Vol. 4, No. 19
May 22, 2002

* CHARTERS: Michigan's charter schools now have a new avenue for funding facilities - the Michigan Public Education Facilities Authority. On May 14th, the Authority officially began to issue tax-exempt debt on behalf of charter schools. While the ability to make such arrangements previously existed under three agencies, only one such arrangement had been completed. Now charter schools have a single entity to work with. The new group hopes to begin considering applications for the sale of bonds as early as next month. The initial focus will be on issuing qualified bonds through the Authority to developers who will lease buildings to charter schools, spurring economic development as well as providing facilities for the schools.

* The appeals process for charters in Illinois may not be all it was hoped to be. Recently the Illinois State Board of Education voted to deny the proposal for the YouthBuild Charter School in Rockford, Illinois. The charter's program was based on the already existent successful Rockford YouthBuild program, and would have provided a new alternative for the many students who have dropped out of Rockford public schools. The proposal had been denied by the local board and the decision appealed to the State Board Appeals Panel. The appeals panel and the State Superintendent both found the proposal to be in compliance with Illinois law and in the best interest of the children it proposed to serve. The State Superintendent forwarded the proposal with the recommendation to overturn the local decision and grant the charter. However, the motion to approve received only three of the five votes necessary. Reasons given by opponents included a desire not overturn a local decision (of course overturning such decisions is the purpose of an appeals board in a state where the only authorizer is local boards) and the alleged financial impact on the district, which the State acknowledged to be .0006 percent of the district's projected budget over the first five years of the charter. We hope this decision does not set a precedent of unwillingness by the State Board to utilize its appeals authority to authorize charter schools. If it does though, it certainly makes the case for new authorization avenues in Illinois.

* It would appear that there is good news for New York charter schools coming out of the new state budget. Included in the FY 2002-2003 budget is $6 million for the Charter School Stimulus Fund provides money to implement charter school programs and can also be used for capital purposes. Additional funding is also in the budget for charter school authorizers and the State Department of Education to defray the costs of conducting standard background checks on prospective employees in charter schools and public school districts.

* ELECTIONS: Promising reformer Rob Kremer was beaten by the status quo in an election for Oregon's Superintendent for Public Instruction marked by overwhelmingly low voter turnout. Kremer isn't giving up though. The founder of both the Oregon Education Coalition and the Oregon Public Charter School Service Center plans to remain active in school policy.

* We are sorry to see that Newark, New Jersey City Councilman Cory Booker failed in his bid to displace incumbent Mayor Sharpe James. Councilman Booker - who lost the May 14 election 53% to 46% in a campaign fraught with dirty-dealings -- has championed a wide variety of learning opportunities for children. Though disappointing, Booker's loss should not be seen as a referendum against educational choice -- he lost in a hotly contested race to a man many call the most powerful politician in New Jersey. Cory Booker, and his advocacy for schools of choice, will certainly be back.

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