but would have to meet some academic standards and show what they expected to achieve as part of the application process.
State-appointed advisory boards would oversee the schools, which would have to abide by nondiscrimination, safety and health laws governing other schools.
The idea appeals, in concept, to Virginia Education Association President Rob Jones.
"If done properly, I think it could be a mechanism for meaningful return," Jones said.
The National Education Association supports charter schools, as long as they do not divert money from the regular public school system.
Bell said he does not know what his proposal would cost. The charter schools would receive money through the same formula that determines per-pupil spending for public schools.
Whether the bill would include money for start-up costs and school construction is unclear. Bell said he would need direction from the state Board of Education on that issue. Some charters, he suggested, could be through private companies that would provide classroom space.
Local school systems also could apply for charters if they wanted to set aside one school that would be free from state mandates, Bell said.
He said he thinks the bill has a good chance of passing. It has received tentative support from other Republicans, whom he declined to name. A similar bill may be introduced in the House.
A spokesman for Gov.-elect George Allen would not comment on the legislation, but Bell said he sent the new administration a copy of the bill, and it "was something they were very interested in."
by CNB