I read in the Daily News online edition that there was a meeting held in St. Croix with representatives opening dialogue about charter schools. There is a definite need for us to take a look at what works and what does not work in our education system. But we must be mindful of making decisions based on presentations that are brought in to the territory. I believe that all options for improving our education system should be explored but I have to weigh in on what I think I KNOW about charter schools.
When touting the success of the charter school there are generally three points that are brought up continuously among some others .
1. Teacher Quality - Take a close look at the staff that are hired for the charter schools. The staff is made up primarily of the teachers that were previously employed at the same school that was labeled as a failing school. Even the presenter in St. Croix stated that at his school he retained 45% of the original staff. I can guarantee that of the remaining 55% most have also come from schools that were labeled as failing. I wonder if of the teachers that he did not rehire, how many were due primarily on poor performance in the classroom? In most cases the same teachers that they claimed were not productive in the public school are doing wonders in the charter school. The school administration can hand pick his/her entire staff based on those who have shared philosophy. Wow, talk about stacking the deck. Let's see. The schools are retrofitted with almost everything a teacher can use to make life easier, the principal (or owner) of the school has authority to spend the funds on anything he/she feels will be useful. I don't believe they have to go through the myriad of red tape that the public schools have to for purchases. Could that also influence how much a teacher can get done in the classroom if they have all the necessary tools at their disposal?
2. Parental Involvement - In most cases, at charter schools parental involvement is not voluntary it is compulsory. Not only are parents asked to sign and commit to a contract before the beginning of school, many of them are required to participate in some form of service to the school whether it is volunteering during the day or weekend activities. The parents are not allowed to sit back and let the school educate their children, they have a mandatory active role in the school life. Imagine what would happen in the public schools if parents felt obligated to assist the school in some form and imagine what would happen if they were required to. Most of the issues that confront our public school system would be eliminated.
3. High Achievement - Oh my, imagine a school that focuses on educating the students and preparing them for college. Imagine what would happen in the school if from the day they arrive on campus they were expected to perform and achieve and they have teachers that promote learning. That is what happens everyday on public school campuses everywhere. The difference with the charter school is that the teacher has the support of the principal (owner), the parents and in many cases the community. Back to my question, what do you think would happen if parents, community members and GOD forbid, the administration would support the teacher as he/she attempts to educate the student? The ultimate goal of any education institution is to prepare future members of our society, the present public school curriculum is geared toward test prep and not directed to college nor life preparation.
4. The Money - Lastly, you will hear the cost of educating a student in public school in comparison to the cost at a charter school. Things need to be put into perspective as we look at the cost factor. The charter school does have a lower overhead because of the limited administrative costs; principal, sometimes an assistant or two, office administrator and depending on the size there may be a financial person in place. This leaves budgetary decisions to one person. Those decisions include who to hire and who to fire, when and if to give a salary increase and how much should be spent on materials and supplies. Imagine if the administrator of the public school was given some of these privileges. Maybe things would be different if school based management could really be a reality. Maybe before we consider taking the money out of the public school, we look at ways to maximize the money that is spent, keeping the bulk of the money focused on the student and less on administrative costs.
*It is very good to open the conversation on ways to improve the education of our territory's students. We have several choices in place for parents of means. But we all know that the success of most privatized schools lies on the fact that the students are selected whereas the public schools have an open door policy where no one can be denied. I do believe that parents should be able to choose where and how to have their children educated and I have supported many of my friends and family who have opted to pay for that education. I have known people who have made tremendous sacrifices for this decision. I do not believe that public schools should be sacrificed for this decision. We should be open to all possibilities for improvement but not to the expense of the larger majority.
