Private Religious schools and charter schools want access to public dollars.. no problem!

[Peacetrain]

Your tax free status is null and void.

If you want to compete with the public school system.. and have access to public monies.. and still be a private entity without government oversight, no don't think that is happening with my tax dollar..

The choice is yours...

Independent status with a tax free status.. or loss of your tax free status and subject to the same regulations public schools are subject too if you want part of the education funds.

I am a very easy person to get along with :)

[mzteris]

1. charter schools ARE public schools. n/t

[w4rma]

3. No they are not. All the decisions are made by the charter schools OWNERS.

And those owners aren't the parents (who normally elect school boards), unlike at public schools.

[SoxFan]

6. You don't know what youre talking about it

It's abundantly clear that you have never spoken with a charter school parent, visited a charter school classroom, or studied charter school governance models.

[w4rma]

8. Yes I do. I know exactly about which I'm talking about. Tell the truth about these scams. (nt)

[mzteris]

10. oh for god's sake -

ALL CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

I am so sick of people continuing the LIE that they are not.

[Jakes Progress]

20. Sorry. You are wrong.

No two ways about it. Not all charter schools are public schools. I'm a little tired of those who barely know how these things work perpetuating the fantasy that charters will save education, are subject to the same rules as public schools, that they don't adversely affect public schools, and that charters are somehow magically superior to public schools.

I know public schools. I know charter schools. Charters come in all shapes and sizes and are financed and policed in as many ways. They are not all public schools. The best thing charters do is give parents a chance to buy a bumper sticker about how cool their kids are. Some do a good job. Some suck horribly and ruin children desperately. But without fail, when kids get into one, the parents puff up and defend the charters regardless. They also stop agitating for improvements in the public system. They wouldn't want to get their kid booted from the "elite" school, so they keep their mouths shut.

[mzteris]

22. By the very definition - ALL charter schools ARE public schools.

The sickening twisting by some to try and make that "not so" is just so ridiculous. Do you even KNOW the definition of "public school"??

[Jakes Progress]

26. Saying it doesn't make it so.

But go ahead. newt loves you.

[mzteris]

27. saying it isn't - doesn't make it so, eitiher.

I have every definition - legal, federal, state, local, dictionary - that says what I'm saying.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mzteris]

34. I don't care if you're rip van winkle - Charter schools ARE PUBLIC schools.

I'm sorry you can't seem to read and comprehend the definitions available to you.

I have not been scammed - and neither have any of the children in the schools with which I am familiar.


And I am very very tired of you and others accusing me of being "right wing". This is insulting and a direct violation of DU rules. I am a very good Democrat (better than most of those screaming "I HATE OBAMA" because he didn't do exactly what I want him to do waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh............).

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jakes Progress]

84. Don't be ageist.

I comprehend all of the things you have said. But again, just because you say them doesn't make them so.

I disagree. Your posts indicate to me that you believe the lies about American public schools. Those lies were begun by right wingers who wished to inaugurate a program to destroy the public's faith in public schools. They would use false statistics, inflate test results, create bogus tests that their state legislatures would mandate, all with the goal of convincing the public that schools were bad and needed something. The something they want is to make tax supported schools a source of income for profit oriented corporate interests. The lies were pushed by all of the republican administrations starting with ronald reagan and his ed czar, bill bennet. bennet was behind the thoroughly debunked "Nation At Risk". Though debunked the lies that book contained are still used as excuses for attacking teachers and public schools.

As for charters, they are a wedge, a sop to people who want real reform in education. They don't really solve any problems. I thought they would. That is why I spent several years working with some of them. While the single school on some rare occasions might be good, they never had any effect on the system. They are a relief valve, a way to siphon off the pressure to make substantive change.

Play with any definition of public that you want. The problem is that charters are used to "prove" that public schools don't work. Even though all research done by those not affiliated with the charter movement show that charters are no better than public schools. Perception is the key, not reality.

For information about the big lie of the right about public schools you have to go beyond the networks and faux news. If you are truly interested, you can read "Manufactured Crisis" by Berliner and Biddle. You can find a copy of the Sandia Report, which was commissioned by the reagan administration and then hidden from the public for years because it disproved "Nation At Risk". You could go on line and read the columns and articles by the late Gerald Bracey from Ed Week. At least spend a little time with the truth to counter the years the public has been subjected to the big neo con lie.

[Empowerer]

37. Charter schools ARE public schools. n/t

[Jakes Progress]

43. Wrong definition of "public".

[hack89]

40. They are all public schools in Rhode Island.

Charter Public School Act of RI
(R.I.G.L. 16-77-1)

Legislation allowing the creation of charter schools in Rhode Island was initially approved by the RI General Assembly in 1995 and later amended in 1998.

Under Rhode Island law, only the Board of Regents of Elementary and Secondary Education can grant a charter. This decision is based upon a recommendation by the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and/or a local school committee.

According to Rhode Island law, those allowed to apply for charters include: existing public schools, groups of public school personnel, public school districts, Rhode Island-based non-profit institutions, a group of public school districts, and Rhode Island-based colleges and universities.

http://www.ride.ri.gov/commissioner/charterschools/act.aspx

[Jakes Progress]

44. Check your groups 2 and 4 and then

come up with a meaning for public. If they are public schools, they have the same financial, curricular, assessment, and organizational system as all other public schools. The real "public" schools have a world of restrictions, requirements, and financial limitations that the fake public schools don't. If any charter school can change the rules, why can't any school?

Your quote doesn't address financial issues. Do these schools use public funds? Are the monies available exactly the same per student as the real public schools? If they are in RI, then RI is different from the 18 states where I have worked with charters. In those states, the money flows from the real public schools into charters where affluent or influential parents demand more for their children. The result is less money for the real public schools.

I worked with one that seemed a dream. It had plenty of money for small classes and extra amenities. The charter organizers loved to say that they got the same money from the district as other publics. Working with them for a year, I saw that they solicited and received about 60% above that from private corporate donations. That extra money immediately proved that the school couldn't compete with the money that they got from the tax system. But they, and the district, loved to tout how just using some imagination and being freed from regulations would make everything hunky dory.

If your kid is in that school, I can see where you would think that was cool (inequitable and mean-spirited though). But for the schools getting the shaft and their kids, it was not so great.

Charters are a scam orchestrated by the neocon movement, a distraction from the true needs of schools and a ploy for destroying public trust in education. I say that knowing dozens of dedicated teachers who work in those schools and want to believe they are making a difference. I feel sorry for most, because most will come to see the truth of how their passion and skills were used by some really bad people.

[hack89]

45. Lets look at the Rhode Island funding formula, shall we?

http://www.ride.ri.gov/commissioner/charterschools/Fundingformula.aspx

Looks pretty fair to me.

As for the rest of your rant, if traditional schools were any good, parents wouldn't be demanding an alternative for their kids. Rhode Island schools really suck - do you get that basic fact? The entire system should be razed and something completely new built. But that is not viable in such a pro-union state so charters are the best we can do for our kids.

[Jakes Progress]

46. So, so tired.

You chant the mantra that the MSM and neo con propaganda has fed you for years. Up until bill bennet had the "Nation At Risk" crap book written, Americans were proud and happy with their schools. Then ronnie reagan's ed guy declared a war on education. Almost all of the drivel in NAR was debunked years ago. People like Gearald Bracey wrote and spoke about the lies. He used facts and statistics and real world examples to prove that, while schools could improve, the state of education is better now than it was in the past. You can consult Berliner and Biddle's "Manufactured Crisis" for an education that goes past the MSM headlines. Then there was the Sandia Report that proved conclusively that American education was doing a very good job. Commissioned by the reagan administration, the Sandia Report was classified and hidden from the public for years because it interfered with the propaganda. You didn't see Bracey, a respected statistician and academic, on any of the network talk shows. You got a steady stream of chester finn, bill bennet, newt gingrich, and grover norquist all bleating the lies. It's not so amazing that so many bought it. Probably the greatest success of grover norquist and the neo con movement is the disillusionment of the American people in their schools, schools that parents all over the world would love to have their children attend.

Basically, you have been the victim of a the big old conservative conspiracy. When you spout things like "if traditional schools were any good, parents wouldn't be demanding an alternative for their kids" and "schools really suck" and "The entire system should be razed" then attack unions as a solution, you are joining forces with some pretty bad people. Learning is a good thing. Read something that doesn't come from the right wing media or the neo con manifesto and learn something.

