Charter school considerations

Since its foray into the public square, controversy has surrounded the educational delivery system known as charter schools. Are they a step toward reforming K-12 education or are they a dangerous diversion? In this paper, we attempt to address some of the concerns commonly voiced.

Statement: It is dangerous and maybe illegal to remove control of the operation of a school from the locally elected school board.

Response: The school board is a creation of the legislature (through statute) and its oversight functions can be changed by the legislature. Chartered public schools represent a type of change.

The state constitution (Article 9) does not address governance; it principally concerns itself with elements of funding and sectarian control.

The intent of the legislature in creating school boards was to create a mechanism whereby local communities, especially parents, could oversee the effective operations of their schools—a direct attempt to protect local control. This intent has been eroded; in fact, entire organizations have been created to manage education, not from the local school board level, but from the state and federal government levels down.

Regardless, the right of local school boards to manage a school district does not trump the right of parents to educate their children in the way they see best.

Statement: Most of the people who pay for K-12 education do not have children in our schools. Electing a school board is the only way these taxpayers can ensure they have taxation with representation.

Response: Most school district funding comes from state government, and the responsibility for its collection and distribution falls on the shoulders of our Senate and House of Representatives—elected members all. This is where taxpayers' interests should be protected. Most charter school laws, including the one considered by the 2003 Legislature, do not allow charter schools to receive local funding dollars unless the school was chartered by the local board.

Statement: Charter schools cannot be part of true education reform if they must still adhere to the state's Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).

Response: The majority of lawmakers in our state have decided that the EALRs and the WASL will guarantee greater academic achievement for students; therefore, they will not approve any"reform" measures not linked to both. Traditional public schools really have a hard time complying with all these requirements because they have little financial, calendar and employee/teacher contract flexibility.

Without these impediments, however, chartered public schools can go about their academic business, with an eye on two things: what they must do to satisfy the state, and what they must do to satisfy their charter. In exchange for deregulation, a charter school agrees to meet the requirements of current law, in addition to what the school's directors believe they must provide to ensure properly educated students.

Statement: When a charter school fails, its students have no place to go. This is not fair.

Response: It is not only fair, it defines success. In fairness to children, their parents, and taxpayers, a school that fails to properly meet the needs of its students should be closed. The fact that a school can be closed provides greater incentive to succeed. Students from "failed" schools will go to the traditional, non-chartered public school they would have attended in the first place, until another option emerges.

Statement: Charter schools are dangerous because they will "lure" homeschooled students through their doors.

Response: It's not government's job to protect a homeschooling family from "temptation." It is each family's responsibility to determine its own values and goals and to adhere to them as they see fit. For some homeschooled families, a particular type of charter school might be exactly what they are looking for.

Added note: For proper context, remember this paper discusses chartered public schools. Private schools and the regulations they do or don't adhere to are a different matter entirely.

Prepared by Lynn Harsh, Senior Education Analyst (360) 956-3482

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org