THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210343
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Virginia's two-year battle over experimental charter schools may soon be settled by the General Assembly.
The solution: Throw the hot potato to local school boards.
On Wednesday, a legislative panel studying the issue agreed on key points of draft legislation that would give the state's local school districts the option to allow the semi-independent schools.
The bill is expected to be offered when the legislature convenes in January.
``If this question is ever going to be resolved, this is the bill that's going to do it,'' said Del. J. Paul Councill Jr., D-Franklin, chairman of the influential House Education Committee and head of the study panel.
``It's a long way from being a reality, but we've got something we can put out there that I think is a reasonable approach and has merit,'' Councill said.
Nationwide, 19 states have approved legislation for charter schools, which allow parents, teachers or other groups to create such schools as part of a trend to reform public education by encouraging competition, innovation and parental choice. The schools are granted waivers from many state regulations and thus have more freedom to experiment.
But in Virginia, as in several other states, the idea has come under fire from educators who fear that it is a back-door attempt by conservatives to funnel public money into exclusive private schools. Republican Gov. George Allen has supported the idea in his push for tougher academic standards, accountability for student performance and parental control of schools.
Several charter school bills introduced in the previous legislative session never made it out of committee, derailed by the Democratic leadership and opposition from the education establishment. The legislature created the study panel as a compromise.
Councill, arguing that the issue is not going away, said the draft bill reviewed Wednesday by his study panel attempts to blunt the criticism, in part by placing the matter in the hands of local school officials.
The bill restricts each district to two charter schools on a trial basis, and at least half of the students enrolled would have to be considered economically disadvantaged or at risk of failing or dropping out. Local boards could revoke the ``charter'' of a school that failed to measure up to specified performance levels.
Besides that, the bill does not seek any start-up money for charter schools, Councill said. Also, existing public schools could apply to become a charter school.
Supporters still have a tough selling job ahead. Frank E. Barham, executive director of the Virginia School Boards Association, said Wednesday that the move to give local boards control is ``one of those decisions they want to give us that we don't really want.'' by CNB