When special interest politics in Raleigh comes to an end, lots of good ideas could start moving forward. Like the idea of
making state schools compete with charter schools for education dollars:
Despite (the) warning and the hundreds of millions in grant funding at stake, Democratic legislators in our General Assembly in 2009 blocked several bills that would have raised or lifted our state's charter school cap. As in past years, the problem was that a handful of powerful and well-funded special-interest groups, led by the N.C. Association of Educators, colluded with state education leaders and the Democratic legislative majority to block attempts to raise or lift North Carolina's cap. Legislators in Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee and California took heed of Duncan's warning and embraced pro-charter laws and policies. The General Assembly chose the business-as-usual route.
Posted by: jhs in charter schools on
Jan 19, 2010
The Greensboro News and Record's Mark Binker has a roundup of items related to the state's recent application for a federal education grant:
Darrell Allison, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, said the state's Race to the Top application would be hurt because it doesn't say much about charter schools. Allison made the case that North Carolina's whole approach to charters was out-of-date.
"North Carolina on the other hand, we fear, could lose the chance to secure these precious points in a highly competitive point...due to a lack of growth in charter school policy. In light of these facts, many of us ask the question that instead of racing to the top for this critical funding, is North Carolina - in fact - racing to the bottom?" Allison said.
Posted by: jhs in Education, charter schools on
Jan 5, 2010
My son is four and so I will soon enter that phase of my live that involves his all important primary education. Seeing the state of public schools currently, I think often of alternatives for him.
I don't quite get why our state limits charter schools. I think it is bad policy.
Somebody else agrees:
Would you bet $400 million that North Carolina's education laws and policies are among the most innovative and reform-oriented in the country? That's how much the state stands to win as it competes against at least 37 other states for a share of the Obama administration's $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" education grant competition.
But while other states scramble to drop restrictions on charter schools, toughen standards, and adopt new measures of teacher and principal effectiveness to improve their chances of winning a share of the pot, North Carolina's top education leaders are content to stand pat with the hand the state now holds.
Parents for Educational Freedom
reports on the lingering effects of the state budget passed this year:
For years, students at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Kernersville have been able to earn college credit through courses offered at UNC-Greensboro. That partnership ended this year when students attending nonpublic high schools effectively were shut out of the tax-funded program.
Learn and Earn is a public initiative allowing North Carolina high school students to earn early college credits by taking courses at participating community colleges or online at UNC-Greensboro's iSchool. The state has earned accolades for implementing the program to address high school graduation rates while better preparing all students for higher education and careers in an increasingly competitive job market.
"We have supported the program from day one--when it first began as on-site learning model until it developed online," said Carol London, Director of Counseling Services at Bishop McGuinness.
According to London, controversy arose because nonpublic students were required to pay tuition for the state-funded program, while public school students could participate for free.
Posted by: jhs in Education, charter schools on
Nov 25, 2009
AP
reports on a court ruling involving charter school funding:
North Carolina public school leaders are reworking their budgets after a court ruling that could force them to pay charter schools millions of dollars.
The state Supreme Court this month refused to review an appeals court ruling that said the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system undercounted how much it owed charter schools. School districts with charter schools are supposed to pass along a per student share of local education money to the independent public schools.
Posted by: Editor in Education, charter schools on
Jun 29, 2009
The N&O's Under the Dome Blog is reporting:
But the state may be hobbled at the starting gate because North Carolina's cap on the number of charter schools could work against it.
From Rep. Paul Stam
Democrat Leadership Refuses to Allow Hearings
May 14 is the "crossover" deadline at the General Assembly. Most bills must pass either the House or Senate by this date or they cannot be considered for the remainder of this session. This is one of the busiest weeks of the session, with many bills reported from committees after receiving their due by having a hearing and up or down vote. Unfortunately this is not the case for many other significant pieces of legislation favored by a majority of NC citizens.
Red Clay Citizen had a link to
an article by the founder of Reason Magazine concerning the manner in which a successful school voucher program in D.C. Schools was killed by the egalitarians running the government:
Against this grim reality, one would have thought an administration that ran on the theme of hope would do anything to nurture a program that offers a way out of D.C.'s hope-killing factories and into other schools.
Instead, the Obama administration has done everything in its power to strangle it. Obama cheerfully signed a spending bill that gratuitously included a provision phasing out the program next year unless Congress expressly reauthorizes it. Of course, making water flow uphill will be easier than winning approval from a Democrat-controlled Congress with strong ties to the teachers' unions who contributed $50 million to Obama's campaign.
