Parents want choice in Montgomery County
By Kara Kerwin
Washington Post
April 17, 2015
While I’ve lived in this area for only five years, my family is rooted in almost every corner of this state — from the Eastern Shore to Hagerstown, from Baltimore to Bethesda. I’ve spent my career counseling thousands of parents and lawmakers across the country to bring about much-needed change in their communities, and now I’m desperate to bring change to my own back yard.
With about 150,000 students, Montgomery County is one of the largest school districts in the country, and it is only getting bigger — actually bursting at the seams. The solution always seems to be to remodel or add mobile classrooms. What we need are more schools — of choice.
We have a growing achievement gap, especially between poor and minority students and white and Asian students. This is uncomfortable for most in my community because Montgomery County Public Schools is not serving all its students well. Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R) original proposal to expand charter schools would have been a boost for my community and would have helped ensure that achievement is possible for all.
Charter schools started in Minnesota in 1991 because educators and parents believed there were more solutions, programs and ideas that even the best school districts could use. The early supporters of the charter school idea were especially concerned about the schools that were not working for most children and about which poverty had become the excuse for failure. Teachers wanted more autonomy to teach, parents wanted more options for their students, and most believed that status quo of the school district model of governance needed serious restructuring.
It was about empowerment then. It still is.
The data on student progress and achievement in charter schools demonstrate the power of autonomous schools that create personalized learning environments for students, are open by choice and are held accountable for results.
Before the Maryland Senate gutted it, Hogan’s proposal would have made three significant changes that, while modest, are important for improving opportunity for parents and creating school environments for teachers and communities to thrive.
First, the charter school governing board should be able to make decisions that matter most for student success. Our local school districts are not equipped for school-based budgeting, decision-making and personnel decisions that are critical to the charter school concept and seek to attract talent outside of traditional education.
Contrary to a campaign launched by the Maryland State Education Association that scared teachers at charter schools, Hogan’s proposal would empower teachers to make a choice. All teachers still would be a part of the state’s pension program.
Second, clarifying the state board of education as the authorizer on appeal is a minor but significant improvement for Maryland’s charter law. The state can act as a critical check and balance when districts and charter schools clash. This necessary route of appeal with a binding decision is missing from the existing law. Charter schools across Maryland have had to sue to receive a more equitable share of funding, have had to close because of conflicts with union-opposed extended-day instruction and have discouraged other applicants from opening.
Demand for charter schools far outstrips supply with more than 12,000 students on waiting lists in Maryland, and adding schools can be an effective strategy for dealing with the public system’s challenges. Providing the state board with the authority to issue a binding appeal decision will give voices to thousands of parents and educators across Maryland vying for alternatives.
Last but not least is the need for more equitable funding for Maryland’s public charter school students. The proposal would validate the importance of equity for every public school child and public school program, whether charter or traditional. Charter schools receive no facilities funding, thus making the inequitable funding even more dramatic.
Success is possible for every child, but the governor should veto the legislation the General Assembly passed and work with lawmakers to return to a plan that will create more effective public school options for Maryland children.
The writer is president of the Center for Education Reform, which advocates for the creation of charter schools.
