Tag Archives: charter schools

SCO’s Sarah Pechan talks school choice with Arizona parents

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Our director of community programs, Sarah Pechan, was on vacation in Arizona this summer and found the whole state buzzing about the issue of school choice. She shares some of the perspective of parents she met while rafting through the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River.

As I was getting to know my fellow rafters on the Colorado River and fellow hikers in the Grand Canyon, I was surprised by the number of Arizona parents who shared their personal experiences when they heard that I work in the arena of school choice. It was pretty incredible and encouraging to hear so I wanted to share just a couple of their stories with you:

  • Heidi, a former park ranger, lit up when I mentioned school choice. Her daughter Megan is in 8th grade at a charter school. This is her first year at the school and the first year in her academic career that a school has both pushed Megan to achieve more and given her the support she needs for her dyslexia. Heidi said she has been amazed at how the higher expectations at the charter school have engaged her daughter, who was really starting to hate school. Now Megan is excited about school and pushing herself to rise to the higher standards.

But I couldn’t blame her when she said that she and her husband are pulling Megan out of this school next year because the hours and hours of nightly homework don’t leave time for Megan to pursue her interests in theater.

  • Jake, a river guide, said he saw a night and day difference in his son after he started attending a Montessori-style charter school this year. His 5th-grader went from having nothing to say about school for the first 5 years of his education to now being really excited to share what he has learned every day. Jake is thrilled and said the Montessori approach was just the right one for his son.

All of the work we do at a policy level is to simply make a way for these types of stories. To borrow a river analogy, advocates and legislators are working upstream to make sure the resources, laws, and flexibility are available to create better opportunities for students. The real magic is at the student level: education entrepreneurs working hard to grow quality, creative schools, parents taking the initiative to explore their options and find the best fit for their child, and students making the most of the privilege of an education.

These stories from across the country echo stories that we hear right here in Ohio all the time. They are such beautiful stories of all of us winning because of the options that are available to families.

Another education/school choice issue that came up a lot was skill-based, hands-on education. I’ll talk more about that later in the week. Stay tuned!

- Sarah

Charter school victory in Ohio Supreme Court

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The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools wrote a great summary of a recent court case that we signed on to as an amicus party in support of charter schools.

On June 6, 2012, Supreme Court of Ohio held 6 to 1 that a deed restriction preventing the use of property for school purposes in the contract for the sale of an unused school building is unenforceable as against public policy.  (CINCINNATI CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION, APPELLANT, v. CONNERS ET AL.) What follows is a summary of the decision; you can read the entire opinion on line at http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/0/2012/2012-ohio-2447.pdf.Maurice Thompson was counsel for the party in the case, Dr. Roger Conners.  OAPCS, along with School Choice Ohio, the Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, submitted an amici brief in the case on behalf of Dr. Conners. The brief was constructed by the Ohio Alliance’s legal team in consort with Chad Readler (OAPCS Board Chair) who later argued the brief before the Ohio Supreme Court. The coalition filed the brief out of joint concern that finding suitable, affordable facilities has been one of the biggest challenges facing Ohio’s charter schools, and we had seen countless times how school districts tried to block charter schools from obtaining buildings.  This decision is not just a win for Dr. Conners, for but for all of Ohio’s charter schools.

In this case, Dr. Conners had purchased a building formerly used as a school at a public auction in 2009 from the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS).   The purchase agreement contained a deed restriction stating that the buyer (and future buyers) could not use the property for school purposes; the agreement also stated, however, that the restriction would not apply to CPS if it ever decided to repurchase the property.  After purchasing the building, Dr. Conners notified CPS that he intended to open a public charter school the following year.  CPS filed a complaint, seeking to prevent Dr. Conners from opening the school due to the deed restriction.  The issue for the court was whether the deed restriction was void for public policy reasons—or, as the Court explained, “whether the deed restriction accomplishes a result that the state has sought to prevent, or whether it accomplishes something that the state seeks to facilitate.”

The Court began by noting that while the freedom to contract is a deep-seated right given deference, the right is not absolute and can be restrained when contracts are written in a way that is against general public policy.  Thus, the Court explained, “The question [in this case] becomes, when is it appropriate to apply the principle of the public policy exception so as not to infringe on the parties’ rights to make contracts?”
To answer that question, the Court looked to Ohio legislation and found that “[t]he restriction effectively adds barriers to building purchases that the legislature seeks to prevent.”  The Ohio General Assembly had developed an unambiguous public policy in favor of charter schools, and such public policy is enumerated in several statutes including the Community Schools Act and the Community School Classroom Facilities Loan Guarantee Program. Moreover, the legislature had recognized the challenges public charters faced in obtaining suitable facilities and responded by passing legislation requiring school districts to first offer unused school buildings to community schools before putting them up for public auction.   The Court explained that these statutes “indicate a legislative preference for giving charter schools the opportunity to operate out of unused school buildings, a rational choice because charter schools are themselves public schools.”

