A Times Editorial

Charter school proposal requires careful review

The Hernando County School Board is venturing into unknown territory as it considers the county's first viable application for a charter school. It's a stimulating prospect and offers the board an exceptional opportunity to develop this middle school, the Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology, as a prototype for other charter school proposals that are sure to come.

That is why the board must be diligent in analyzing all aspects of the application and to weigh very carefully the concerns that already have been cited by its staff. In particular, the board should insist that the residents it will appoint to oversee the charter school are diverse, in all respects, and altruistically dedicated to the success of the school.

There are six governing board members of the proposed school. They include two teachers, Joseph Gatti and Nevin Siefert, who will operate the school, and two married couples. School Board Attorney Karen Gaffney correctly points out that such a makeup would present insurmountable conflicts of interest because the governing board is responsible for reviewing the school's staff. Obviously, Gatti and Siefert cannot review themselves.

Beyond that, having married couples on the board creates allegiances that could threaten the board's responsibility to objectively and independently direct the school's budget and policies.

District staff members also have voiced concerns about the school's proposed budget, noting that some expenses were overlooked. That is a well-placed worry because most charter schools that have failed in other parts of the state have done so because they lacked financial means and expertise.

A nearby example of that pitfall can be found at Deerwood Academy in Pasco County, where the School Board, several law enforcement agencies and the Internal Revenue Service are all investigating suspected financial wrongdoing that cannot be explained away as poor money management. Deerwood had planned to expand to Hernando County, but recently withdrew its application.

Recurring money problems detract from the potential successes charter schools can realize if they are properly managed and overseen by qualified advisers.

Charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately operated under contracts with local school districts, were intended to be an experiment with education. At their best, they encourage innovation by providing pioneering educators and community groups the chance to run a school freed from most of the regulations and bureaucracy that often impede public schools. By definition, charter schools are tasked with finding more inventive ways to teach and learn, usually by offering specialized courses that allow students to engage in hands-on learning not available in traditional public schools.

At their worst, however, charter schools break no new ground and are bastardized by businesses and individuals that are more interested in profit than education. Charter schools are a publicly funded growth industry. There are more than 250 in Florida, serving more than 76,000 students and accounting for more than $400-million of the state's education budget.

There is no negative speculation about the motives behind the proposal the School Board is considering for Gulf Coast Academy, which hopes to be open for the 2003-2004 school year. But because of the rapid expansion of charter schools across the state, local school boards cannot overlook the possibility that future applications might be less high-minded.

Another concern the board has expressed about Gulf Coast Academy is that its organizers want to limit enrollment to an area within a 4-mile radius of the proposed site at Lansom Avenue and Tillery Road in Spring Hill.

While not ideal, it is a reasonable constraint for a modest start-up operation. The board might consider including a provision in the contract that requires the charter school to review and justify its boundaries and transportation program periodically. If enrollments do not meet expectations, the boundaries and bus service should be expanded.

So far, School Board members and their administrative staff have been conscientious in evaluating the proposal to create Gulf Coast Academy. Their continued attentiveness is required between now and Dec. 3, when the project's promoters are expected to address the concerns that have already been raised, and to answer the public's questions on the subject.

There is little doubt this will be a model for establishing other charter schools in the county. The board should spare no effort in an attempt to get it right the first time around.

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