Board OKs charter school report

AUGUSTA – In a 6-3 vote Wednesday, the state Board of Education approved a report suggesting that up to 20 public charter schools be developed over the next 10 years as part of an “experiment” with the alternative type of education. The controversial proposal now goes to the Legislature, where lawmakers have defeated similar measures in the past.

Two of the three dissenters on the board, Jack Norris and Janet Tockman, objected on a number of counts. Charter schools could draw scarce resources away from existing public schools, they said. Also, creating more small schools flies in the face of the state’s emphasis on cost efficiency, regionalization and consolidation.

Philip Dionne, who cast the third dissenting vote, said he approves of charter schools, but found some of the suggestions in the report either lacking or too limiting to base legislation on.

But Chairwoman Jean Gulliver said it is “critical” to give some options to students who aren’t being served well by the current kindergarten through grade 12 system. The charter school concept laid out in the report supports the state’s focus on efficiency because it emphasizes creating them on a regional basis, she pointed out.

Charter schools, which are tuition-free and not affiliated with any religion, typically are small, individualized facilities for students who don’t fare well in traditional settings. These schools may try different approaches to education and focus on performing arts, foreign language, math, science and technology.

Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron told the education board members Wednesday that although she has “always been an advocate of looking at different ways of providing services to young people,” she had mixed feelings about the proposal. On one hand, charter school legislation would enable alternative education programs to apply for federal funding. But charter schools also could deter existing schools from providing their own services for at-risk students, she said.

The report, created by a study group that included three members of the state board, suggests that limits be set on the number of students who attend charter schools, that local school boards approve requests for charter schools based on certain criteria, and that funding be based on the same per pupil amount all public schools will receive under Essential Programs and Services. Under EPS, the state is determining how much it costs for each student to meet the academic standards outlined in the Maine Learning Results.

The Legislature created the study group last summer after lawmakers on the Education Committee voted against a charter school bill sponsored by Sen. Carol Weston, R-Montville. Contacted Wednesday night, Weston said she was pleased the report suggested that charter schools complement the local school’s programs.

“I believe the complementary approach is the best fit for Maine and the best bet for our students,” said Weston, a substitute teacher who has seen firsthand how alternative educational programs can benefit children.

“Our schools are great schools and we have great teachers. But it’s impossible to always meet every need students have. Charter schools help fill that gap,” she said.

Also pleased Wednesday was Judy Powers, a member of the board of the Maine Association for Charter Schools and a former legislator who sponsored a 1998 bill that would have allowed charter schools. During Wednesday’s meeting, she told the education board that her group would like to see the board and higher education institutions be able to authorize charter school applications.

Meanwhile, Dionne said he was unhappy that the report didn’t address teacher certification. “Part of charter schools’ flexibility and creativity” is their use of teachers who may not be certified, but who have a wealth of knowledge because of prior experience, he said.

Other state board members also had suggestions. Wes Bonney said the idea of establishing 20 charter schools in 10 years was “too limiting,” and that more should be allowed. But Ellie Multer, who was a member of the study group, said legislation could require that the pilot project be evaluated in five years so that additional charter schools could be created sooner.

Board member Jim Carignan, who also helped write the report, said the intent was to hold down numbers to make sure that the state would be able to adequately “monitor [the schools], hold people accountable and observe and learn.”

And while Tockman contended this wasn’t the right time to jump into a new initiative because the state had “so many other pressing needs,” Carignan disagreed.

“There’s no time that’s without risk to try this kind of experiment. There will always be other things on [the state’s] plate,” he said.

“The literature is clear that charter schools help certain kids,” he added.