Then ask yourself if you would be supporting "Race to the Top" if mccain were president and he had newt gingrich pushing this program, which he surely would since it is exactly the solutions that bill bennet suggested during ronnie's term in office.

[hack89]

47. What a huge steaming pile of crap

Rhode Island is a blue state with a legislature that is overwhelmingly dominated by Democrats - has been that way for ever. And our schools fail by every measurable standard. The neocons didn't fuck them up, the Democrats did. The same Democrats, to their credit, have recognized that charter schools are a possible solution. So if you want to believe that Rhode Island Democrats are "some pretty bad people" then knock yourself out - it only makes you look more ignorant.

As an aside, my niece just graduated from a public charter school in Massachusetts. Excellent school that sent 90% of the graduates to college. Another blue state that understands the importance of reforming education.

You anti-corporate, neon-con shtick ignore a fundamental issue - parents are tired of their kids getting a crappy education and are not willing to wait for the education industry to unfuck themselves. Your continuous branding of such parents as ignorant and "victims" merely displays to all your contempt for any that question authority and the entrenched status quo.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hack89]

49. Charter schools are a different issue than "Reach for the Top"

and you know it. There is very little I like about "Reach for the Top".

I like charter schools for a simple reason - they give control to the parents. They allow creative solutions that the ossified bureaucracy of the education industry refuse to embrace. If the standards for graduation are uniform across the state (which they are in RI) then it doesn't matter how the student gets there as long as they graduate. With the horrendous graduation rates in RI, anything is better than what we have now. That's what really scares you about charter schools, isn't it? You are afraid that they will succeed. Authoritarians like yourself that love centralized power over the ignorant masses are afraid to give up an inch of influence to the parents.

If charter schools are a neo-con scam than why do so many in New England embrace them? Are you really saying that local and state government are incapable of making informed decisions about their communities and kids? Because charter schools are not being crammed down our throats - we consciously embrace them because we refuse to blindly accept the crap the education industry has been selling for years.

Accept it - you are on the losing side of this issue because you are trying to sell a crappy product. The American public has moved on looking for their own solutions.

[Jakes Progress]

51. Charters are a big part of RFT.

Accept it - you have bought the lie. Whether you like RFT or not, your charter band wagon is run on the lies that bill bennet started.

You have no idea what I know about charter schools. I have more experience starting, staffing, and running them than you have pounding out talking points on a keyboard. I'm not scared of charter schools. I do worry that by using the lies about charter schools and they lies about public schools and about American education in general will be the best tool the neo cons and corp ed has to put American schools in private domain. You think you don't like centralized power now, wait until your niece's future counterparts get into Wal-Mart Middle School and the Enron Academy. I can tell that you refuse to learn how charters (which every single study done that was not paid for by charter groups has shown are no more effective than the same number of public schools) are a part of that happening.

If you are smart enough to know that RFT is a crap program, I ask in all DU brotherliness that you check on articles by Gerald Bracey and the Sandia Report and the work of Dave Berliner. You will see how America was sold a lie, a lie that is paying off for the liars.

[hack89]

52. I trust the people of Rhode Island

I know we are ignorant, stupid sheep led astray by those evil neo-cons but it is our state and our decision. Your system has failed. It does not educate our kids. Don't take it personally but we are moving on - we will find a better way. I have no doubt that charter schools will be part of it. Some will fail - but then we are use to failure in the education system. But we will learn from our failures and move on.

I have a hard time with your sense of superiority and your overwhelming contempt for those who disagree with you. Your basic premise is that anyone who embraces charter schools is an ignorant fool. That is incredibly insulting to millions of good people who are doing all they can do to make life better for their kids. Here's a news flash - you are not the center of the universe. Educated, caring and compassionate people can come to a different conclusion then you. If you really care about America's education system, I can't think of a worse way to convince people you are right. I certainly leave this conversation feeling even more strongly that I am right.

On that note, good night.

[Jakes Progress]

57. Poor baby. I know you have a hard time

with people smashing your smug little world. So I understand the lashing out and the tantrum. But without information and without anything to support your position but your own tiny world and the word of the people on MSM, you really can't be taken seriously. The problem is that people without information get to vote too. So you and the others who refuse to believe truth but hang on to lies will win in the end. You will get your charters in place of a public school system. You will watch as they become entirely private. You will, even then, console yourselves with the big lie, bill bennet's big lie, that there was no choice because American schools were so bad.

That is a lie. It has been a lie since it started hitting the airwaves under ronald reagan. So you leave this conversation feeling strongly that you are right even though you have no statistics, no evidence, no research to support your position. You have only the perceived common knowledge that the media have given you. You know, like the weapons of mass destruction, like trickle-down economics, and like supply side economics. Those lies come from the very same people that created the lies about education that you feel so strongly right about. Buy you won't consider the source. You don't like my tone, so you won't educate yourself. Because you feel that you are the very center of the universe. Right there in RI, you are the be all and end all of everything educational. i don't think you are a teacher. I don't think you ever spent a day in a classroom. I don't think you ever studied the field or looked beyond the little building where your niece went. You have a tiny view of the problem and refuse to open your eyes.

But you will win. You will get what you want. The corporate operations own the republicans and are putting more Democrats in their pocket each day. So when you get what you want, they get what they want. Congratulations.

[hack89]

59. Thanks for reinforcing my point.

Your system has failed. It doesn't work any more. Anything would be better. That is one fact we have plenty of statistics on.

[Jakes Progress]

60. You don't have a point.

All you have is a bunch of vague catch phrases garnered from too much time with the right wing media.

It is not my system. It used to be yours, but you are hell-bent on turning schools over the corporate interests, and you are too stubborn and too self-proud to actually consider that someone who has spent 40 years in a field might know more than you. I don't know what you do for a living, but i guess you think that someone who never did anything in your field would be able to do it better and would know best how to tell you what to do in your work. If you are at all intellectually honest, you would welcome having someone with no experience and only hearsay and rumor to go on completely rearrange what you do for a living. They would know best according to you.

So how about it. What do you do for a living? I'm sure I could do a much better job of telling you what you should do to get better and how to improve the profession (or job). Just tell me what you do and then, if you aren't a hypocritical mouther, you would go and do exactly what I suggest. After all. I know nothing about it so I know better than you. According to the crap you post here, that is how it works. So go ahead. I'm anxious to tell you how bad you are and what you should do to get better.

Or are you a hypocritical mouther who doesn't really mean what you say?

[hack89]

62. So you have a vested interest in the status quo?

your rudeness and contempt makes sense now - no one wants to be told that the system they have invested so much of their life in is a total failure.

You are right - only the experts in a given field really know what is going on. We should not question the bankers on Wall Street, the health insurance executives, the Pentagon generals - after spending 40 years in their respective fields, who are the common people to question their competence or motivation?

Your appeal to authority would be more effective if you didn't have to defend such a broken system.

[Jakes Progress]

63. You suck at ducking.

Your steadfast refusal to answer any questions. You cowardly avoidance of my last post all point to your decided lack of assurance of your own position. Now you throw out attacks, make really silly statements, and generally avoid ever making any statement that would prove your point. i shared this sub thread with some of my colleagues. Two are ardent supporters of their children's charter schools. But the whole group found your foundering to be embarrassing. The two charter fans were embarrassed with your lack of information and reliance on MSM catch phrases.

If you think there is reason for my rudeness and contempt, what would be your excuse for bring rude to educators and holding in contempt the millions of teachers who have given the lives to make the American education system the envy of the world? Did some teacher catch you smoking in the bathroom? Did some teacher make you stay after school for writing dirty words on the school? Well, you're gonna get them back aren't you.

Then there is the matter of your oh so ignorant second paragraph. Sorry, but no one with any brains would fall for that straw man. Of course, economists and financial scholars should question the bankers on Wall Street? Who do you want to do it, glen beck. He knows as much about banking as you do about schools. And people with experience in diplomacy and world events and the interaction of nations should question Pentagon generals. I guess you would favor someone like sarah palin being the one to question them. After all, she can see Russia from her back yard. Are you really that desperate? Are you really so pathetic that you would use that kind of argument? You favor ignorance over knowledge, a passing fancy over experience. Is that really where you are at?

As for your last para. That is the crux of the argument. You steadfastly refuse to learn. You turn your back on the chance to become informed. You continue to bleat the right wing mantra and neo con lie that the system is broken. The problem with the education system is people like you, people who aid and abet the neo con agenda though simple ignorance. You seem to not come from a background in education, but you have been offered an education and you ought not to avoid it. The sources I suggested can, if you aren't too stiff-necked to read them, help you become an informed participant in this national conversation.

