Thank you to all those who read and shared yesterdays post. Pictured here is a list of all the charter schools that we printed from the ADE. It’s 31 pages. We stopped counting at 500 schools. It would be one thing if charters operated in areas where there were failing schools but I have a hard time buying their necessity since 1.) Arizona has a very generous open enrollment policy in our public schools, 2.) they prefer to locate in areas that already have highly performing schools, 3.) most don’t do anything different than public schools are already doing and 4.) though they won’t admit it and it is not exactly legal, there are lots of stories about how ELL students, students with special learning needs and so forth are encouraged to attend school elsewhere (it is costly to educate certain groups of students and that hurts the bottom line when you are out to make a profit). (Please share stories if you have them…) At some of the super-high achieving charters, the attrition rate is very high as students who drag down scores are counseled out. If charters went where there was poverty and racial inequality (most struggling schools are found in areas with high poverty and racial inequality) and had success where public schools didn’t, that’d be worth noting. That is RARELY the case, both in our state and across our nation. Charters, if they are to exist, should all be truly not-for-profit; they should be subject to all the same rules and regulations as public schools, including procurement, purchasing and admission. They should offer something that is substantially different or better than the local public school and they should work in conjunction with the local school districts, in partnership and collaboration for the benefit of students rather than in cutthroat competition. Three final points for today. Gilbert Unified School District is an ‘A’ District: https://azreportcards/ReportCard?district=4239&school=-1 Higley Unified School District is an ‘A’ District: https://azreportcards/ReportCard?district=4248&school=-1 Queen Creek Unified School District is an ‘A’ District: https://azreportcards/ReportCard?district=4245&school=-1 These are our local public schools and a main reason so many of us settled in the area. According to an Arizona Republic article by Anne Ryman, “The state allows charters to seek exemptions from state laws that require schools to obtain competitive bids for goods or services. Nearly 90 percent of the state’s charter holders have gotten permanent exemptions from the state Board for Charter Schools, according to the state’s database.” Let that one sink in for a bit. Lastly as I was out fixing signs last night, I came across this 4 story monster-Heritage Academy Charter School. Sossaman and Germann. Pictured below.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 12:46:52 +0000
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