Attending a Local Conference
on Charter Schools
by Sybil Maimin
Charter schools, an experiment in
educational reform, is a movement, an industry, and for those
involved—a passion
and commitment. Thirty-nine states have charter school laws
and over 575,000 students attend 2,700 of these quasi-independent
public schools. In New York State, 11,000 children attend 38
charter schools in nine different cities. The charters are
performance contracts and have a set time limit (five years
in New York State). They detail the school’s mission,
ways to measure success, and accountability requirements. Charters
to establish schools are mainly sought by parents, teachers,
community members, or entrepreneurs; an existing school may
convert to a charter. The purposes are generally improvement
in education, desire for autonomy, and realization of a special
vision. As publicly funded institutions, charters are open
to all children; in New York, a lottery is held when demand
exceeds number of seats.
The movement is well organized.
A recent local conference sponsored by The New York Charter
Schools Association and The New York Charter School Resource
Center (similar conferences are frequently held around the
nation) offered training, advice, networking opportunities,
and a look at the goods and services required by charter
schools. This year’s meeting featured
panels on the No Child Left Behind Act, public and private
fund-raising, and public relations strategies. Brian W. Jones,
general counsel at the US Department of Education, delivered
the keynote. New York City Councilwoman and chair of its Education
Committee Eva Moskowitz, a fervent advocate of charters, was
presented with the Charter School Champions Award.
The current fiscal crisis was on
the minds of attendees who depend on tax dollars as well
as private profit and non-profit funds for their schools.
In the changed environment for grants they were advised to
be pro-active, knock on doors, and most important—write proposals correctly and with attention
to every requirement. There is “competition for money” and “some
fatigue out there,” they were told. Make a strong case
that your school is “viable.” Application for federal
No Child Left Behind funds is particularly difficult and cumbersome.
Getting professional assistance from outside sources experienced
in the application process was recommended. Brian Jones brought
from the Department of Education in Washington the message
that “education is a public good and to improve it creates
a public good.” He congratulated the “revolutionaries” at
the conference for “rethinking how to make a meaningful
public education for our kids.”
Charter schools are still controversial
because they tap into tight tax money and, according to some,
are precursors to vouchers. Advocates see their potential
as models for reform. A bipartisan bill currently in the
NY State Assembly, A.4236, would impose a three-year ban
on new charter schools and cut some funding. The formula
for per pupil funding is different from that of regular public
schools and, some say, favors charters. Charter advocates
see the bill as punitive and a serious blow to their movement.
Proponents believe it is a fair means of sharing tax cuts
being imposed on public education. Councilwoman Moskowitz
sees the bill as “an attack on charters.” “In
times of fiscal austerity, competition is extremely important,” she
maintains. “Many obstacles have been put in our way,
but we will not be stopped.”#