(Oh. You seem to have forgotten to tell me what you do? I told you my profession. What is it that you do that any plumber joe on the street would know more about than you?)

[hack89]

65. I am a educated professional

with a graduate degree. I have been involved with military education and training for 30 years.

More to the point I am a parent with two kids at school. I was the chair of a school improvement team for four years - working with the teachers and administration we did a top to bottom assessment of an elementary school, looking at every aspect from teacher performance to curriculum. I ran into many teachers like you - arrogant and affronted that a mere parent had the nerve to question them. Despite the fact that the school was under performing and letting our kids down.

So I am not particularly concerned what your colleagues say - what else could they say? In Rhode Island there are no corporate run charter schools - a simple fact you need to accept. You also need to trust the people of Rhode Island to make the right decisions - I know that is hard for an authoritarian like you.

[Jakes Progress]

70. Gol Dang. You sound like one of them there experts.

What business you got teaching to them soldiers. You prolly got all messed up gettin that gradjet degree. Advanced degrees and thirty years of experience are sure signs that you shouldn't be allowed to do your job. Surely they could go find an out of work burger guy to do your job for less money. And since he doesn't have all the background knowledge and experience he will do it better than you. We'll let him have a cousin who was in the Navy so he really knows everything.

Come to think of it. Let's just let him tell you what to do. Give him a couple of days to watch and he will know all that stuff you have done to screw up the military. We all know the military is failing. Look, we done been in Ganistan for longer than my daddy took to beat Japan, Germany, and Italy. We got to fire all you guys and get some fresh blood in there. What with all your vested interest in perpetuating a failing system. Now I understand why you think you know something. All you egghead 'lectuals just think you know things. You ought to quit your job and give it to a complete new guy who won't keep messing up all our boys in uniform.


The above rant is exactly the argument you have been making.

[hack89]

71. Not really

you are the one who has adopted a conspiracy theory view of the world where evil neo-cons and wicked corporations have hoodwinked the gullible people of America. You and only you have the truth and all would be better if we just listened to you. Your logic would fit nicely in the 911 Forum (what other CT's do you embrace?)

Me, on the other hand, based on my personal experience in my little piece of the world know several things:

1. Rhode Island schools are under-performing in every significant measure despite high per student spending.

2. Charter schools are regulated by the state and have to meet the same graduation criteria of every other public school (because they are public schools.)

3. Race to the Top (with all those charter schools) are supported by at least 50 percent of the teacher unions in the state. I trust their professional judgment.

4. Corporations aren't allowed to run charter schools in Rhode Island.

5. Some charter schools will succeed and some will fail - which is ok. We can shut down failed schools and chalk that up as a lesson learned.

So why won't you simply accept the fact the the people of Rhode Island see things differently than you, put aside your ego, and let them run their state the way they want to? Are you really that much against everyday people having a say in their lives?

[Jakes Progress]

74. Damned right.

Your expertise is based on a tiny part of the world and a self-serving, myopic point of view.

It is not me and only me. It is thousands and thousands of informed people. You are not one. You have decided that not learning is the route you will go. A desire to no learn must be what makes you think you are so good at telling professionals how learning takes place.

1. Under-performing in what way? Do you know the measurements that are used? Do you understand assessment and how it works? Of course, if you did, that would, in your view make you ineligible to talk about testing.

2. Are Charter schools held to the same financial, assessment, staffing, curricular, pay-scale requirements of all schools?

3. I thought you thought teachers were the devil. So you only agree with the half that agrees with you.

4. Directly.

5. Maybe we could do the same with the FDA. Do away with all those pesky tests. Those foods and drugs that kill people will but shut down. We can just chalk up that death and disease to a lesson learned. No sillier than your callous decisions to use children as guinea pigs. You really are incapable of reflection, aren't you?

Well. For eight years, the people chose ronnie reagan to be their leader. They saw things differently than we did. Should we have just let them go on without running a candidate against him? Are you really that much against everyday people having a say in their lives? What a really stupid argument. When people want to destroy children's lives, I don't think I will just let them run things that way. Of course you don't mind because if a million children lose out on learning, we could just chalk it up to, what did you call it - a lesson learned? That is disgusting.

You say you worked for 30 years. I guess you decided to give up ruining the American military with all your knowledge and experience and let someone with no training or background have your job. Nice of you to stop being a part of that system of elitists who were destroying soldiers lives. Congratulations on being brave enough to admit your sins and practice what you preach.

[hack89]

75. You are full yourself, aren't you?

you and only you really know what's going on. You must get weary shouldering such a burden - it is unfortunate that the unwashed masses refuse to see your genius. I suspect the Obama administration is going to be hard on your ego.

[Jakes Progress]

79. I keep telling you.

It's not just me and only me. Thousands and thousands know. Just because you don't doesn't mean you are unwashed - just uninformed.

It's not my ego that is so tied up in charter schools. It's not my ego that will suffer; it's your children's children. Oh well. Just chalk it up to a lesson learned. But you won't learn it until your kids are signing the forms to get your grand children into Exxon Elementary.

Damn those pesky people who knew this was happening. If only they had tried to tell people. But they just wouldn't show up on MSM and so how could you have known. If only someone had given you a source of information or a place to read to learn. Oh well. Just another lesson learned.

Let's see. Graduate degree. 30 years on the gov. payroll doing a terrible job by ruining the lives of soldiers (by your own reckoning). But then all that experience and education and you still think you can call other people elitist.

Notice that you didn't bother to even try to address my responses to your five important bits of knowledge. Wise.

[hack89]

80. You're funny - I think I like you. nt

[Jakes Progress]

82. I'll be here all week. nt

[golfguru]

54. Why are you afraid of competition from Charter schools?

If they turn out to be worse than public schools, parents can
vote with their feet and abandon them.

Competition makes for a better product, whether it is Auto's,
Hamburgers or education. Public schools in larger cities are
notorious failures. It is a crime to force people living in
poor neighborhoods of large cities into a monopoly system of
failing schools.

[Jakes Progress]

56. Bought that line too?

grover will have to give a raise to his pr people.

[vi5]

4. From the link posted below your reply...

"Basically, these schools are free from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. "

So they get to take public money, but don't have to comply to the same standards and regulations as public schools do.

That doesn't sound very much like public school to me.

[mzteris]

11. Not true.

Charters MUST MEET the SAME STANDARDS as trads do. They have some freedom in how to go about meeting those standards, but the standards are the same.

You really should read the regulations on charters before you go making such false statements.

[vi5]

15. So they have to keep out...

..religion/politics/etc.? Everything I have read does not seem to indicate that.

By all means, if you can link me to any pieces where it says they are subject to the exact same regulations (regulations, not "standards") as public schools, then I'd be happy to see that. I'm open to any and all solutions, just not ones that involve privatization to allow people and companies to get away with things they would not be able to get away with in the public sector.

[mzteris]

17. here's a sample

CHAPTER 118 GENERAL SCHOOL OPERATIONS

118.01 applies to all school in WI.

118.40 is the section of the statutes that apply to charter schools

118.40 Subsection: (1m) #4. The methods the school will use to enable pupils to attain the educational goals under s. 118.01.

