What makes a charter school?
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Charter schools are performing well, a spokesperson with the California Department of Education said earlier this week.

"The simple fact is most charter schools are doing well in the state, so their numbers are increasing each year," said Keith Edmonds, an education specialist with the state agency. "Unless a charter school can establish a good performance as a local public school, generally they're not renewed after five years."

Charter schools are public schools that can encompass any grade configuration from kindergarten through 12th grade and, like traditional schools, do not charge tuition.

Unlike magnet or alternative schools, charter schools are for the most part started by independent parent or teacher groups and are considered by the state as a separate school district.

Students who attend charter schools are not limited to a designated attendance area.

While they encourage use of different and innovative teaching methods, charter schools conform to what parents expect and what is mandatory from the state board of education.

The Pleasant Valley school board rejected a charter school application last week. Organizers for the Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education said they plan to seek approval from the Ventura County Office of Education next month and, if necessary, the state board of education.

Generally, charter schools apply for approval from the school district. If denied at the local level, organizers can appeal to the county office of education and, if turned away there, to the state board of education. A charter can be granted for up to five years of initial operation and then must be renewed every five years.

Since 1992, the year California began allowing charter schools to operate, the state has approved 11 charters and county boards another 22 that were originally rejected at the lower level, said Greg Geeting, also with the California Department of Education. Geeting said they don't have figures on the total number of charter school applications denied by school boards or those that didn't advance beyond the local or county level.

The state legislature intended charter schools as a means of "vigorous competition" to school districts that would result in improvement to all public schools, Edmonds said. Parents want options in their child's education, as evidenced by the 220,000 California students who attend charter schools, he said.

If a school district is losing students to a charter school, then it should strengthen its educational programs or offer alternative programs that would bring students back into the fold, Edmonds said.

School districts can still reap financial benefit from a charter school. Some districts operate charter schools, meaning that state revenue is funneled through the district.

In other cases, the district can serve as a paid contractor, providing such services as payroll and personnel. In any event, school districts receive 1 percent of a charter school's budget for oversight responsibilities and an additional 2 percent if providing school facilities, Edmonds said.

Edmonds said that 75 charter schools opened this yearwhile 34 closed, for a total of 619 charter schools operating in the state. The law caps the total number of charter schools, allowing 100 new ones to open each year. For the 2006-07 school year, the limit was set at 1,050. For 2007-08, it's 1,150, Edmonds said.

For more information on charter schools, visit the California Department of Education's website at www.cde.ca.gov and enter "charter questions" in the search box.