Charter schools make a contract … the charter petition which is their contract with the granting agency and their constituents. For charter operators and stakeholders it has always been understood that the ‘license to dream’ was a promise that came with a set off tradeoffs. Less money – more flexibility… fewer rules – more mandates to perform.
Recently the Wall Street Journal reported on a Fordham Institute study which reviewed 26 states which house more than 90% of the nations’ charter schools and reported that policy makers have not fulfilled their end of the bargain: the promised freedoms do not exist to truly create the necessary charter autonomy.
Across the states reviewed by the study, issues such as teacher credentialing, curricular freedom, teacher pay, teacher retirement, hiring restrictions, and more still bind charter operators in ways that impede innovation and hinder performance. In California, what started out as a ‘mega waiver’ from the massive edict of education code can now only be described as the ‘mini me’ of waivers.
Often the stakeholders of the traditional school system view charters as an adversary – and the alphabet soup of organizations lobby and ply politicians with a variety of myths and half truths to influence the imposition of more rules and regulations.
Charters across the US – and California in particular – already operate with some 30% less overall funding – and often are burdened with finding and financing adequate facilities. In the current milieu of cash deferral upon cash deferral experienced in California schools – most charters are unfairly impacted as they have few resources for borrowing as do traditional districts.
My thoughts and I welcome yours as well – we cannot continue to support charters with fewer resources, pile on further and further traditional constraints, and then wonder why innovation and results are not meeting our expectations.
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Most folks are unwilling to admit that charter schools do more with fewer resources. Facilities, dollars, and services are just a few areas where charter schools receive less than traditional schools. As the charter movement matures over the next few years, I believe that it will be evident that charters get results with less. This year, nany districts will cut personnel, services, and programs. Charter schools will continue to do more with less resources, so parents will see charters as a viable alternative. I suspect the next couple of years will be big for charter schools, even though the dollars will be small for education.
ReplyDeleteEli Johnson