Charter = Choice
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Beth Young
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
So say Utahns who are getting in up to their elbows starting new charter schools
SYRACUSE -- Many times during the private-school voucher debates, Tom Koehler heard that the way to improve education in Utah is to get involved in the system.
"What's a better way to get involved in the system than to start a charter school?" he said.
Although his children are no longer school age, the Clearfield resident has grandchildren in public schools and is typical of the type of people who start charter schools.
"It's mainly parents who wanted to see changes in the Utah state education system," said Marlies Burns, Utah Charter Schools director.
While they are still public schools that must follow most of the same rules and core curriculum set forth by Utah Board of Education, charter schools provide choice in education by having teaching methods or philosophies that differ from mainstream schools.
"In order to be granted a charter, an application has to provide evidence it will meet one of the seven purposes: expand school choice; increase parental involvement in school governance; provide different and innovative teaching methods; establish new school models and accountability; increase opportunities for teachers to design and implement programs; and improve student learning," said Melinda Fatani, charter school application specialist for the state.
In Utah, starting a charter school is no small feat. Those interested must attend a workshop before even submitting an application.
"The application process is extremely rigorous," Burns said.
The application, which can be in excess of 100 pages, must include everything from school mission to a provision for financial audits. Founders must also hold a public meeting to announce their intentions to the surrounding community.
"They have to be very, very serious, and there is no compensation for the people who are writing the original application," Fatani said.
Koehler held an open house Friday night in Syracuse.
He is not alone in his goal of starting a charter school that will be named Good Foundations Academy -- if it makes it through the process. The school already has a board made up of nine interested parents.
"We are not starting with an education background," said board member Peter Kind. "You go find the expertise that is actually going to make the school operate."
In November, members of the Good Foundations board visited several charter schools in Colorado, which set up the model for their school.
"We will teach character development with quality education," Kind said. "The vision is character development in an environment that is respectful and honors every individual and high academic excellence."
Koehler already has jumped one hurdle most charter schools face. He knows where his school building will be. As the pastor of Christ Community Church, he owns 5 acres in Syracuse and is building a church there.
"Instead of having a church that people were in on Sunday mornings and empty the rest of the week, we wanted to have the building be used by the community in any possible way that it could," he said.
Although the charter school will be housed in a church, it will not teach religion of any kind, Koehler said.
As public schools funded by the state, charter schools must follow all of the same rules and regulations.
"We don't want it to be known as a charter school started by Christ Community Church," Koehler said.
"We will have a separate building next to the school for church offices and will be like a seminary. The building itself, as far as I am concerned, won't even have the name of the church on it."
Board members of the Good Foundation Academy have two weeks to finish their application, due April 1, in order to open their school for the 2010-11 school year.
"Then they go through a rigorous evaluation and scoring period," Fatani said.
Each application is read and scored by 15 to 20 people from the state office and charter school system. To move on to the second review period, it must score 75 or higher.
Even getting the minimum score does not guarantee a school will open.
"There are a number of factors that determine whether an applicant is granted a charter," Burns said.
One factor is the legislation that determines how many students are allowed to enter charter schools each year.
"As of October of 2008, charter schools can grow by 1.4 percent of the number of students enrolled in districts (statewide). That will be about 7,200 to 7,300 (more students) for 2009-10 school year," Burns said.
"Charter schools now have a reasonable growth model. It only lets charter schools grow as fast as districts."
Burns said charter schools are growing very quickly in Utah, considering they didn't even exist in the state until 1999.
"The first year, charter schools served 0.08 percent of students," she said. "For the current school year, it is just over 4 percent, so that is some pretty quick growth."
In the 1999-2000 school year, the state had six charter schools. This year, there were 58, and nine more will open in the fall.
Fatani said most charter schools are enrolled to capacity and have waiting lists
"Currently, we have waiting lists in every grade except seventh and eighth," said Mark Child, director of Venture Academy, a charter school started by parents that will open in Ogden for the 2008-09 school year.
"These parent have been working on it for a number of years. It's not a simple thing," he said.
"My guess is there are lots of folks who start this and don't make it all the way through, because it is a lot of work. There has to be a real desire."
The funding for charter schools does not begin until about six months before the school opens its doors.
"Clearly you have to have your headmaster on board and start interviewing teachers before you start getting money," Kind said.
Although starting a charter school is a long and difficult process, the state offers a lot of help to founders.
"We do let them know what it's going to take, but we do give them a lot of support," Burns said. "You don't have to have a doctorate in education -- you can be a parent. That is what our staff is here for, to help people who want to start charter schools."
Child, who came to Utah after being a charter school director in Michigan, said this is not the situation in all states.
"You still have to comply with the law, but you are almost completely on your own to figure out how to do it," he said.
"Utah has done a real nice job creating a core of people at the state office dedicated to making charter schools successful."
Although they haven't turned in their application, members of the Good Foundation Academy have spoken to a developer and are hopeful about the future.
However, they are also aware of the challenges they face if they are to open the school.
"It's a huge venture," Kind said. "I think it will be a little bit of a miracle."
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