The Virginian-Pilot
©
RiCHMOND
Charter school applicants turned down by their local school boards would have somewhere else to turn under the education proposals announced Wednesday by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
McDonnell's plan creates an appeals process for rejected applicants - something not included in Virginia's charter school law when it was enacted in 1998.
The governor unveiled his proposed changes to the charter school law as part of a package of education reforms he said would make Virginia more competitive for $350 million in federal "Race to the Top" money. That money will be won, he said, by demonstrating the commonwealth's commitment to education innovation.
McDonnell is also proposing legislation that would add more virtual schools - in which students take all of their classes online - and create more lab schools, developed as partnerships between universities and local school systems.
He called education reform a bipartisan issue and recruited several Democrats, including former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, to speak in favor of his proposals at his news conference Wednesday afternoon, and to carry his legislation.
Virginia's charter school law is consistently ranked at the bottom nationally by charter school advocacy organizations, in part, for its strict authorizing system.
Under current law, local school boards have complete control over whether to authorize a new charter.
McDonnell's proposal calls for a front-end vetting of charter applications by the state Board of Education, which would judge a proposal for quality. The board would then recommend whether the local school board should approve the application.
Should it be turned down, would-be charter founders could appeal the decision to the state board.
It's been 12 years since Virginia passed its charter law, yet the state has just three charter schools, with a fourth set to open, McDonnell said.
"There's obviously something broken with our system," he said.
He named several local communities - Newport News, Norfolk and Hampton - as areas with significant populations of at-risk students that might benefit from charters.
Some - including the state's teachers union, the Virginia Education Association - have raised the question of whether McDonnell's proposal conflicts with the state's constitution, which puts local school boards in charge of authorizing local schools.
But McDonnell said there is precedent for schools - the School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton, for example, and the various Governor's Schools throughout the state - that aren't run by school boards.
One national charter school organization, the Center for Education Reform, called McDonnell's proposal disappointing, saying it is "unambitious" and that an appeals process is only a small step in the right direction.
Sending an application past an extra set of eyes serves as a deterrent to those interested in starting a new school, President Jeanne Allen said. Her group advocates setting up a system of independent authorizers, such as a charter school board.
McDonnell "talked very strong" about charters, Allen said. "It's way too modest for someone who came in with such a huge mandate."
But a second group, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, called McDonnell's proposal a good first step in a long process.
"It's been a frozen environment for 12 years," said Todd Ziebarth, the group's vice president for policy. "Now this would start the thaw. And there's a lot of thawing left to do."
Alicia Wittmeyer, (804) 697-1561, alicia.wittmeyer@pilotonline.com
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BAD IDEA.....
According to the web site U.S. Charter Schools, their purpose is to offer an alternative to public schools by allowing communities to tailor programs to fit its needs. They (charter schools) "operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional schools."
Why can't VDOE allow the same freedoms to public schools? It is the increasing mandates with decreased funding that are breaking the heart and soul of public education.
I agree with the previous poster, charter schools will further dilute the funding for public schools. Small class sizes are cited as one of the reasons people choose charter schools, but because cuts will be so severe, the Gov and GA are forcing its public schools to increase class size.
Some charter school red flags: High teacher turnover with non-certified teachers; exacerbates racial inequity; test scores do not differ substantially from public schools; charters need to renew every 3-5 years increasing the chances of throwing good money into something unproven and away from true reform in public schools.
Education
Our education problems run much deeper than money, schools, resources, teachers, and supplies. Education had better results when they tought at schoolhouses with dirt floors, a chalk board, and no textbooks. Our education problem is a larger cultural problem. It isn't anything you can throw money at and improve. Education is no longer a personal asset or achievement in our culture, except in small upper-middle class circles.
Leader of all Virginians?
The real issue I have with this is that the Governor devotes an important element of time and energy to make this announcement when the prospect of cutting billions of dollars from local school divisions is on the table in the Legislature, being discussed in committee meetings, with little or not public input nor scrutiny, which could involve the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, and significant fiscal impact on families and communities across the Commonwealth, yet instead of weighing in on this critical function of government, our Governor elects instead to remain silent on the tsunami facing local school boards and speaks instead about charter schools. Is he the Governor for all Virginians, or just the Governor for the those with a very narrow political agenda?
Charter schools will not fix the education problems found in
many schools. Get rid of the SOL, teachers unions and the NCLB silliness and THAT will be a start in the right direction. We have dedicated teachers with a desire to teach. These three entities are stifling that desire. From a taxation point of view, I despise charter schools. The taxes collected from me is to go to giving all of our children a proper learning environment. If the "powers that be" approve a charter school, does that indicate there is a problem with the school system? I support what is needed in public school systems. If parents wish more for their children, then put them in private schools, but no taxes go to that private school. If parents don't like what is happening, don't teach your children to run from a problem, teach them to FIX problems. This is done by getting involved, if need be, running for school board positions. However, when school boards have to take already dwindling resources and divide it up with unneeded schools for "elites" or the "my child is better then this school" crowd, more kids will be negatively impacted. Charter schools do not fix problems, they cause problems. Haves vs have nots.
Most Virginians need to pick up a labor law book.
Then they would see that there are no real public sector unions. They are only associations with the power to meet and confer which translates into no power at all.
Public sector unions in Virgnia are a myth. Virginia denies its public sector workers the right to collectively bargain by law. They essentially discriminate against public sector workers by denying them a right which is held by all other members of society. The right to organize and collectively bargain for fair wages.
There never is a shortage of the "its the unions fault" battle cry here in Virginia. Its smoke and mirror tactics by big business to rile the naive masses and divert attention from the real culprit, their unfettered greed in all business dealings. There is no real union presence in Virginia. Less than 4 percent of private sector is unionized and 0 percent of public sector(no collective bargaining that is). Unions are a phantom menace scapegoat for big business in Virginia.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The real problem with the Public school system is that the Teachers union has made it almost impossible to get rid of a bad teacher regardless of the problems they have. They second problem is that the Liberal Democrats have gotten their claws in there and now are using this as a way to indoctrinate our children with their socialist views and the false Global warming views of the extreme left. They even have gotten to the people responsible for updating our children’s text books and are trying to rewrite history and introducing a world view and not the truth about our American history, they are even trying to deny history before 1888 because it shows that this country was in fact based on religious values and our politicians then were in fact religious and rightful people. Denying our true history is just another way these socialist views are gaining a foothold in our society today.
Sorry...
Have to call bovine manure on that one. The VEA is an association, not a union and Virginia outlaws collective bargaining agreements with public sector workers by law so these associations can only meet and confer. They have no real power.
Wow...
Do you actually have proof of what you just said? I have a child in school and am intensely involved with all aspects of his schooling and see no such activities. If you can cite actual examples of what you are claiming I would appreciate it. As for the founding fathers, some were more religious than others. And some of the greatest ones: Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, etc were Unitarians or Diests. Some were not particularly religious and with good reason. The ties between church and state that bloodied the water in England. But almost all were believers in God. There is a huge difference though between being religious and believing in God. One can be a believer and as such a virtuous person and not be tied to religious dogma, i.e. religion. These were enlightened men who when you read their writings they were almost scientific. They had faith in a Creator for sure but I don't think they showed a particular want to infuse religious (organized religion) views into governance.
here they come
"Charter schools are part of the agenda of the religious right. It's a conspiracy to push religion on our children."
Figured I'd beat those that don't know the difference between a charter school and a private religious school to the punch. Now...ATTACK McD for his Pat Roberston Agenda!! GO!!!
THAT MUST BE WHY
President Obama and his Eduction Secretary are supporting the expansion and funding of charter schools.