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Education In The News
Edison Schools put on probation; boosters enraged,
* The firm that operates a charter school in S.F. has 90 days to fix problems found by the board of education,
By Colleen Valles
Associated Press,
March 29, 2001
SAN FRANCISCO -- Calling it a political move that hurts students and imperils any chance of fixing public schools, an education reform advocate attacked San Francisco trustees' vote placing a charter school company on probation..
Board members voted late Tuesday to give Edison Schools Inc. 90 days to fix problems they claim exist at the city's only for-profit school.
"It has local and national significance. We serve tens of thousands of people," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform. "They're hurting other organizations' opportunities for reform."
New York-based Edison has 113 schools in 45 cities with 57,000 students, and Allen said that more than 10 percent of the nation's charter schools are run by private firms.
The board's 6-1 vote followed the release of a school district investigation launched about a month ago, following complaints by parents, students and teachers.
"Frankly, I think the public should expect that we would take these responsibilities very seriously and be pleased that we're following through," said school board President Jill Wynns.
But Edison has said the real problem is that some people do not approve of having a private company run a public school. Gaynor McCown, senior vice president of Edison Schools, said the company has yet to make a profit running the San Francisco school.
"Ultimately, we will, but it's not because we're taking money from the classroom," she said.
Despite national attention on the San Francisco board's vote, the final decision rests with each community, said Denise Cardinal, a spokeswoman for the National Education Association.
"I think what we're seeing is everybody's looking for an easy answer," she said. "There's no panacea. Obviously, people have real concerns about mixing private with public schools."
The report found that Edison, which manages the 503-student Edison Charter Academy, has discriminated against black students, sent special education students to other campuses and hasn't given the district records that track public dollars the school uses.
Edison officials have denied any wrongdoing.
"Some of the issues they've raised, they have every right to raise them. Do I think they're valid? Not necessarily," McCown said. "We really believe what's really important is the parents and children of the school are extraordinarily satisfied."
Tuesday's vote came at a raucous evening meeting where many Edison supporters waved signs reading "Leave Edison Alone" while small children nearby chanted "Edison! Edison!"
"So the district and members of this board have accepted as fact that test scores are up and that the parents are happy. How could anyone be against such a school program?" Jason Duckworth asked the board during time set aside for public comment.
Edison has run the school since 1998, and its contract is set to expire in June 2003. Company officials say they've never had a contract revoked.
Allegations in the report include high teacher turnover, misleading test scores, elimination of a bilingual program, replacing a free after-school program with one that costs $200 a month and coercing teachers to sign the Edison Charter.
The report also says that the percentage of black, special education and poor students has decreased since the company took over.
Edison has 90 days to correct any problems described in the report. After that, if the board still finds problems, the school will lose its charter and become a district school again.
The school will try to remedy any problems, said Principal Vincent Matthews, but he warned that if the school reverts back to the district, it will lose such benefits as an eight-hour day and a rich technology program.
"I think the school has been doing a fantastic job," he said. "The test scores are up, the parents are satisfied, this school is clearly working."
Many parents are pleased with the job Edison has done and say that since the company took over the school, discipline and academic performance have increased. A majority of the parents of students at Edison have signed a petition urging the board to keep the company running the school.