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MARYLAND HAS NO CHARTER LAW -- YET
By Jeanne Allen
Letter to the Editor submitted to The Washington Post, February 6, 2003
The Washington Post's coverage of Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich's effort to pass charter school legislation repeats consistent reporting errors by the Post. It is incorrect to characterize what is happening in Annapolis as an effort to expand the law. (Ehrlich Aims to Expand Md. Charter Schools 2/5/03) Maryland does not have a law, and therefore does not have charter schools. Maryland is one of only eleven states with no law.
The two Maryland counties that claim a charter policy don't have the authority to approve or deny a charter school. A charter school by definition is free from the rules and regulations that hamstring most other public schools and that typically are administered by the very school boards that are trying to come up with charter policies.
The "charter" approved by Frederick County is a charter in name only and it has none of the autonomy that the nearly 2,700 charters nationwide enjoy. They have no fiscal, legal or governance flexibility - all of their actions must first get local school board approval. The school still operates as a Frederick County school.
Maryland needs a charter law. There is a growing body of research that shows charter schools are raising the bar for all schools and are causing other schools to replicate their efforts.
The Post's coverage of the development of charter schools in Maryland has repeatedly made the error by inference that Maryland has charters - they don't. However, with the change in leadership in Annapolis that hopefully will change....
See also:
Click here for the latest on charter school developments in Maryland.
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Jeanne Allen is president of the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C. The Center for Education Reform is a national, independent, non-profit advocacy organization providing support and guidance to individuals, community and civic groups, policymakers and others who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools. For further information, please call (202) 822-9000.