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Charter conspiracies

"Anti-charter" hardly seems to describe the state with the third-most charter schools in the nation. "Anti-oversight" is more appropriate.

Florida has been creating charter schools at such a pace over the past nine years that now it nearly leads the nation, which makes for an odd backdrop to the latest threats from Tallahassee. The state Board of Education is so worked up by what one member described as "anti-charter" attitudes that it is considering withholding tax money from some school districts.

"Clearly there have been instances where you could tell . . . that those who have the power to make the decision were anti-charter schools," says board vice chairman T. Willard Fair, who created his own Miami charter school. "They (seemed) prepared to pay whatever penalty they had to pay for being anti-charter school. They should pay the penalty."

Fair's anger betrays his own bias, but he is right on one point. The relationship between school boards and their public charter schools suffers a built-in conflict. The boards must pass judgment on charter schools that often are created on the premise that the district is failing to serve all students.

That conflict has no doubt led to some awkward moments between charter school operators and district superintendents, but the numbers don't support Fair's conspiracy theory. The state now sanctions 300 charter schools enrolling some 83,000 students, which places it third in the nation. If recent studies are any indication, the greater concern is whether the growth has been too fast.

More than one in four of the charter schools is suffering financially, 42 have been shut down, and one in eight is deemed by the state to be academically failing. The state Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability wrote in April: "The charter schools' annual performance reports generally do not contain either the information needed to determine whether schools met the outcomes specified in their contracts or the information required by law. These weaknesses make it difficult for school boards and the general public to hold charter schools accountable for the performance of their students."

While these broader questions are being raised about charter school performance, the state board seems preoccupied with procedural delays by school districts. In one case, the board is criticizing Volusia County officials for being three days late in explaining why they denied a charter application. Punctuality is important, but the state board's anxiety is misdirected. Florida isn't resisting new charter schools so much as it is resisting oversight.

[Last modified May 21, 2005, 01:03:17]