118.01 Educational goals and expectations. (1) PURPOSE.
Public education is a fundamental responsibility of the state.
The constitution vests in the state superintendent the supervision
of public instruction and directs the legislature to provide for the
establishment of district schools. The effective operation of the
public schools is dependent upon a common understanding of
what public schools should be and do. Establishing such goals and
expectations is a necessary and proper complement to the state’s
financial contribution to education. Each school board should
provide curriculum, course requirements and instruction consistent
with the goals and expectations established under sub. (2).
Parents and guardians of pupils enrolled in the school district
share with the state and school board the responsibility for pupils
meeting the goals and expectations under sub. (2).
(2) EDUCATIONAL GOALS. (a) Academic skills and knowledge.
Since the development of academic skills and knowledge is the
most important goal for schools, each school board shall provide
an instructional program designed to give pupils:
1. Basic skills, including the ability to read, write, spell, perform
basic arithmetical calculations, learn by reading and listening
and communicate by writing and speaking.
2. Analytical skills, including the ability to think rationally,
solve problems, use various learning methods, gather and analyze
information, make critical and independent judgments and argue
persuasively.
3. A basic body of knowledge that includes information and
concepts in literature, fine arts, mathematics, natural sciences,
including knowledge of the elements of agriculture and the conservation
of natural resources, and social sciences, including
knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of the family as a consumer,
cooperative marketing and consumers’ cooperatives.
4. The skills and attitudes that will further lifelong intellectual
activity and learning.
5. Knowledge in computer science, including problem solving,
computer applications and the social impact of computers.
(b) Vocational skills. Each school board shall provide an
instructional program designed to give pupils:
1. An understanding of the range and nature of available
occupations and the required skills and abilities.
2. Preparation to compete for entry level jobs not requiring
postsecondary school education.3. Preparation to enter job−specific vocational training programs.
4. Positive work attitudes and habits.
(c) Citizenship. Each school board shall provide an instructional
program designed to give pupils:
1. An understanding of the basic workings of all levels of government,
including the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.
2. A commitment to the basic values of our government,
including by appropriate instruction and ceremony the proper reverence
and respect for and the history and meaning of the American
flag, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. constitution
and the constitution and laws of this state.
3. The skills to participate in political life.
4. An understanding of the function of organizations in society.
5. Knowledge of the role and importance of biological and
physical resources.
6. Knowledge of state, national and world history.
7. An appreciation and understanding of different value systems
and cultures.
8. At all grade levels, an understanding of human relations,
particularly with regard to American Indians, Black Americans
and Hispanics.
(d) Personal development. Each school board shall provide an
instructional program designed to give pupils:
1. The skills needed to cope with social change.
2. Knowledge of the human body and the means to maintain
lifelong health, including:
a. Knowledge of the theory and practice of physical education,
including the development and maintenance of physical fitness;
b. Knowledge of the true and comparative vitamin content of
food and food and health values of dairy products and their importance
for the human diet; and
c. Knowledge of physiology and hygiene, sanitation, the
effects of controlled substances under ch. 961 and alcohol upon
the human system, symptoms of disease and the proper care of the
body. No pupil may be required to take instruction in these subjects
if his or her parent files with the teacher a written objection
thereto. If a pupil does not take instruction in these subjects as a
result of parental objection, the pupil may not be required to be
examined in the subjects and may not be penalized in any way for
not taking such instruction, but if the subjects receive credit
toward graduation, the school board may require the pupil to complete
an alternative assignment that is similar to the subjects in the
length of time necessary to complete. Instruction in physiology
and hygiene shall include instruction on sexually transmitted diseases
and shall be offered in every high school.
3. An appreciation of artistic and creative expression and the
capacity for self−expression.
4. The ability to construct personal ethics and goals.
5. Knowledge of morality and the individual’s responsibility
as a social being, including the responsibility and morality of family
living and the value of frugality and other basic qualities and
principles referred to in article I, section 22, of the constitution
insofar as such qualities and principles affect family and consumer
education.
6. Knowledge of the prevention of accidents and promotion
of safety on the public highways, including instruction on the relationship
between highway safety and the use of alcohol and controlled
substances under ch. 961.
7. The skills needed to make sound decisions, knowledge of
the conditions which may cause and the signs of suicidal tendencies,
knowledge of the relationship between youth suicide and the
use of alcohol and controlled substances under ch. 961 and knowledge
of the available community youth suicide prevention and
intervention services. Instruction shall be designed to help prevent
prevent
suicides by pupils by promoting the positive emotional
development of pupils.
8. Knowledge of effective means by which pupils may recognize,
avoid, prevent and halt physically or psychologically intrusive
or abusive situations which may be harmful to pupils, including
child abuse, sexual abuse and child enticement. Instruction
shall be designed to help pupils develop positive psychological,
emotional and problem−solving responses to such situations and
avoid relying on negative, fearful or solely reactive methods of
dealing with such situations. Instruction shall include information
on available school and community prevention and intervention
assistance or services and shall be provided to pupils in elementary
schools.
Read entry | Discuss (0 comments) | Remove from Journal | Add/Edit Intro
really? Thanks for this wonderful link - it really debunks
Posted by mzteris in General Discussion: Presidency
Tue Jul 06th 2010, 09:39 AM
nearly every "argument" the anti-charters have fomented. I think you missed something in your reading. . . here's a few very pertinent bits.

Here's the link: http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/pdf/2006-07yearbook....

"Charter School \chär-tEr skül\ n : A public school that: (1) in accordance
with an enabling state statute is exempt from significant state or local rules;
(2) is created by a developer as a public school; (3) provides a program of
elementary or secondary education, or both; (4) is nonsectarian in its programs,
admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations,
and is not affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution; (5) does
not charge tuition; (6) complies with federal law; (7) admits students on the
basis of a lottery if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated;
(8) agrees to comply with the same federal and state audit requirements
as other elementary and secondary schools in the state; (9) meets
all applicable federal, state and local health and safety requirements; and
(10) operates in accordance with state law.


Charter schools are public, nonsectarian schools created through a contract
or “charter” between the operators and the sponsoring school board or
other chartering authority. The Wisconsin charter school law gives charter
schools freedom from most state rules and regulations in exchange for
greater accountability for results. The charter defines the missions and
methods of the charter school; the chartering authority holds the school
accountable to its charter.

Charter schools are created with the best elements of regular public
schools in mind. Wisconsin established charter schools to foster an environment
of creativity. Charter schools are, in essence, living laboratories that
influence the larger public school system and introduce an element of entrepreneurship
within that system. Charter school leaders may experiment
with different instructional theories, site-based management techniques,
and other innovations. They learn, sometimes by trial and error, what works
best for their student population. Regular schools can observe and learn
from what happens in the charter school and make similar improvements
without having to experience “growing pains.” Through this process, the
entire public school system is continually challenged to improve itself.

A charter school is developed to fit the special needs and interests of its
community, parents, and students. This is what makes each charter school
unique. While many goals for educating and preparing children are similar,
each charter school fulfills a specific local need in education. Charter schools
offer a choice to parents and students in the area of curriculum, teaching
methodology, and classroom structure. Many who serve at-risk populations work hard
to keep their small population of students from falling through
the cracks, offering counseling and personal attention and support. In districts
with charter schools, the community, school boards, and parents have
identified their public education needs and established charters that meet
them.

Again, charter schools are public schools. They are freed from most state
rules and regulations in exchange for greater accountability for results.


snip

"Charter schools in Wisconsin are exempt from most state requirements
regarding public education. However, teachers in charter schools must be
licensed by the DPI. (See appendix A, “Teaching Requirements for Charter
Schools.”) Also, students in charter schools are counted for membership in
the local school district."

Charter schools are not exempt from federal laws governing regular, special
education, or civil rights policies, nor are they exempt from local school
board policies unless negotiated in the charter contract. This last provision
does not pertain to noninstrumentality charter schools. For specific information
regarding special education, see http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/index.html .

A charter school cannot charge tuition and must be equally accessible
to all students in the school district. Preference in admission must be given
to students living within the attendance area of an existing school that is
converted to a charter school. Nonresident students may enroll in a district
and be assigned to a charter school under the Wisconsin public school open
enrollment program.

Charter schools may not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion,
national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation,
or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability. The charter
school contract must clearly spell out how the school will achieve a racial
and ethnic balance among its pupils that reflects the balance in the school
district as a whole.


ACCOUNTABILITY
Charter schools are assigned individual school codes by the DPI. A charter
school is a public school that is exempt from many traditional state and
local rules and regulations, thus allowing greater flexibility in their means
for achieving student success. In exchange for this flexibility, charter schools
are held accountable for reporting the achievement of the high academic
standards described in their charters. A charter school that fails to meet
these standards risks being closed by its chartering agency; hence the motto
of charter schools—“autonomy for accountability.”

Pursuant to Wisconsin law, a charter may be granted for any term not
exceeding five school years and may be renewed for a term not exceeding
five years. A charter may be revoked if the chartering entity finds that
the charter school violated its contract or failed to comply with generally
accepted accounting standards of fiscal management, or if enrolled pupils
failed to make sufficient progress in attaining educational goals.

The best charter schools in Wisconsin and across the country balance
clear educational goals and expectations with their unique styles and missions.
These schools and their chartering entities draw up written agreements
specifying the measurable pupil performance indicators they will
use and what constitutes progress sufficient to renew the charter contract.
These charter contracts call for regular reports to the developer and are in
place prior to the opening of the school.

