Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 4, 1995 TAG: 9502060011
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISSY K. RUNYON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Charters, depending on the specificity of the legislative language, generally mean that a group of teachers, an existing school's faculty, parents, corporate personnel or a combination thereof can request permission from the state Board of Education to operate a school or part of a school, freed from the local school district's rules and regulations, and even from the provisions of teachers' union contracts. While the Roanoke school system supports the concept of deregulation from state governance, we're not in support of autonomy from the governance of the local school board.
The intent of charter schools is to create greater choice and innovation that will lead to improved achievement. Currently, of the 12 states and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico that have passed charter-school laws and have charters in place, there's little evidence of achievement gains to date. Many of the innovations that charter petitioners are proposing are in place today in our school system or can be achieved within existing structures, especially those that practice good site-based decision-making. In Roanoke city, for example, there are more than 40 programs of instructional choice. Cross-grade grouping by ability rather than age, alternate forms of assessment, and non-graded options exist at the elementary level. Interdisciplinary teams at the middle-school level, alternative programs such as the Drop-In Academy to accommodate working students with personal needs, magnet Schools, preschool classes and the Governor's School are a few additional examples.
Perhaps the greatest concern regarding the establishment of charter schools is the potential for reduction in funding, elitism and separatism.
Let me be more specific: Generally, charter schools receive the state average in funding for each student enrolled. In some states, they receive 80 percent to 90 percent of the state portion of funding. The student's resident school district must pay the per-pupil cost to the charter school for each student enrolled. This siphoning of public tax dollars creates a drain on the localities' funding for public schools and their students.
While charter schools must accept all students who apply, several states have discretionary admissions policies. Massachusetts law allows academic standards as a condition for admission. Most charter laws allow admission first to students in the geographic area in which a charter is located. Based on housing patterns, such a practice will result in greater separatism.
Equity of access to educational opportunities, despite economic or social background that is a basic premise of public education, cannot be guaranteed with the adoption of charter schools. Roanoke city's school system prides itself in the celebration of cultural, racial and ethnic diversity as our magnet programs validate. We oppose any educational program that fosters an approach to the contrary.
Before the public jumps on the charter-school bandwagon, consider the following unanswered questions concerning the charter legislation being proposed in Virginia.
Are appropriate educational-assessment measures available to measure the progress of students who would attend a charter school?
What are the costs of transporting students and who pays the cost?
Could any existing private school or parent in a home-school situation declare themselves a charter school and receive state and local funds?
Do charters require that teachers be certified?
Given limited funds, will charters seek cost-cutting measures that result in lower teacher wages? How would support personnel be affected?
Within the 60 charter schools established to date, the answers vary significantly. We must weigh possible costs against the unproved benefits of innovation.
Wouldn't it be wiser to retain local control and accountability of school governance and fiscal management, using the current options of instructional choice, equity and innovative practice? To ensure these practices, a more appropriate solution would be to remove state mandates and regulations that hamper the delivery of quality educational programs rather than place additional bureaucratic regulations on school districts to implement charter schools.
Lissy K. Runyon is public-information officer for Roanoke City public schools.
by CNB