Governor's charter school plan faces major test

RICHMOND

Gov. Bob McDonnell unveiled his plans to encourage more charter schools in Virginia with much fanfare and bipartisan acclaim two weeks ago.

But on Wednesday, McDonnell, his education secretary and staff members spread out through the Capitol, meeting with individual legislators to salvage the administration's signature education reform package.

McDonnell's bills for charter, lab and virtual schools will face a major test today in the Senate Education Committee. Their passage, despite some last-minute changes to make the bills more palatable to educators, is uncertain in the heavily Democratic committee.

What changed?

It may have been McDonnell's proposed budget cuts, which would hit schools hard, said Jesse Richman, a political science professor at Old Dominion University.

"It's in part a question of political capital," Richman said. "Cutting the public schools depletes the governor's political capital on education and makes it harder for him to push other kinds of education reforms."

In the case of charter schools, opponents fear these alternatives will eventually draw money away from public education, Richman said.

McDonnell argued that his proposals for virtual schools and charter schools will actually save money and allow the state to tap into federal grants for education innovation.

McDonnell expected that opening up the state to more charters would be challenging, administration officials said.

The fledgling administration even pared down its proposal. McDonnell dropped his plan to give the State Board of Education, instead of local school officials, the final authority to reject charter school applications.

While the administration seems to have satisfied the concerns of the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia School Boards Association and the Virginia Superintendents Association, the bills have come under harsh criticism from the Legislative Black Caucus.

Earlier this week, the caucus issued a strongly worded rebuke of the initially proposed charter school legislation, comparing it to the state's segregation policies. The group also issued a statement opposing lab and virtual schools.

The caucus' opposition seems to be weighing on the minds of some Democratic Senate leaders.

McDonnell tried to push back.

"The caucus statement is both disappointing and perplexing," he said. "It demonstrates a reflexive adherence to the status quo at a time when a growing and robust national bipartisan movement led by President Obama, is working to provide more opportunities for public school students and parents in every community."

But McDonnell also faced criticism from some in the charter school community.

"Gov. McDonnell has shed this mandate to upend the status quo and has compromised away a strong education initiative pledged to his constituents," said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform.

But it's not just up to the governor to change legislation, said Todd Ziebarth with the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

Virginia needs a grassroots charter school movement to counter the "loud voices" from the teachers unions and other groups before the state can make significant gains, Ziebarth said.

Pilot writer Julian Walker contributed to this report.

Deirdre Fernandes, (804) 697-1561, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com