The latest report from a national pro-charter-schools group gives North Carolina a “D” for the law it uses to regulate the schools, something the new GOP legislative majority plans to address when it takes power in January.
The state’s cap of 100 charter schools contributes to the poor grade, as do funding and other issues, according to the Washington-based Center for Education Reform, which released a preliminary version of its report yesterday.
But with the Republican Party winning majorities in the N.C. House and Senate this month, the cap’s days are likely numbered. Eliminating the cap is part of the House GOP’s plan for the first 100 days of the next legislative session, which starts Jan. 26, and incoming Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Guilford, has voiced strong support for charter schools.
The state office that oversees charter schools would like to see a more measured approach, though. Office of Charter School Director Jack Moyer said yesterday that he hopes the General Assembly will allow the cap to increase slowly — by five schools or so a year — so that his office of five people can manage the growth.
“Don’t open the floodgates. ...” Moyer said. “That isn’t good for education, that isn’t good for anybody.”
Politically, there may be some suitable middle ground between an outright elimination and an incremental increase.
State Rep. Larry Brown, R-Forsyth, said he doesn’t want to see “a blanket, unlimited number” of charter schools.
“I would say the first year, maybe 150 and see how that progresses,” said Brown, who sits on the House Education Committee.
But retiring state Sen. Eddie Goodall, who also is president the North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said he “can’t imagine anything” preventing an outright repeal of the cap. Goodall said Moyer’s office is probably under-staffed and can be beefed up to ensure that new charter schools are quality charter schools.
Charter schools, such as Forsyth Academy in Winston-Salem, get public funding and answer to state regulators, but they have fewer curriculum restraints than traditional public schools. They are run by non-profit groups and are expected to hit achievement goals that are set in their charters with the state.
There are 99 charter schools in the state now, with another in the review process, Moyer said. He didn’t have figures readily available to compare charter school students’ academic performance to those in traditional schools.
Moyer said he doesn’t like to make that comparison anyway because “60 percent of the charter schools ... serve at-risk kids.”
Moyer did say that, since 2004, performance at charter schools has improved dramatically.
Though charter schools can be a divisive issue, and are often unpopular with local officials at traditional schools, there is some bipartisan support for them.
State Rep. Earline Parmon, D-Forsyth, used to be a charter school administrator, and she said yesterday that she expects to see the cap raised, as well as other reforms, including better funding for the schools.
“I think that, with equal funding ... they may have a chance to provide a greater opportunity for the students that are not performing in the traditional public schools,” Parmon said.
ctfain@yahoo.com
The Center for Education Reform breaks down some of the problems it sees in North Carolina’s charter school regulations at http://www.charterschool
research.com/laws/north
carolina.htm
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