7/27/2019 Charter School July 2013 summary with prediction

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-," . "".c ,:: "', " j;'~, ",--- '::,/-~ C hdrterschoolsget helpfrom anunexpected source':Support forcharter schools

no longer is anissue reservedfor conserva-tive, Republicaneducation re-i . fornners.lnK in gs le y G u y increasing num-bers, liberalDemocrats are,weighing in 01;1he side of charterschools. This glimmer ofbiparti-sanship bodes well for educationin Florida, and throughout theUnited StatesThis year in Tallahassee, the .Legislature, with some cross-

party su port, increased facilities .fundirig tor charter schools by $91million. On a national level, Edu-cation Secretary Arne Duncan,with the endorsement of Pres i-dent Obama.has been an out-spoken advocate of charterschools.Politicians can spot trends, andact accordingly. In the last dec-ade, enrollment in Florida charter 'schools has more than tripled,from 67,000 students to 203,000.Nationwide, 2.3million studentsattendcharter schools, and thedemand is increasing, as are thewaiting lists. Children can't vote,but their parents can, and politi-cians who ignore parents' de-mands for charter schools do soat their peril.Charter schools are publicschools that receive tax dollars,but function with their own.boards of directors and enjoy-substantial.independence fromstate and local regulations. Ispoke on separate occasionsrecently with two local charterschool leaders with widely differ-ent political backgrounds.Frank Biden of Ocean Ridge ispresident ofMavericks CharterHigh Schools, which operatesseven-charter schools, mainly in 'South Florida. 'Like his brother,Vice President Joe Biden, he's anunabashed Democrat His schools,serve mainly minority students.Many have criminal records, ordeal with addiction problems.Most failed miserably in the tradi-tional public school environmentThe Mavericks charter schools

they'd be laughed out of theroom;' Biden insists.Jonathan Hage is CEO of theFort Lauderdale-based Charter "Schools USA. In a previous incar- ,nation, he served as an adviser to -Jeb Bush and helped draft the1996 law that authorized Florida'scharter schools. From its SouthFlorida roots, the corporation hasexpanded into seven 'states,where it manages 60 schools 'enrolling 50,000 students. Char- ;ter Schools USA is perhaps thebest charter school mahagementcompany in the nation, and'thenumber of'W' schools in its orbitattests to its success. .Hage has been heavily involvedin 10bbyingJor more funding forcharter schools, which receiveonly about rwo-thirds of thatavailable to traditional publicschools. But he also supportsregulations aimed at weeding outmismanaged charter schools thatcan give the entire movement abad name.He, too, sees a broadening ofpolitical support for charterschools, and asserts the debateabout whether they should be apart of the nation's educationalsystem isover. The political dis-

cussion now is revolving around .~what Hage calls,"Ch er Schools2.0:', - "What policies do e nee to'implement to improve charter -schools? How do we replicate the ,great ones? Plow do we shut .down the bad charter schools? '"These kids have made a How do we share informationchoice to give education another with traditional public schools,go:' Biden said, with the passion and why isn't there more interestof a t rue believer. "Education is in doing so?" These are some oftheir civil rights issue. These kids the questions that will serve ashave a r ight to the same educa- the new focus of the chartertion others receive:' Biden and school de1:iate,Hage says.the Mavericks schools have been He's correct .The discourse. has

a source of controversy. Among . moved on and crossed party lines.other things, critics claim gradua- Every legislator, school boardtion rates aren't good enough, member, and teachers' unionStill, these schools are dealing official needs to recognize-this,with Iistudent population that and work constructively to en-had been written offby the rest of hance the charter school move-society. - ment,What about those who claimcharter schools are failing in theirmission? "If they]sat down withArne Duncan, my brother and the, president and told them that,

SCOTT FISHER/SUN SENTINELtailor education programs toindividual students' circum-stances, and at least give them achance at success.' 'P o l it ic ia n s c a nsp ot tre nd s, anda c t a c co rd in g l)!In th e last dec-a d e, e n ro llm e n tin ' F lo rid a c ha r-ter sch ools hastripled."

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Kingsley Guy's column appearsevery other Sunday. Email him at.Harborlite3@bellsouth.net.