[vi5]

21. Thanks.....doesn't sound horrible....

...As long as they keep out religion and politics then I don't have a major problem with it.

However, it does beg the question: If people are that involved and interested in edcuation , why not just put the money toward the public school system to make whatever improvements are needed. If a benefactor has money to invest or a group of benefactors.........then why not donate that money to your school system? Why not work to make your schools better?

There just seems to be something I'm still suspiscious about with it. Whether it's the corporate/profit bent I sense....or the union busting element to it......or the "I don't want my kids learning in that environment" elitism about it.

I understand that improvements need to be made to many public school systems. But I'm an advocate like in all areas of life, of community and people coming together to work together to find and work and push towards common good. It's why I'm a liberal. So this whole excercise just reeks of the complete opposite of that. It smacks of a certain degree of selfishness that I'm inherently against.

[mzteris]

23. charters aren't religous - at least not so far -

though I hear rumblings in some states that some churches are trying. Hopefully, they will be roundly run off that idea!

I'm not sure what "politics" has to do with it. No more than any trad school with an elected political school board anyway...

The problem with the traditional system is that the "rules and regs" are so entrenched that the ability to innovate and experiment is basically non-existent. I think charters should be a "minority" of schools in a system. they were intended to be an incubator for ideas and methodologies. They can DO things that a trad "CAN NOT" do. . . because people are afraid that the "public" WILL NOT accept those things. However, if a parent "signs on" to those differences, then they can't complain about them. In the process, a system gets a chance to see what works and what doesn't and just what proves to be "popular" with the citizens in their districts.

Case in point - my son's charter school (which he graduated from and will be entering a trad middle) was a Spanish immersion program. The city schools didn't think it would A) be popular, or B) be a good idea........... six years later, they - the school system, is implementing Spanish immersion in elementary schools across the city because of the demand - AND the SUCCESS of our program. And they're using "OUR" kids to develop a dual-language middle school program - which they will implement in the future in all midle schools, and then they will use OUR kids to develop a DLI program for the high school.


Only 10% of all charters are managed by a for-profit organization. Another 10% are managed by non-profit organizatios. The other 80% are operated LOCALLY - some under the auspices OF the local school district, most by local parents, teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens. There ARE "NO PROFITS" - these are non-profit organizations whose sole concern is the welfare of the children in their community!

It ISn'T selfishness. They offer the opportunity for students to get a "private school quality" education - for free! Any student who wants to go - because it is a public school!!!!!!!!!!! How can THAT be selfish? Do you know the demographics of charter schools?

Students by Race/Ethnicity 2009-2010

Charter Schools
White.........38.9%
Black.........32.2%
Hispanic......23.2%
Asian..........3.3%
Other..........2.5%

Non-Charter Schools
White.........59.1%
Black.........16.4%
Hispanic......17.5%
Asian..........4.1%
Other..........2.9%


Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch
2008-2009

Charter Schools
Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.........35.6%
Ineligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.......64.4%

Non-Charter Schools
Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.........43.7%
Ineligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.......56.3%

Charter school 2009-2010 (non-charter info not available yet)

Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.........35.1%
Ineligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch.......64.9%

[vi5]

24. Interesting...

..again, thanks. I appreciate the information. It's interesting stuff.

By politics, I mean what is to stop the right wing nutjobs from starting a charter school that emphasizes a conservative view of cultural history. Yes, as we see in Texas a school board can do that in the public school setting, but it's subject to rules and laws and regulations. Same thing with any effort to impose religion.

As you said, religious schools and for profit companies are allowed to get into the charter school business. Just because they're not the majority now doesn't mean if education "reform" makes it easier for them to do so that they won't be right there at the front of the line with their hand out for the public money, taken from public schools.

[mzteris]

25. because charters have to be APPROVED by the district

and according to state laws.

No - so far "religious schools" are NOT Charter schools - and I honestly don't think you're going to see that happen. All charters ARE non-profit, regardless of who manages them, btw. But they're not "taking money from public schools" because they ARE public schools. And fyi- generally speaking, charters are more efficient with their money, educating for "less" than the trad next door.

It's a misconception to think that charters "get all that money" in reality charters only get a PORTION of what the trad would get per student. In reality, a trad is better off with fewer students. In Wake County, NC, the overcrowding is extremely severe - they need every "school" they can get, and they are more than happy that 134,002 students are homeschooled!

here's a link to an NC publication that explains how charter school "funding" works: http://www.charterleague.org/Charter%20School%20Myth%20Busters.pdf

MYTH NO. 3: Public Charter Schools take money for the local traditional public schools.

FACTS: Public Charter Schools are not taking any money from the traditional public schools, but rather are relieving the traditional schools of the burden and expense of providing a building, teachers, textbooks, etc. when students enroll in a Public Charter School. The Charter Schools do not “take” any of the traditional school’s money for school construction or maintenance.

 Each school system receives a designated amount of “operating” money from the state and the county for each child living in the county who attends a school in that system. Each school reports its actual enrollment during the first 20 school days each year. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction determines the total number students in each school system and provides a set amount of funding for each student in the system for oper-ating each school.

 The county likewise determines the number of students attending each school and pro-vides per capita funding for school operations for each student in the system.

 The county also provides “capital” funds for school construction for the local school sys-tem. The state may also provide some capital funding for school construction, but the primary source of capital funding is the local government.

 The “operating” money the state and local government allocate for each child follows the child to the charter school, but the charter school, not the traditional school, then has the responsibility to provide an education for that child, including providing school buildings.

 Public Charter Schools also receive the same state and local “operating” money for each student attending its school along with the responsibility to provide an education for that child. However, unlike traditional schools, Public Charter Schools receive no “capital” fund-ing for school construction or maintenance from the State or Local County.

When a student attends a Public Charter School instead of a traditional public school, the Charter School re-ceives the state and local “operating” money that would have gone to the traditional public school had the child attended that school. The Public Charter School has to provide a build-ing, teachers, textbooks and administrative support, in short everything the traditional school provides except that unlike a traditional school, the Charter School must build or rent its facilities without any “capital” funding from the state or county.

 Most Public Charter Schools spend around 20% of the money they and the traditional schools receive for operating each school in order to fund their facilities because they receive no capital funding for buildings.

Public Charter Schools use private capital funding to construct buildings and facilities so that each charter school building costs the taxpayers nothing.

[vi5]

30. Thanks again....

you've really educated me on a subject on which I was only partially aware and much of it admittedly from more biased and reactionary sources. I appreciate it.

[mzteris]

32. you're welcome.

Much of what many people "know" about charters turns out to be false once they've gotten more information.

Thank you for being open-minded. :hi:

[LisaM]

38. Because then there wouldn't be big profits involved

I think they call charters public just because they are funded by public money, but the fact is, education is being privatized under our noses and nobody seems to care.

[hack89]

41. Not in Rhode Island

Private for profit corporations are not allowed to run charter schools.

According to Rhode Island law, those allowed to apply for charters include: existing public schools, groups of public school personnel, public school districts, Rhode Island-based non-profit institutions, a group of public school districts, and Rhode Island-based colleges and universities.

http://www.ride.ri.gov/commissioner/charterschools/act.aspx

[joeglow3]

13. Keep religion/partisan politics out and boost scores & I don't care

[Jakes Progress]

69. I could agree with the first part,

but boosting scores on crap tests is not going to improve education, just scores. When the scores go up, you can be sure that the curriculum has been narrowed and dumbed down to drill the tiny subset of learning skills that the tests can measure. As Einstein said: Not everything that can be measured is valuable. Not everything valuable can be measured.

[yurbud]

83. they are public in the same sense that Blackwater is

they are private entities given public money to do jobs public agencies used to do.

It is also the perfect corruption engine: the private company gives campaign donations to get the contracts, then when they get the contracts, they use some of the taxpayer money to make more and bigger contributions to get more and bigger contracts.

Since the politicians giving the contracts aren't the same ones using the service, accountability will be nil.

[Fire1]

2. Charter schools are a "niche between private and public

school systems." Learn more here:


http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/3

[vi5]

5. You're right....

Public money, but private industry "regulation" and standards.

[w4rma]

7. Charter schools are a scam to make money men more money. (nt)

[laughingliberal]

9. K & R nt

[Dinger]

12. K & R

Thank you:)

[femmocrat]

14. From my state Dept. of Ed. website:

"What is a Charter School?

