Charter Schools have Earned Chance to Expand

In 2002, Tennessee became the 39th state in the union to pass public charter-school legislation. The intent of the legislature was to go slow, see what works, and consider next steps.

To this end, they passed one of the most restrictive laws in the nation in areas such as caps on the number of charter schools allowed and which students could attend. At issue was making a wise investment in education reform, ensuring that good results followed this policy decision.

It has been nine years since the passage of our law. We believe it is time to consider the next steps, especially since public charter schools in Tennessee have painstakingly earned this opportunity. Our law remains one of the strictest in the nation. In fact, ours is the only law that outright denies some students the opportunity to attend a charter school, regardless of how beneficial it may be to their growth.

The next step begins with legislation that addresses the primary areas that restrict quality growth. There are three primary areas: Removal of the limitations on how many charter schools may be opened in Tennessee; allowing all students who would benefit to enroll; and solutions to facility challenges faced by charter schools.

We have intentionally embraced some of the toughest provisions of our law. This includes one of the most difficult application processes in the nation. In 2002, this measure was seen as a way of restricting growth; charter school operators have embraced it as a method of ensuring quality.

Bar for charters set higher than for public schools

Tennessee has the strongest accountability law in the nation. In other states, charters may fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) year after year and still not risk closure. In Tennessee, however, a charter school that fails to make AYP can be shut down after only two years — a much higher standard than traditional public schools.

Again, we embrace this standard of quality. It ensures only the best charter schools go forward. As evidence of the quality of our public charter schools, only two schools have been closed out of 31 operating charter schools. This is accountability in action that no other public school in Tennessee faces.

Within the confines of the "Tennessee Model,'' we are very comfortable asking for greater operational autonomy. By removing the caps we ensure that all high-caliber applicants have an opportunity to serve students who can benefit from the environment created. Coupled with the opportunity to open more high-quality charter schools, "open eligibility'' allows all students who would thrive in a charter-school environment to attend. We should be about broadening education opportunities for all our kids — end of the discussion.

Turning to another major change, providing our public charter schools with opportunities to access public school space will increase the dollars that should be going to our academic programs. With our current facility situation, charters are using academic dollars on leases and remodeling costs. Legislation will look at several ways of dealing with the problem of facilities.

We will also have other items to discuss, including the removal of the "sunset'' provision in the current law. This will make charter schools a permanent part of the education reform environment. Also, requiring all charter school board members to go through annual board training, which is necessary for optimum governance.

We look forward to having a very reasoned discussion and are very comfortable seeking "next steps.'' We appreciate not only Gov. Bill Haslam's leadership but those great leaders who have helped us reach this point.

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