Local education officials react to charter school green light

Other approved changes would allow, not require, charter schools to give enrollment preference to lower-income students, and would allow charter school students who can not participate in state-sanctioned school athletics at their school to participate in sports at the traditional public school in their district, along with a few other changes.

Currently, the law states that charter school oversight rests largely with the sponsor and a privately-appointed board. The bill includes language that would allow preference to be given to those who are eligible for free or reduced priced lunch, and students attending persistently low-achieving schools.

The Senate voted 23-15 to approve an amended version of House Bill 520.

We understand a good number of lawmakers salivate at the idea that charter schools are the 21st century solution to education, but in Northwest Arkansas, the traditional public schools are a fundamental part of success in teaching the children of our communities. Local school boards would serve as the primary authorizer to review applications to open a charter school.

After the bill is signed, the next step for Kentucky would involve the creation of regulations for charter schools, said Nancy Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education. They are also not to have a particular religious affiliation. If approved, the school board will issue a five-year permit for the charter to operate with the option of renewing the contract for additional time. They would not be eligible for capital outlay funds for construction projects which the state disburses to districts based on student population.

Charters would not receive funds for facilities, funds raised from local property taxes or transportation funds under the bill.

Opinion: Charters divert funds from public schools.

“Parents have made their decision to send their kids to charter schools because they thought their kids would get a better education, but at the end of the day, they’re not getting a better education”, Beatty said.

“It’s a big, hard, thorny problem”, said Seth Andrew, founder of Democracy Prep Public Schools, a network of 20 charter schools in New York, Washington, D.C., Camden, N.J., and Baton Rouge, La.

“The APR has more meaning now for a charter school but it can take up to eight years before it could be forced to close due to a lack of adequate performance”, Pollitt commented. I have been proud to support and champion the Kentucky effort for public charter schools.

Public charter schools will be open to all students in the area.

“I really believe that this choice will increase innovation and excellence in all of our schools; we’ve already seen it in Kansas City and St. Louis, (which) have become re-accredited”, she said. “I know when I did my surveys, that’s one of the priorities of our constituents. But it’s a new era that we have to embrace and figure out how to work within”.

Critics argued that could have a negative impact on districts that perform well as a whole but have one low-performing building. A special provision also gives the chief executives of consolidated governments the ability to petition for a charter school. Documents distributed at a school board planning meeting said that with the process, Fayette County Schools would be prepared for charter school legislation.

During the perfection of the bill Wednesday evening, Richardson himself presented the amendment on the floor to establish those limiting functions and spoke with numerous concerned Democrats who feared charter schools would take away resources from established and successful public schools.

The move to create alternatives to traditional public schools has played out across the nation since the November election.

“I’m kind of surprised at the rate at which this legislation has gone through”, Brady said. “All school districts should have to be under the same umbrella standards; a school shouldn’t have the choice on how they are held accountable”.

Any loss of state aid will hurt especially in an era when funding continues to dwindle, according to Boyd County Superintendent Brock Walter.