Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full.
More coverage of the news from Indy
National media continued to cover the selection of NACSA leader Karega Rausch as the first executive director of The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation. “I was not looking for a new opportunity,” Rausch told The 74’s Patrick O’Donnell. “I love the work and impact we are making at NACSA.” But the “very unique and a once-in-a lifetime opportunity” at IPEC was too attractive to pass up. He looks forward to making “a transformative difference” for all students in Indianapolis.
Supporting all students
Kudos to Cleveland Metropolitan School District, whose staffers have been proactively calling families all summer long—including charter and private school students who receive transportation through the district—to confirm who is riding and what busing services they need/want/are eligible for for the fall. Double kudos for their focus on making sure students with special needs have all the information they need. All of this work is especially important this year since the closure and consolidation of dozens of buildings has resulted in thousands of students attending different schools than they have in the past.
“The solutions are staring right at us”
Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley opined this week that charter schools hold the key to boosting educational outcomes for low-income students and students of color. “The people in charge of public education have chosen to place job security above the well-being of students,” he writes. “Children attend schools that have been failure factories since before they were born, and in some cases before their parents were born. Yet these schools remain in operation because they provide solid middle-class employment opportunities for adults. They continue to underperform because they reward teacher seniority over competence.” Riley cites data from numerous reports showing charter school students outperforming their district peers again and again, calling for expansion of charters in New York City and elsewhere, against dissenters’ ginned-up concerns. “Don’t let anyone convince you that we don’t know how to shrink America’s persistent academic achievement gap. The solutions are staring right at us. The issue isn’t know-how. It’s a lack of political will.”
Bad news/good news
Leaders of a proposed Providence charter school sued Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee this week, seeking to strike down a 3-year moratorium on new charters in the state, signed into law by McKee two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals endorsed McKee for re-election this week, citing both the charter ban and legislation limiting state intervention in local school districts in their announcement.
Just plain bad news
The elected members of the Metro Nashville Public School board voted last week to deny the applications of four proposed charter schools. This despite numerous public comments in support, not because there was anything wrong with the proposals, but because the charters would draw students away from the district and exacerbate their ongoing budget woes. Horrific.
A curious case from Colorado
Colorado legislators passed a law in late May aimed at closing what they called a “loophole” in the state’s charter authorizing statute but targeted at one authorizer in particular. The Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ERBOCES), is defined as a “homeschool co-op” in Colorado law. Such entities have the ability to authorize charter schools, but almost none of them do. ERBOCES was an exception, and when concerns arose that they—and, by extension, their schools—were religiously-affiliated, the General Assembly took action. The new law has had quick effect, with one ERBOCES school closing at the end of last school year and a second announcing its intention this week not to reopen for the fall.
*****
Did you know you can have every edition of the Ohio Charter News Weekly sent directly to your Inbox? Subscribe by clicking here.