Furthermore, the fact that the deed restriction would not apply to CPS also troubled the Court, because it worked to thwart competition in favor of CPS.  Additionally, the Court emphasized that the deed restriction was put in place by a public school district, whose authority is derived from and limited to powers expressed by or clearly implied in statute.  A public school district, the Court noted, must enter contracts “with the public in mind.”

For all of these reasons, the Court concluded that, on its face, the deed restriction in question prevented the free use of the property for education purposes. Such a restriction clearly frustrated Ohio public policy that favors making classroom space available to community schools.

Justice Pfeifer concurred in part and dissented in part, explaining that he thought the decision should only apply prospectively. His reasoning was that because the deed restriction likely caused some diminution in the sales price, it was unfair that the buyer could benefit from this diminution but also enjoy full value of the property by disregarding the restriction.  He was concerned that the buyer would receive a windfall. Justice Pfeiffer’s remedy would be to require the buyer to pay CPS the difference between the purchase price and the fair market value of the property.

Cleveland Transformation Plan

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A plan to revamp some of the key features of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District was introduced this month with bipartisan sponsorship in both the Ohio House and Senate.

The plan seeks to move the district, as our friends at 50CAN would say, from islands of excellence to systems of excellence, adopting elements of the district’s shining stars and creating a system that will enable excellence at all levels.

Key elements of the plan include the types of common sense changes that reform advocates have been pointing to for years: changes in union contracts, limits on teacher tenure, “hazard pay” for teachers who work in difficult schools, more flexibility in district finances, performance-based pay for teachers, and the potential of year-round schooling to avoid the summer “brain drain.” See more here and here.

This approach mirrors the Portfolio District approach already in use in Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston. These district offices see their role as ensuring each child has a quality education, NOT necessarily needing those quality educational opportunities to be district schools. These districts manage a portfolio of schools including partnerships with charter and private schools.

Cleveland’s plan comes with an extra bonus for charter schools. If the Cleveland Transformation Plan passed, Cleveland could become the first district in the whole country to share local levy dollars with the high-quality charter schools that they choose to partner with.

There are a couple of elements that we think are important to address, maybe down the road, to make the school choice process in Cleveland as friendly and accessible as possible for parents:

  • Common application: Many portfolio districts and universities across the country use common application systems that allow families to apply to multiple schools with a single application. Including lottery, charter, and district options in one application makes the process easy for families.
  • Transportation: We can’t promise families a castle without providing the carriage. Transportation is expensive but it’s key in enabling true choice.

We are encouraged by the bipartisan support, the use of national best practice, and the way that the plan embraces all Cleveland kids as “our kids,” regardless of the type of public school they attend.

National groups are watching the Cleveland process closely. Mayor Jackson, Superintendent Gordon, and the key legislators will have a lot to be proud of (and a lot of work ahead of them) if their plan is adopted. We hope these changes will give Cleveland leaders the tools they need to turn their islands of excellence into a system of excellence.

 

Charter School Helps Students in Ohio Rural Community Succeed

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Our friends at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently released a compelling documentary that tells the story of an Ohio community that joined together in support of its students. When the school district closed the local high school, the rural community of Sciotoville took the initiative to create a charter school for its students.  The Fordham Institute is the school’s sponsor.

While many people tend to think of school choice as an urban phenomenon, this documentary helps highlight the fact that families in rural areas are also making choices, whether it’s open enrollment, charter schools, private schools or home school.

The documentary shows the outcomes of the charter high school, which worked so well that an elementary school was created so they could help local students receive a great educational foundation. Both schools received a “C” rating from the state, but they are focused on their goal of moving up to Excellence with Distinction.

This is a great example of how charter schools are capable of helping any community. Right now, they are limited by a geographical boundary, but that boundary should be removed. It is a barrier to school choice, which has the opportunity to help so many students succeed, just like the students in the documentary.

A teacher featured in the video says it best. “They should never let where they come from dictate where they should go.” We couldn’t agree more. We shouldn’t let where any child comes from dictate where they go.

School choice opens the doors of opportunity to all students, regardless of their zip code or their family’s income. We are thrilled to give a big shout out to the Sciotoville community for their ownership, initiative, and commitment to excellence for their children.

Check out the documentary below.

 

Ohio Offers Many Quality School Options

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There is incredible diversity within the Ohio school landscape. Schools are creating innovative programs that focus on arts, math, sciences, languages, different teaching styles, different learning methods, career preparation, college preparation, and so much more. This innovation is happening in urban, suburban, and rural schools, in private and public schools, in new and old schools, and in home school and formal schools.
 
At a School Choice Week event today at the Statehouse, School Choice Ohio teamed up with Forum for Educational Options for an event to celebrate Ohio’s educational options.  More than 100 people attended the luncheon and presentation, which highlighted a variety of school options located across the state, including:
 
 

School Option Featured School(s)
Special Needs Schools Marburn Academy
Oakstone Academy
Distance Learning ECOT
Dropout Recovery Improved Solutions for Urban Systems’ High Schools
Career Preparatory Schools Butler Tech
DePaul Cristo Rey High School
English Language Learners International Academy of Columbus
College Preparatory DECA
STEM Schools Shelby County Educational Service Center
Concept Schools

These schools provided a window into some of the amazing creativity of school leaders who are able to innovate as a result of policy changes that create new funding models and flexibility. Policy leaders and social entrepreneurs have enabled and created an incredible, and ever-growing, variety of options for families to find the best fit for their child.
 
