By Samantha Cart
Over the past two years, charter schools have been among a handful of hot-button topics in the heated discussion on how to reform education in West Virginia. While both sides of the aisle agree a quality education system is vital to a thriving economy, there is much debate on what changes need to be made to get there. In June, Governor Jim Justice signed House Bill 206, an omnibus education bill allowing charter schools to open in West Virginia for the first time in the state’s history.
In an effort to better understand the arguments for and against charter schools, West Virginia Executive magazine reached out to Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association and a strong opponent of charter schools, and Garrett Ballengee, executive director of the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and a fierce advocate, for their unique perspectives on some of the statements that have been made during the debate.
Charter schools provide more options for educational freedom.
Ballengee: I think many people fail to understand that we already have educational freedom in this state and in this country—if you can afford it. There is nothing preventing families with the financial resources from choosing the school that best fits their children’s needs, whether it is by paying for private school, hiring tutors or moving to the neighborhood zoned for the best schools. Unfortunately, those same neighborhoods often have mortgage payments that reflect that reality and are out of reach for most families in West Virginia. Reforms such as charter schools, guaranteed open enrollment and education savings accounts are intended to give the single mother the same educational options families with more substantial financial means already have. The current paradigm simply perpetuates the reality that poor families have limited access to better educational options and thus the hurdles put in their way are only made more significant.
Lee: Parents in West Virginia already have educational freedom. They have the freedom to homeschool their children, send them to private school or send them to church-related schools. They already have different ways of providing that educational freedom to their children. We see charter schools as another way of picking the haves over the have-nots. If West Virginians are looking for ways of changing the delivery of instruction, we also have that in West Virginia with innovation zones, which have proven to be very successful.
Charter schools will be allowed to operate outside of the state regulations that govern traditional public schools.
Ballengee: I think there are several benefits to this greater flexibility. First, charter schools can be more flexible in their response to community needs as they pertain to education, like the charter school that just opened in South Carolina that specializes in the education of dyslexic students. Second, I think we greatly undervalue experimentation in education, and experimentation cannot really be done in the traditional public school system given the layers of rules and regulations they must follow. Instead of competition, I think charter schools should be thought of as a relief valve, not only for the families who choose to send their kids to a charter school but also for the traditional public school system. Charters can serve as a laboratory for experimentation on a smaller scale.
Lee: If allowing charter schools to operate outside of the state laws and regulations that govern traditional public schools will be a benefit to students, then why are we putting those restraints on our public schools in the first place? We have the opportunity to innovate and have shown success with our innovation zones in which the actual experts—educators—get together and decide which changes need to be made and which restrictions they want to move away from, but the state stopped the funding. Innovation zones are a way schools can, with 80 percent of the vote of the faculty, decide which waivers they want, which things they want to ask for relief from and which innovations they want to pursue. It’s been successful in community schools as well as alternative education settings for elementary schools. Innovation zones have changed the way we do mentoring in West Virginia because the experts decide what changes need to be made for their students.
Depending on the decision of the governing body, individuals without traditional credentials may be allowed to teach at charter schools.
Ballengee: There is a lot of underutilized teaching talent in West Virginia due to the credentialism required to teach in the traditional public school system, and the flexibility given to charter schools in hiring and firing practices can be valuable in utilizing this resource. Let’s use West Virginia as an example. There are unemployed mining engineers, chemists, chemical engineers, et cetera, in our communities because of the industries that once populated our state. There is no reason why these folks can’t teach STEM to students, but they’re not allowed to do so in traditional public schools unless they go through an expensive, lengthy certification process. These professionals are an underutilized resource in West Virginia, and charter schools can help West Virginia come closer to an equilibrium for STEM education.
Lee: Teaching is a very difficult profession. Not everyone can teach. Even if you have mastery of a subject area, it doesn’t mean you can convey that knowledge to students. Just like any other profession, it takes special characteristics to be successful as a teacher, and saying anyone can teach shows a lack of respect for the profession. I would say it is difficult for those who may be in a different subject matter to have the knowledge and pedagogy to succeed in the classroom. We have various methods of certification in West Virginia other than the traditional route, and many people who pursue these find that the biggest hindrance is in classroom management. Obviously, someone coming from outside of the classroom who has never gone through the pedagogy required by an institution of higher education is not going to have the skills needed to manage a classroom. It may sound simple, but it is extremely important in order for the kids to learn.
Ninety percent of the state and federal funding allotted to each student would follow them to their charter school.
Ballengee: Saying that charter schools divert funds from cash-strapped school districts implies that taxpayer money belongs to a school district—or rather, the school district is entitled to a certain portion of taxpayer money—instead of the actual child society wishes to be educated. We don’t educate a child in order to have a public school system; we have a public school system in order to educate a child—and to the extent that it doesn’t perform or satisfy the family, we are morally obligated to find alternative means of education.
Lee: When that funding is taken away from public schools, we are still going to have to provide the public school education for the students who are not attending the charter school. Charter schools take away funding that is much needed in public schools and in many cases is not adequate to begin with.
Charter schools can be for-profit institutions.
Ballengee: The applicant group and governing board of a charter school must be 501(c)(3) organizations, though there is nothing in West Virginia’s legislation prohibiting them from contracting with for-profit school management organizations. It’s important to remember that any potential charter school must receive approval from the county school board and will be subject to oversight by that board and, ultimately, the state board of education. If you look across the spectrum of charter schools, many are run by former teachers, school principals and successful members of the local community who have an interest in providing a different model of education to kids. Charter schools are considered public schools in that they are funded by taxpayer money, cannot charge tuition and must accept those families who wish to enroll their kids in the charter school. I suppose it is possible that operators could make a profit, but it’s unclear to me why this is, prima facie, a bad thing. Profit could only be realized and sustained to the extent the charter school is meeting the needs of the community and, more importantly, the families that have chosen to send their children to that charter school.
Lee: The research I’ve seen on charter schools is a mixed bag. Many of them become for-profit, and that makes it difficult for those who cannot afford it. Not to mention you are taking that funding away from the public schools, and you’re still going to have to provide the public school for the students who are left out of the charter. It takes away the funding that is much needed in our public schools and in many cases is not adequate to begin with.
1 Comment
I have seen both sides of all these issues. I spent over 25 year in Private and Christian schools as an educator and in administration. Currently, I am in my 6th year in the public schools in West Virginia as a special education teacher.
From what I have learned, public school teachers are just as dedicated and love their students as much as the private school staffs and the biggest difference maybe the extra emphasis that is place on morality ,character development, and religion in private and Christian schools which is included into much of their curriculum.
I think the funding to each county would be the same overall amount per student however, the amount going to each school would be decreased as enrollment in the public schools would decline because of the students that would be leaving and enrolling in the charter schools so the same funds would be diluted further .t
Many facts seem to point out that some charter schools are successful and some are not.
It is very easy for Charter and Private schools to look good and successful , as their test scores would look higher due to the fact that private and charter schools often are allowed to choose which students to enroll and which ones they can reject. I know this to be a fact in many states, however I am not sure about the new West Virginia guidelines. However, the fact remains that parent involvement is the most important factor in a child’s education regardless of the type of school they may attend.
Perhaps a better solution would be a tax deduction for all educational expenses, regardless of the type of school a parent may choose for their child’s education, up to and including college.