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Thursday, February 22, 2007
What’s So Great About Charter Schools?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charter schools sure are getting a lot of attention these days. Not existing charter schools, mind you, but rather the possibility of creating more independent, tuition-free campuses.
First, the new lieutenant governor offered a plan to sink millions into developing five career-focused, charter academies for high school students, and to help entire school systems convert to charter status, which would free them of much — but not all — of the traditional public school bureaucracy.
Then, another lawmaker suggested letting city councils, county commissions and universities develop their own charter campuses — some of which the sponsor, state Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), envisions being built by developers as part of new housing developments.
Now, according to a story from education reporter Diane Stepp, a metro Atlanta aviation museum is getting in on the action with a proposal to build an $8 million charter middle school near Dobbins Air Reserve Base that would focus on teaching kids technology and engineering skills.
Georgia has fewer than 60 charter schools statewide. If all these new proposals go through, that number could grow exponentially. But I’m starting to wonder if all this attention on charters is misplaced. I mean, how do you want your tax dollars spent: on creating an entirely new system of public schools or on fixing the one the majority of children will attend?
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