CHARTER SCHOOLS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE LUNCHES IN KY
A new charter schools law is igniting controversy across Kentucky, but Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt is asking the state’s educators to keep an open mind.
“This is actually something that has been a very emotional thing for many people on both sides of the issue,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt spoke to the state’s educators during a live webinar Tuesday, and he was joined by Kevin Brown, associate commissioner and legal counsel for the Kentucky Department of Education. Despite the controversy surrounding the law, Pruitt said he has faith in the state’s educators.
“We will implement it with fidelity, and we will do so in a way that’s going to help our students in Kentucky,” he said.
During the webcast, Pruitt drew on his previous experience with charter schools in Georgia, and described charter schools as “another tool in the tool belt” for reaching kids left behind in the traditional school system.
“This is something that I have seen that has done some great things for children, but it is also something that we’re going to need to be very diligent about,” he said, stressing the importance of understanding the legislation.
Under House Bill 520, local school boards could approve an unlimited number of charter schools within their districts. The law also sets the mayors of Louisville and Lexington as charter school authorizers and allows for regional charter schools as well.
During the webcast, Brown said the law will go into effect 90 days after the end of the General Assembly, meaning it will likely go into effect in June.
“The effective date for this law though really does not have a lot of bearing on us because we’re already working on implementing this (law),” Brown said.
Pruitt also outlined some of the reasons lawmakers supported the law, including to improve performance outcomes, offer parents more flexibility and narrow testing performance gaps for black, English language learner and other at-risk students.
Student enrolled in the charter school the previous year, along with their siblings, are given preference in enrollment. The charter school can also give enrollment preference to students meeting federal eligibility requirements for free and reduced lunch and students in low-achieving schools.
Charter schools must also follow the same health, safety, civil rights and disability rights regulations that public schools do, however, they can choose to follow any statute or administrative regulation.
Charter schools must also meet many requirements. They include employing teachers certified by the Education Professional Standards Board, participating in state testing and sharing their results publicly, have no entrance requirements or fees and be unrelated to religious or political groups. Charter schools teachers would also be allowed a two-year leave of absence from their public school jobs.
Students in charter schools can participate in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities, but Brown noted “there are some exceptions to that.”
“It doesn’t mean there will be a team to participate with,” he said. “There’s also not an obligation by the charter school to provide student access or facilities for extracurricular activities.”
Brown said that if a charter school offers basketball, that student would play on the team. However, if the school only offers basketball and the student wants to play football, the student would not be allowed to play football at their public school. If no sports are offered at the school, students can play at their public schools.
“This is to encourage charter schools to have either a full menu of athletic opportunities or no menu at all,” Brown said. Charters would also be required to comply with Title IX, a federal sex discrimination law, and offer softball if it was to offer baseball.
Pruitt said the application process won’t be a walk in the park either.
“This isn’t going to be a two- or three-page application,” Pruitt said, adding that charter schools have to be well thought out.
The schools must include their mission and vision for the charter, targeted student population, an academic program aligned with state standards, budget, a code of ethics and personnel policies and facilities, among other requirements.
When school boards consider approving a charter school for a five-year term, they have to favor applicants targeting at-risk or special needs students. Authorizers must approve or deny the application within 60 days of receiving it and explain their decision in writing. Pruitt has the final say on a charter’s approval.
The Kentucky Board of Education reviews decisions to approve, deny, renew or renew, revoke or impose conditions on a charter school. Charter school boards can appeal the authorizer’s decision within 30 days. Applications approved at the second level of appeal by the KBE are overseen by both the KBE and authorizer.
The law also allows public schools to convert to charter schools if it is in the lowest 5 percent of all schools and 60 percent of the school’s parents petition to convert. If it’s not in the lowest 5 percent, 60 percent of parents can petition to and the local school board votes to approve the move.
Charter school financing rules set in House Bill 471 only apply to the 2017-18 year, which is the earliest charter schools applications could begin, according to the Kentucky School Boards Association. The General Assembly will have to take up charter school funding in the 2018 session when the state’s budget is open.
During the talk, Pruitt said the KDE is developing a list of frequently asked questions to distribute to educators across the state.
Pruitt ended by encouraging educators to keep an open mind on charters.
“It won’t be the silver bullet, it won’t be the panacea,” he said. “I have personally seen how they’ve done some really great things for kids.”