Private vs. Public

An email from a Maine school superintendent: "John, can you in a few sentences tell me how a private charter school is funded and governed differently that a public charter school?" I think so...depends on what is meant by a "few sentences" and by "private charter school."

A private school is a private school: parents pay tuition, the school selects which kids are accepted and which are not. Hyde School, North Yarmouth Academy, The Center for Teaching and Learning. A public school is, in theory at least, open to any child who lives in the area which that public school serves - and that applies to public charter schools as well. No examples in Maine, 4,936 examples in 40 other states.

Public charter schools are, according to National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:

"independent public schools that are allowed the freedom to be more innovative, while being held accountable for improved student achievement.

• tuition-free and open to every student who wishes to enroll

• non-sectarian, and do not discriminate on any basis

• publicly funded by local, state and federal tax dollars based on enrollment, like other public schools

• held accountable to state and federal academic standards"

While that should be straightforward, it is not.

Some states allow schools that have previously operated as private schools

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Questions about Rural Charters

Nancy from New Sweden, Maine writes with some wonderfully thoughtful questions. Click here to find out where New Sweden is, and it'll give you some idea of the challenges rural schools face.

Here's what I could cobble together for context: New Sweden is part of the four town School Administrative Unit 122 that consists of two K-8 schools; Woodland's serves 132 kids and and New Sweden's serves 82, both including pre-K. The schools are 8 miles apart.

Though it's not clear from the website, I'm assuming students in grades 9-12 attend either Caribou High School or the K-12 Limestone Community School, both roughly 10 miles away and part of Eastern Aroostook RSU, a recently consolidated district that also includes two primary schools, one serving pre-K through 2nd grade and another serving grades 3-5, a middle school and a high school. The schools "serve over 1600 students and employ 250 professionals," or one adult for every 6.5 kids.

An interesting side note is that Limestone shares it's facility with the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, an application-only magnet school serving 130 students grades 10-12 from across Maine. MSSM is publicly financed, but is independent from any individual school district.

On to Nancy's questions:

How would it be determined if the schools produce "quality opportunities and results"? How long would they be given to show those results? And compared to what (if only as they're relevant to kids and families in town, then why are we looking at state/national results now?)

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Rural Charter Schools work!

This story from Oregon gives lots of hope for those in small communities in Maine that may, or in some cases already have, seen their schools close.

"With dwindling enrollment and a state funding crisis, Hughes told community members the 130-student K-12 school -- split between two buildings -- would likely have to close its doors within two to three years. Now, nearly three years later, Elkton has new computers, new curriculum and materials and nearly 80 new students.

What changed? Elkton became a charter school."

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Charter schools suddenly 'relevant'

The charter school meeting hosted by the Maine Association of Charter Schools did indeed make clear that charters are relevant and that they are likely to happen. The 50 or so folks gathered on Thursday represented a very broad spectrum - legislators, school superintendents and potential charter school operators.

What was most exciting about the meeting is the degree to which folks who might not be seen as allies on most issues were able to find genuine common ground on the need to innovate. I spoke with a newly elected Republican legislator and a long-time liberal activist who were agreeing word for word with each other on how a well-structured charter law could help meet the needs of the young people in their very similar towns.

What continues to be discouraging is the lack of sophistication of some of the public debate surrounding charters, which came through quite loudly in the Portland Press Herald's article. My problem here is not with Mr. Stone's reporting - he has to report what is being said, and did a much better job of highlighting some of the many variables, rather than just perpetuating the myths.

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Charter Forum in Augusta this Thursday

On Thursday, the Maine Association of Charter Schools is sponsoring a forum at the Augusta Civic Center to "1) share the key components of MACS' Charter School Bill as it is currently proposed; 2) solicit feedback from participants before the final language is drafted; and 3) provide a networking opportunity with people from across Maine and beyond interested in supporting a high-quality public charter school sector in Maine." Lots of statewide stakeholders will be there, as well as Todd Ziebarth of the National Association of Public Charter Schools, which created the national model charter law which I've referred to here several times.

Judith Jones and Roger Brainerd of MACS have flown the charter school flag in Maine for over 15 years now, coming quite close to passage several times. Joined recently by Dorothy Havey in the run-up to the election, MACS has written and re-written the proposed legislation many times. MACS has also built a coalition of legislators, parent advocates, and educators - all of whom see some promise in a law that enables PUBLIC school choice in Maine.

As with any coalition, folks come from a wide variety of perspectives and experiences - in my case, teaching in three Maine high schools (Noble, Freeport, and Poland); playing a variety of roles in several major school reinvention initiatives in Maine (CSRD, Great Schools Project); being part of the founding of two start-up public schools in Maine - Casco Bay High School in Portland and Poland Regional High School. My advocacy for PUBLIC charters is also informed by first-hand experience with charter schools in several states (Massachusetts, Ohio, and New York quite deeply, others less so). In addition, as a parent I've had my kids in three public schools systems (Brunswick, AOS 93, and Portland) one private school (the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb) and one public/private academy (Lincoln).

My overall critique, then, is meant in that context - NOT as a theoretical or ideological stance, but as a deeply practical one. Maine CAN educate more kids well with a combination of charters and traditional public schools. But, as we've seen in other states, a charter law can UNINTENTIONALLY create schools that, rather than serving the students MOST in need of options, do the opposite. Good intentions are rarely enough in the world of school reform. So here are my specific concerns, which I've shared with the folks at MACS and I have confidence we'll be able to work out as the bill makes it way into law.

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Response to MidCoast mom

First, thanks to Midcoast mom for writing - she articulates many of the questions many PARENTS have about charter schools and choice in general. Second, apologies for the more than week-long delay in responding - some irony in the fact that the work that has kept me from the blog for the past week is putting together a proposal for the very district in which she lives. So here goes - her writing in italics.

Hello – I’m a Mom in the Mid-coast area. I’ve been following this blog. I do feel that it would be nice for parents of children with special needs to have an option for their children in your school. I purchased my home in Woolwich specifically because we had high school choice, which we have since lost. We are now part of RSU 1.

Loss of school choice was one of the many deeply felt losses in the consolidation process - in fact, many communities essentially refused to combine unless the state approved a continuation of choice. AOS 93 and SVRSU 12, just up the coast from Woolwich, are two such districts.

For my children, I want a traditional education (grammar taught as a “subject”, traditional letter grades, standard math algorithms, traditional 45-50 minute high school classes, etc). My administration disagrees with me and tells me that “traditional education” doesn’t work in the 21st century. I don’t agree.

The beauty of true PUBLIC school choice is that families can, from among available options, send their kids to the school that works best for them. (That can also be a danger - more about that later.)

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