In addition to highlighting Ohio’s educational options, we also honored legislative “trailblazers” who championed Ohio school choice legislation both past and present. Because of the hard work and perseverance of these trailblazers, thousands of Ohio students are thriving in a learning environment that best fits their individual needs.

  • Senate President Tom Niehaus
  • Secretary of State Jon Husted
  • Former Representative Dixie Allen
  • Former Representative Jon Peterson
  • Representative Matt Huffman
  • Speaker Bill Batchelder

The best way to experience the diversity of Ohio’s schools is to visit them and see for yourself. If you’re looking for suggestions of schools to visit, let us know, and we’ll gladly point you in the direction of several star examples.

Edu-mentaries make great gifts

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If Black Friday and Cyber Monday didn’t have the type of meaningful holiday gifts you are looking for, we’re here to help.

This has been a blockbuster year for films on education reform and two of them are already out on DVD. Share the gift of education reform and show your friends and family how to make our schools better for our kids by getting one or both of these award-winning edu-mentaries for everyone on your list.

  • Nominated for an Academy Award, The Lottery follows four families as they, amongst thousands of others, try to get a spot for their children at high quality charter schools that offer a better future. This moving film is available at http://shop.indieblitz.com/thelottery.
  • With the award-winning documentary, The Cartel, everyone on your holiday gift list can learn about the promise of school choice amidst corruption in New Jersey public education. The DVD is available on the film’s website www.TheCartelMovie.com.  

Make sure everyone on your list knows the importance of quality education and how they can join in the movement to give every child the best present for years to come: a chance for a successful future.

- Lisa Lloyd

Charter Schools: By the Numbers

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The latest annual report on charter schools is out. Published by the Ohio Department of Education, it gives a rundown on the year’s charter school trends and legislation.

 

Some interesting numbers:

  • During the 2008-2009 school year, the number of students enrolled in charters grew 8% from more than 82,000 to 89,000.
  • 91% of Ohio’s 323 charters have physical school buildings; 9% are virtual.
  • About 50 of Ohio’s charters are run by traditional public school districts to have extra flexibility. As of this year, vocational schools are now also allowed to start charter schools.
  • 180 charter schools are sponsored by groups that are not required to be approved by ODE because they were operating prior to April 2003.
  • 10 of the state’s 134 “School of Promise” (schools that do notably well with low-income students) are charter schools. Of these 10 charter schools, 7 are located the Cleveland area.

The report also gives a 13-page legislative history of charter schools.

 

- Sarah Pechan

 

 

On Education Vouchers and Being Accountable

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On Wednesday, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute hosted a simulcast panel discussion on the future of charter schools and vouchers. The panel featured national experts including Ohio’s own Dr. Susan Zelman, namesake of the famous Zelman v Simmons-Harris US Supreme Court case based on the Cleveland Scholarship.

 

Much of the discussion landed on questions of accountability for schools outside the local public school district. Those same questions have routinely been raised in Ohio.

 

Accountability can take lots of forms, but the greatest attention is given to academic accountability (testing). Charter schools take all the same state tests as district schools and face closure if they don’t show student achievement. And private schools are both accountable to paying customers (parents who are free to leave the school if they feel it fails to educate their child) and required to administer state tests to students who receive vouchers.

 

Still, the question has been raised: When a school accepts state vouchers, how much information should the public have about student achievement?

 

At School Choice Ohio, we believe the student achievement of a student using a voucher matters and these students’ test scores should be among the information made public.

 

That’s why we supported landmark legislation in the latest budget that requires the Ohio Department of Education to report test scores of the students who use the EdChoice Scholarship and the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program.

 

These recent changes to Ohio law will put our state on the forefront of voucher accountability nationwide. Parents will have more information about how their children are doing and the public will have information about the investment they’re making in scholarship programs with tax dollars.

 

- Sarah Pechan

 

 

WSJ on Obama’s “Race to the Top”

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Education reform discussions around the country have been focusing recently on President Obama’s $4 billion “Race to the Top” initiative. Essentially, it establishes a funding source for states that have created a positive environment for education reform.

Friday’s Wall Street Journal offered some thoughts on the way the program is shaping up. The WSJ editorial contains some interesting data related to the size and scope of education funding in the United States. It is definitely worth taking a quick look.

The editorial also pointed out that several states—Tennessee, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Massachusetts—have passed legislation that could benefit charter schools. Here in Ohio, Senator Jon Husted sent a letter to Governor Strickland last week suggesting several changes that the state should consider to both improve education and position itself to compete for “Race to the Top” dollars.

The question now becomes—will federal education policy make Ohio friendlier to charter schools? Time will tell.

–Chad Aldis