Charter Schools are self-managed public schools that are approved by local school districts. Cyber charter schools are approved by the PA Department of Education. They are created and controlled by parents, teachers, community leaders, and colleges or universities. Charter schools operate free from many educational mandates, except for those concerning nondiscrimination, health and safety and accountability. Charter Schools offer alternatives in education using strategies that may save money and improve student performance."

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/charter_schools/7356

You can check your own state's regs if you are interested. I added the bold highlight.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

16. I think this is the cause of a lot of confusion with this debate...

I support Charter Schools that are answerable to the Local School Board and to the voters. They are simply public schools with non-traditional management plans and, in some cases, modified labor agreements between the School District and the Teacher's Unions. These might be magnet schools or schools with other kinds of experimental programs that fill a particular need.

Also going by the name of "Charter Schools," however, are schools organized and run by Religious Organizations and schools that are organized and run by For-Profit Corporations.

Also in the mix are "voucher programs" where students can take their taxpayer support to other public schools, church-based schools, and for-profit schools. I don't mind there being a limited "marketplace" where the best-performing public schools can received students from outside their standard service area (although I'm still not entirely sold on the concept).

But allowing taxpayer dollars to fund religious and for-profit schools -- whether by voucher or through some other payment mechanism -- should be a non-starter. I don't care how you feel about the state of public education today, or how you feel about testing or not testing, or what your thoughts are on the subject of teacher accountability, handing over bags of taxpayer money to unaccountable churches and corporations should be flat OUT.

[mzteris]

18. they still have to meet the SAME EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS

CHAPTER 118 GENERAL SCHOOL OPERATIONS

118.01 applies to all school in WI.

118.40 is the section of the statutes that apply to charter schools

118.40 Subsection: (1m) #4. The methods the school will use to enable pupils to attain the educational goals under s. 118.01.



118.01 Educational goals and expectations. (1) PURPOSE.
Public education is a fundamental responsibility of the state.
The constitution vests in the state superintendent the supervision
of public instruction and directs the legislature to provide for the
establishment of district schools. The effective operation of the
public schools is dependent upon a common understanding of
what public schools should be and do. Establishing such goals and
expectations is a necessary and proper complement to the state’s
financial contribution to education. Each school board should
provide curriculum, course requirements and instruction consistent
with the goals and expectations established under sub. (2).
Parents and guardians of pupils enrolled in the school district
share with the state and school board the responsibility for pupils
meeting the goals and expectations under sub. (2).
(2) EDUCATIONAL GOALS. (a) Academic skills and knowledge.
Since the development of academic skills and knowledge is the
most important goal for schools, each school board shall provide
an instructional program designed to give pupils:
1. Basic skills, including the ability to read, write, spell, perform
basic arithmetical calculations, learn by reading and listening
and communicate by writing and speaking.
2. Analytical skills, including the ability to think rationally,
solve problems, use various learning methods, gather and analyze
information, make critical and independent judgments and argue
persuasively.
3. A basic body of knowledge that includes information and
concepts in literature, fine arts, mathematics, natural sciences,
including knowledge of the elements of agriculture and the conservation
of natural resources, and social sciences, including
knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of the family as a consumer,
cooperative marketing and consumers’ cooperatives.
4. The skills and attitudes that will further lifelong intellectual
activity and learning.
5. Knowledge in computer science, including problem solving,
computer applications and the social impact of computers.
(b) Vocational skills. Each school board shall provide an
instructional program designed to give pupils:
1. An understanding of the range and nature of available
occupations and the required skills and abilities.
2. Preparation to compete for entry level jobs not requiring
postsecondary school education.3. Preparation to enter job−specific vocational training programs.
4. Positive work attitudes and habits.
(c) Citizenship. Each school board shall provide an instructional
program designed to give pupils:
1. An understanding of the basic workings of all levels of government,
including the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.
2. A commitment to the basic values of our government,
including by appropriate instruction and ceremony the proper reverence
and respect for and the history and meaning of the American
flag, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. constitution
and the constitution and laws of this state.
3. The skills to participate in political life.
4. An understanding of the function of organizations in society.
5. Knowledge of the role and importance of biological and
physical resources.
6. Knowledge of state, national and world history.
7. An appreciation and understanding of different value systems
and cultures.
8. At all grade levels, an understanding of human relations,
particularly with regard to American Indians, Black Americans
and Hispanics.
(d) Personal development. Each school board shall provide an
instructional program designed to give pupils:
1. The skills needed to cope with social change.
2. Knowledge of the human body and the means to maintain
lifelong health, including:
a. Knowledge of the theory and practice of physical education,
including the development and maintenance of physical fitness;
b. Knowledge of the true and comparative vitamin content of
food and food and health values of dairy products and their importance
for the human diet; and
c. Knowledge of physiology and hygiene, sanitation, the
effects of controlled substances under ch. 961 and alcohol upon
the human system, symptoms of disease and the proper care of the
body. No pupil may be required to take instruction in these subjects
if his or her parent files with the teacher a written objection
thereto. If a pupil does not take instruction in these subjects as a
result of parental objection, the pupil may not be required to be
examined in the subjects and may not be penalized in any way for
not taking such instruction, but if the subjects receive credit
toward graduation, the school board may require the pupil to complete
an alternative assignment that is similar to the subjects in the
length of time necessary to complete. Instruction in physiology
and hygiene shall include instruction on sexually transmitted diseases
and shall be offered in every high school.
3. An appreciation of artistic and creative expression and the
capacity for self−expression.
4. The ability to construct personal ethics and goals.
5. Knowledge of morality and the individual’s responsibility
as a social being, including the responsibility and morality of family
living and the value of frugality and other basic qualities and
principles referred to in article I, section 22, of the constitution
insofar as such qualities and principles affect family and consumer
education.
6. Knowledge of the prevention of accidents and promotion
of safety on the public highways, including instruction on the relationship
between highway safety and the use of alcohol and controlled
substances under ch. 961.
7. The skills needed to make sound decisions, knowledge of
the conditions which may cause and the signs of suicidal tendencies,
knowledge of the relationship between youth suicide and the
use of alcohol and controlled substances under ch. 961 and knowledge
of the available community youth suicide prevention and
intervention services. Instruction shall be designed to help prevent
prevent
suicides by pupils by promoting the positive emotional
development of pupils.
8. Knowledge of effective means by which pupils may recognize,
avoid, prevent and halt physically or psychologically intrusive
or abusive situations which may be harmful to pupils, including
child abuse, sexual abuse and child enticement. Instruction
shall be designed to help pupils develop positive psychological,
emotional and problem−solving responses to such situations and
avoid relying on negative, fearful or solely reactive methods of
dealing with such situations. Instruction shall include information
on available school and community prevention and intervention
assistance or services and shall be provided to pupils in elementary
schools.
Read entry | Discuss (0 comments) | Remove from Journal | Add/Edit Intro
really? Thanks for this wonderful link - it really debunks
Posted by mzteris in General Discussion: Presidency
Tue Jul 06th 2010, 09:39 AM
nearly every "argument" the anti-charters have fomented. I think you missed something in your reading. . . here's a few very pertinent bits.

Here's the link: http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/pdf/2006-07yearbook....

"Charter School \chär-tEr skül\ n : A public school that: (1) in accordance
with an enabling state statute is exempt from significant state or local rules;
(2) is created by a developer as a public school; (3) provides a program of
elementary or secondary education, or both; (4) is nonsectarian in its programs,
admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations,
and is not affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution; (5) does
not charge tuition; (6) complies with federal law; (7) admits students on the
basis of a lottery if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated;
(8) agrees to comply with the same federal and state audit requirements
as other elementary and secondary schools in the state; (9) meets
all applicable federal, state and local health and safety requirements; and
(10) operates in accordance with state law.


Charter schools are public, nonsectarian schools created through a contract
or “charter” between the operators and the sponsoring school board or
other chartering authority. The Wisconsin charter school law gives charter
schools freedom from most state rules and regulations in exchange for
greater accountability for results. The charter defines the missions and
methods of the charter school; the chartering authority holds the school
accountable to its charter.

Charter schools are created with the best elements of regular public
schools in mind. Wisconsin established charter schools to foster an environment
of creativity. Charter schools are, in essence, living laboratories that
influence the larger public school system and introduce an element of entrepreneurship
within that system. Charter school leaders may experiment
with different instructional theories, site-based management techniques,
and other innovations. They learn, sometimes by trial and error, what works
best for their student population. Regular schools can observe and learn
from what happens in the charter school and make similar improvements
without having to experience “growing pains.” Through this process, the
entire public school system is continually challenged to improve itself.

