Lawmakers should do their homework before they vote on a pilot
program allowing charter schools in Maine. They'll find a well-crafted
idea that Maine should adopt.
Proponents who say the state should establish alternatives to
traditional public schools have made a number of sensible changes to
their proposed legislation. We think the revised bill now moving out of
committee, LD 1640, might well provide a needed burst of innovation and
energy to Maine's public school system.
Many in Maine agree that we have an underperforming public school
system. Only seven states spend more per pupil, but our kids' test
results put them in the middle of the pack on academic achievement.
Worse, half of Maine students entering the University of Maine system
have to take at least one refresher course their freshman year.
Not surprisingly, there's no shortage of ideas on how to fix the
problems.
Some believe the current system is destined to underperform because
public school districts have unchallenged control over education.
"Money continues to flow to public schools whether kids are learning
or not," said Judith Jones, co-director of the Maine Association for
Charter Schools. "They have a monopoly. There's no accountability.
There's no incentive for them to change."
One alternative that's gained popularity across the country is the
charter school model.
While some critics worry that charter schools will undermine public
schools, supporters see them as complimentary. "They allow educators to
craft programs to meet the needs of an underserved group, so they don't
directly compete," Jones said.
Parents with the means to pay for private schooling have always had
an array of alternatives available when a public school setting isn't
the best place for their child to learn. Charter schools can offer
students from less wealthy households the same kind of opportunity.
Charter schools are publicly funded, nonreligious institutions that
are open to all without an admission test. Designated chartering
authorities, in this case school districts and six University of Maine
branches, are empowered to create new startup schools or convert
existing programs.
Where applicants exceed capacity, a lottery determines enrollment.
Each school is established by a five-year charter which must be
renewed after a thorough audit of student performance and
administration.
If a school doesn't meet its performance goals, the chartering
authority can close it or put it on probation. If it can't attract and
keep students, it goes out of business. About 10 percent of charter
schools established in other states have failed to win renewal of their
charters.
Across the country, about 3,625 charter schools are educating more
than 1 million kids in 40 states. Maine is one of 10 states that does
not permit them.
The bill caps the number of charter schools that may be created under
the pilot program at no more than 20 in the next 10 years. By contrast,
Maine has more than 680 public schools.
Eight members of the Legislature's Education Committee recommended
that the initial version of LD 1640 not pass. Only three supported it.
The original language left many questions unanswered. The bill, for
example, failed to adequately articulate why Maine might need charter
schools. It only specified that local school districts and University of
Maine units would be encouraged to create them. The bill required that
half of a school's teachers be certified by the state. It allowed start-
up charter schools to take up to 20 percent of the students in any one
grade.
After mulling over the committee's decidedly cool reception,
proponents reworked the bill. The committee voted this version down too,
but only by a two-vote margin. This closer vote suggests it still has a
legitimate shot at passage on the House and Senate floor.
The bill also clarifies that the central purpose of the pilot program
is to reach disengaged students, defined as those at risk of academic
failure because of a high rate of absenteeism, being one or more years
behind academically or having other special needs. That means charter
schools can't skim off the cream.
Under the new language, all teachers must be certified by the state
or enrolled in the new alternative certification program, which lets
mid-career professionals teach while working toward a teaching
certificate.
Supporters also agreed to cut the maximum number of public school
students from a given grade that can attend a startup charter school in
half, from 20 percent to 10 percent. This wouldn't apply to a school
conversion, where a local district charters its alternative education
program, for example.
It also limits the university branches authorized to establish
charter schools to the six that offer bachelor's degrees in education:
the University of Maine at Orono, the University of Southern Maine and
the campuses in Farmington, Presque Isle, Fort Kent and Machias. No one
unit of the university system can authorize more than five of the 20
pilot schools.
Funding is another legitimate concern of charter school skeptics.
Newly chartered schools are eligible for federal grants of $150,000
per year for three years to cover planning and start-up costs. Generally
that's broken down to 18 months for planning and the first 24 months of
operations.
A school won't receive operating funds from school districts until
its doors open. Then it would get most of the per-pupil allocation that
the town of residence would otherwise spend for that student. The
revised bill allows the local school district to retain 2 percent of
that allocation to cover administrative costs.
The biggest challenge for charter schools often revolves around their
need for classrooms and other facilities. Because charter schools are
not part of school districts, they're not allowed to raise taxes or
float bonds to build new facilities. Banks are often reluctant to lend,
so charter schools in many cases work with intermediary groups
supportive of their effort to raise funds.
The bottom line is Maine charter schools wouldn't be able to look for
a public handout to provide them with classrooms.
Even if the bill passes, and we think it should, the future of
charter schools in Maine is far from assured.
Unlike public schools, they'll go out of business if they don't
succeed.
