Following the 2011 state legislature’s elimination of the 100-school limit on charter schools, the State Board of Education approved 24 charter schools to open August 2013.
WhichWayNC sat down with Appropriations on Education Subcommittee Chairman, Rep. Craig D. Horn, R-Union, to discuss the future of charter schools in the state.
WWNC: Why is the public so frustrated with the current public school system and what are the top complaints?
CH: When I moved down here from Maryland, I came to be a grandfather. But, I looked around at the schools and at what the kids were learning and I knew we could do better. One of the biggest problems is that there was a considerable disconnect between what was being taught in the classrooms and the skills that employers wanted. Tied in to that is the lack of resources and staff development that schools need.
WWNC: Feeding off of that frustration, popular media has endorsed charter schools as the saving grace of education, with productions such as, “Waiting for Superman” and NBC News’s Education Nation. Are the media’s depictions accurate and can charter schools make good on their promise to revolutionize education?
CH: With Common Core (and North Carolina Essential Standards), better technology and new digital resources coming partly from Race to the Top, public schools have made strides and are continuing to grow. But, you know, charter schools have a lot of great things to offer and can be a great choice for some students and their families. They offer less testing, negotiable teacher pay, and far less reports to N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
WWNC: Should NC charter systems follow a similar system of framework as Georgia’s Fulton County Schools and should they follow a graduated system of implementation?
CH: I haven’t really looked at the Fulton County Charter System in depth, but charter schools for the most part try to cater to the specific needs of their community. So, I think people will be really open to the idea of them and the transition should be smooth. And whether they have a tiered system or not, charter schools will be held accountable. North Carolina is not a home rule state, so we can stick our nose in to any business we like to make sure students are getting a great education.
WWNC: Many special interest groups, such as the N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE) and National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), have expressed frustration with charter schools and their lack of support for special needs, English language learners, homeless students, and other groups that receive school services. How should the state provide extra resources to charter schools in order to ensure the well-being of all students?
CH: Show me an example of an open and functioning charter school that operates under these practices. You can’t. Many of these schools are set up to deal with kids who need special services and if a school takes public money, it can’t discriminate. It’s that simple.
WWNC: Concerned about the ideology and practicality of charter schools, JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP said, “When we throw charter schools at every educational problem, we end up with lots of wasted effort, minimal large scale improvement, and a public education system devoid of the public.” How can legislators address these concerns?
CH: Charter schools aren’t there to skim the cream off of the top. Look at Union Academy for example. It helps a mix of rich and poor, black and white, and urban and suburban kids. Also, the charter school, started in Charlotte by the former mayor, was designed to help the low-income inner city population.
WWNC: Judith Rizzo, executive director and CEO of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy said, “Good charter schools were a great thing.” How can the General Assembly mold policy and ensure the excellence of charter schools in NC?
CH: Charter Schools are like learning laboratories. In a smaller, less regulated setting, we can try out new methods and systems of operation. As legislators, we need to give them the flexibility they need to develop and create. We also need to give them the resources to share their findings with the rest of the schools in the state.
This story was reported as an assignment for the JOMC 253 Reporting class.