A charter school is developed to fit the special needs and interests of its
community, parents, and students. This is what makes each charter school
unique. While many goals for educating and preparing children are similar,
each charter school fulfills a specific local need in education. Charter schools
offer a choice to parents and students in the area of curriculum, teaching
methodology, and classroom structure. Many who serve at-risk populations work hard
to keep their small population of students from falling through
the cracks, offering counseling and personal attention and support. In districts
with charter schools, the community, school boards, and parents have
identified their public education needs and established charters that meet
them.

Again, charter schools are public schools. They are freed from most state
rules and regulations in exchange for greater accountability for results.


snip

"Charter schools in Wisconsin are exempt from most state requirements
regarding public education. However, teachers in charter schools must be
licensed by the DPI. (See appendix A, “Teaching Requirements for Charter
Schools.”) Also, students in charter schools are counted for membership in
the local school district."

Charter schools are not exempt from federal laws governing regular, special
education, or civil rights policies, nor are they exempt from local school
board policies unless negotiated in the charter contract. This last provision
does not pertain to noninstrumentality charter schools. For specific information
regarding special education, see http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/index.html .

A charter school cannot charge tuition and must be equally accessible
to all students in the school district. Preference in admission must be given
to students living within the attendance area of an existing school that is
converted to a charter school. Nonresident students may enroll in a district
and be assigned to a charter school under the Wisconsin public school open
enrollment program.

Charter schools may not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion,
national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation,
or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability. The charter
school contract must clearly spell out how the school will achieve a racial
and ethnic balance among its pupils that reflects the balance in the school
district as a whole.


ACCOUNTABILITY
Charter schools are assigned individual school codes by the DPI. A charter
school is a public school that is exempt from many traditional state and
local rules and regulations, thus allowing greater flexibility in their means
for achieving student success. In exchange for this flexibility, charter schools
are held accountable for reporting the achievement of the high academic
standards described in their charters. A charter school that fails to meet
these standards risks being closed by its chartering agency; hence the motto
of charter schools—“autonomy for accountability.”

Pursuant to Wisconsin law, a charter may be granted for any term not
exceeding five school years and may be renewed for a term not exceeding
five years. A charter may be revoked if the chartering entity finds that
the charter school violated its contract or failed to comply with generally
accepted accounting standards of fiscal management, or if enrolled pupils
failed to make sufficient progress in attaining educational goals.

The best charter schools in Wisconsin and across the country balance
clear educational goals and expectations with their unique styles and missions.
These schools and their chartering entities draw up written agreements
specifying the measurable pupil performance indicators they will
use and what constitutes progress sufficient to renew the charter contract.
These charter contracts call for regular reports to the developer and are in
place prior to the opening of the school.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

28. Theoretically...

But in practice, most of the charter schools in Milwaukee have lagged in reporting data (and hid behind what had been a Republican Assembly to avoid accountability). When the data finally came out, it turned out that MPS schools were actually doing better than the Charter schools. Some of these schools have been closed (to the howls of protest by the fiscally-conservative Republicans), and most of the under-performing schools are still open and accepting tax dollars.

[mzteris]

33. poor schools should close.

I'd have to see the data on these schools before I could make a comment. Although, from what I understand, most of Milw schools are struggling mightily.

One thing that people tend to forget is that many kids going INTO charters are already WAY behind and it takes time to catch up. Again, looking at the history - (how long the school has been open), the demographics - and the schools from whence the children came, etc - would be vital in determining where the problems lie.

The laws governing charter public schools must be standardized across the board.

[mzteris]

19. oops - saw Jeff's Milwaukee and thought WI, here's PA info:

a few excerpts from PA's regs: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/purdon%27s_statutes/7503/charter_schools

Charter Schools
24 P.S. §17-1701-A

DATE OF ISSUE: October 1, 2004
DATE OF EXPIRATION: June 30, 2009

REPLACES: 24 P.S. §17-1701-A, Charter Schools, issued February 1, 2000

This Basic Education Circular (BEC) is meant to serve as a guide for charter schools, school districts, parents, and students. The Charter School law, known as Act 22 of 1997, is part of the Pennsylvania School Code, cited as 24 P.S. Article XVII-A. Copies of Act 22 of 1997 may be found in libraries or via this link.

Although much of the guidance provided in this BEC is also relevant to cyber charter schools, issues and questions particular to cyber charter schools are also addressed in BEC 24 P.S. §17-1741-A, Cyber Charter Schools.

As enunciated in Act 22 of 1997, the Commonwealth’s charter school system is intended to:
· “Improve pupil learning;
· “Increase learning opportunities for all pupils;
· “Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods;
· “Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to
be responsible for the learning program at the school site;
· “Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational
opportunities that are available within the public school system; and
· “Hold the schools established under this act accountable for meeting measurable
academic standards and provide the school with a method to establish
accountability systems.”

At the heart of these tenets is the idea that charter schools will serve as laboratories of innovation on behalf of all of Pennsylvania’s schools. A successful charter school system must be grounded in accountability for academic success with an emphasis on developing and broadly disseminating best practices, in the context of ensuring the flexibility and innovative atmosphere that are inherent to charter schools.

This document is guidance for charter schools and school districts. The best way for public school entities to apply the law and these rules is to act cooperatively for the benefit of all school children, regardless of where the child enrolls. No set of rules can substitute for a caring and cooperative approach to public education.


2. Charter School Boards of Trustees

As public officials, members of the Board of Trustees of a charter school are subject to the provisions of the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act, 65 P.S. §1101-1113 (“Ethics Act”) and are required to file Statements of Financial Interest & Code of Conduct by May 1 each year. In addition, as members of the Board of Trustees they have legal obligations under the Charter School Law and the Public School Code. A Board of Trustees has a responsibility to be a good and effective steward of public money, and it needs to provide independent governance of the charter school’s administrators.



3. Oversight

Working Cooperatively

Chartering school districts and charter schools must work cooperatively to ensure that charter schools are operating in a fiscally responsible manner and are providing quality educational services to students. Chartering school districts should provide balanced oversight that allows the charter school independence but assures that the charter school students are receiving a quality educational program. Charter schools should provide chartering school districts with sufficient and accurate information for the chartering districts to fulfill their oversight responsibilities.


Annual Reports

Charter schools are required to submit an Annual Report to the chartering school district(s) no later than August 1 of each year. The Secretary of Education will develop the Annual Report format.http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/charter_schools/
A copy of the Annual Report, as sent to the chartering school district, must also be sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Community and Student Services, Charter Schools.

Annual Reports are intended to provide data-driven analysis of a charter school’s educational and fiscal operations. Annual reports that do not provide sufficient information in these areas, identifying a charter’s current status and improvement plan with measurable goals, will be considered incomplete. Annual reports that are repeatedly not submitted to the chartering school district, are submitted past the August 1 deadline, or are incomplete, may constitute a material violation of the charter.



4. Accountability

The Pennsylvania Accountability System and No Child Left Behind

The Pennsylvania Accountability System applies to all public schools (including Charter Schools) and districts. It is based upon the Commonwealth’s content and achievement standards, valid and reliable measures of academic achievement, and other key indicators of school and district performance such as attendance and graduation rates. The Pennsylvania Accountability System meets the requirements of the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation and has the same end goal – having every child in the Commonwealth proficient or above in reading and mathematics by the year 2014.

Schools are evaluated on a minimum target level of improvement called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Failure to meet AYP for two consecutive years results in a school being placed in School Improvement. At that point, several consequences occur, including the requirement to prepare a School Improvement Plan. This School Improvement Plan is distinct and separate from the Charter School Annual Report. However, supporting data and documentation from the Annual Report can and should be included in the School Improvement Plan to help show what processes the Charter School is implementing to improve student achievement.

Strategic Planning and School Improvement

Charter schools will meet the Chapter 4 strategic planning requirements through the process of developing their charter school application, presenting the application for approval, updating the approved Charter as needed, engaging in the Charter renewal process, and submitting the Annual Report. Charter schools that do not meet AYP for two consecutive years and are placed in School Improvement will be required to complete a School Improvement Plan per the requirements of the federal law, PL 107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Sec 1116. Academic Assessment and Local Educational Agency and School Improvement, (b)(1)-(6), School Improvement. The charter school shall have the School Improvement Plan approved by the Charter School Board of Trustees, the CEO and the Intermediate Unit Executive Director. Technical assistance to prepare the School Improvement Plan may be provided by the chartering school district and/or the Intermediate Unit. Following approval of the School Improvement Plan the charter school shall submit a signed copy of the Statement of Quality Assurance to the Department of Education. The Statement of Quality Assurance must be submitted to the Department of Education. The document must be submitted by the deadline date set each year by the Department of Education.



5. Renewal or Closure of Charter Schools

. . . The chartering district’s request for information and documents may include, but is not limited to, the following: (1) all financial audits and financial reports; (2) standardized test scores; (3) PSSA results; (4) special education reports from the Bureau of Special Education, but not including any student identifying information; (5) audit reports from the Office of the Auditor General, and (6) documentation that shows the charter school met the measurable goals set forth in the charter school’s application. Charter schools shall provide the requested information within 60 days of the notice by the chartering district of the information being requested. Within 45 days of receipt of the information from the charter school, the chartering district shall notify the charter school that it intends to renew or non-renew the charter, following the proceedings described in the law in the case of nonrenewal.

. . . The charter school’s annual report will provide an on-going, comprehensive assessment of the charter school’s progress towards its goals;
Merit-Based Decisions
· Grants renewal only to a school with a high quality educational program that has
achieved the goals and standards identified in its contract, is organizationally and
financially viable, and has been faithful to the terms of its contract and applicable
law.

13. Certification of Charter School Teachers

The Charter School Law requires that at least 75% of a charter school’s professional staff hold appropriate State certification. However, the Highly Qualified provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) now require that teachers working in charter school must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and must demonstrate competency in the core academic areas in which they teach. Competency may be demonstrated by passing a content area test. Teachers holding a degree in a content area that have not taken education course work may apply for the Pennsylvania Teacher Intern Certification Program. Teachers involved in the Intern Certification program will be considered as certified and Highly Qualified professionals for up to three years or until they meet requirements for full certification. Charter schools must have every teacher employed meeting the Highly Qualified teacher status by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. .

Further guidance on these issues is available in the Certification and Staffing and Policy and Guideline (CSPG) for Professional Staff in Pennsylvania Charter Schools issued by The Bureau of Teacher Certification and Preparation. (www.teaching.state.pa.us)

Per regulation, all special education professional staff must hold appropriate State certification and cannot be part of the 25% of the staff that is not appropriately certified.

The determination of whether a charter school has met certification requirements will be based upon the charter school’s submission of the Elementary and Secondary Professional Personnel report to the chartering school district and the Department and per the Auditor General’s School Audit reports. http://www.auditorgen.state.pa.us/Department/Info/School/index.html

15. Special Education

Charter schools, like all other public schools, may not refuse enrollment to any student based on a disability. Charter schools are responsible for providing a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) to all enrolled students with disabilities and may contract with a school district, intermediate unit or other provider to provide necessary services.

****

Summary of Charter School Legislation

SENATE BILL NO. 123 PASSED JUNE 12, 1997

-- This bill allows for the establishment of charter schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

-- A charter school is an independent public school established and operated under a charter from the local board of school directors. Charter schools must be established as public nonprofit, nonsectarian entities by teachers, parents, institutions of higher education or museums.

-- The bill provides a listing of school code regulations and statutes that directly apply to charter schools. Charter schools must comply with all other relevant regulations and statues, not in the school code, that apply to all public schools.

-- Employees of a charter school are considered public employees, and the board of trustees is considered a public employer for the purpose of the application of liability.

[LisaM]

39. I had a friend who taught in a charter school

He was in no way qualified to be a teacher. He didn't even have a teaching certificate, much less a teaching degree.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

53. There's a lot of that...

Don't get me wrong. Some religious-based schools (I'm think of the Catholic schools primarily) do an incredible job providing education. But other are seat-of-the-pants operations run by people who could barely pull off a decent bake sale.

[old mark]

31. Private religious schools have been getting puiblic tax money for decades,

AFAIK - for cafeteria food, etc. They also must meet federal standards in some areas. I have to admit my information may be out of date...


mark

[and-justice-for-all]

35. So does that mean they will be giving up their tax exempt status

and start paying taxes?

[ibegurpard]

42. wow a lot of privatization vultures out tonight

[hack89]

50. No - just a lot of frustrated parents

that want a good education for their kids and know that the existing system is hostile to meaningful change.

[ibegurpard]

55. i think you mean a lot of brainwashed parents

who've bought into the lie pushed by those who want to dismantle public education and turn it over to the corporations who want to churn out good, unquestioning little drones.

[hack89]

58. Of course - I keep forgetting

just how stupid and ignorant everyone else but you are.

Corporations are not allowed to operate charter schools where I live. Most are operated by existing school districts.

[Jakes Progress]

64. Not everyone. Just those that have bought the big lie.

First, where you live is one place. There are many places and many ways that corporations get into the charter system.

[hack89]

66. And of course the people are much too stupid and ignorant

to make the right choice without "experts" like yourself to tell us what to do.

[Jakes Progress]

68. You keep lumping yourself in with the stupid people.

There are plenty who know crap when they hear it. Then there are those who chose to learn something that they didn't get from MSM. But ignorant is a good description of people who get all their information from neo con talking points. And stupid is a good description of people who spout the same meme as newt gingrich, bill bennet, ronald reagan, and grover norquist without thinking that they might maybe examine their position given the people on their side.

And I see you don't like all them fancy pants experts, those people who know stuff and all. You would rather that idiots like palin and plumber joe run things. They certainly aren't experts so that would make them the ones to listen to with your logic.

[hack89]

72. 50 percent of the teacher unions in Rhode Island

supported Race to the Top. Are they idiots? You really expect me to believe that every education expert thinks like you? Some how I doubt it.

The folksy talk always sound comical coming from an elitist - but they are always too full of themselves to realize it.

[Jakes Progress]

73. OOOOH. An elitist.

When no-nothings trot this one out, you know they are in the weeds.

Of course not all educations experts agree with me. Some agree with bill bennet, grover norquist, newt gingrich, and chester finn, just like you do. Guess which ones are full of right wing bull shit? Nice company you keep.

[hack89]

76. A very self serving definition of a "real" education expert, don't you think?

expert = someone who agrees with me. You are so full of yourself you have no idea why people laugh at you.

[Jakes Progress]

77. But I do know why they cry when you write.

Of course grover norquist doesn't cry when he reads your stuff. He just laughs and laughs.

So to you an expert is someone who disagrees with you? Then I must be an expert.

[hack89]

78. No - I judge experts by results

which is why most education "experts" aren't.

[Jakes Progress]

81. Trouble is you don't know how

to measure results. If you think the tests that "prove" schools suck are valid or repeatable or useful, you prove that you don't understand much. So your judgement of experts would be a silly thing to go by.

Up thread you said you didn't trust the "experts", that you were in favor of the the common man with no training or experience making the decisions. Can't keep your positions straight if you don't know what your are talking about. You would seem to favor people like palin's buddy, Joe the Plumber. Of course he called himself a plumber but he wasn't licensed. That would be what you liked about him I guess. Didn't bother with all that learning and studying and experience. Just walked into people's homes and tore into their plumbing. Busted a lot of things. But he could always chalk that up to another lesson learned.

So tell me are there any experts in the "military training" game. I'm retired and could use a lot of that MIC money. I don't know anything about it. Never done it. So I guess you would be happy to recommend me for your old job. I'd have to do so much better than you did, what with my "common man" credentials. Maybe I'd better skip your recommendation though. You've had experience and training so, according to you, you don't know anything. You're just a -shudder - expert. Sorry to have called you that nasty name. I guess you can alert on me.

[joeglow3]

86. I judge based on personal results

spent 9 years in public and 4 years in private. Sorry, but the public model is broken.

61. In complete agreement

They cannot have access to public funds as a tax-exempt entity. That is basically saying that you don't have to help put anything in the pot, but you want a share of it.

Of course I would go one step further and say that if they want public dollars, then they have to also adhere to the separation of church and state. Meaning that you have to teach a secular curriculum. I don't think they would ever give that up.

[hack89]

67. So charter schools with government oversight are OK? nt

[Pisces]

85. I think you should worry more about homeschooling parent getting tax money

to teach their kids homos are going to hell and that dinosaurs walked the earth 6k years ago. They get almost 2k a year per kid to purchase curriculum etc. This is way more concerning than
tax breaks for charter schools.