As statewide tensions continue, East Palo Alto school district eyes charter school moratorium

I wish these articles had more information. Are these charter schools for-profit charter schools, or are they non-profit entities that are doing what the charter system was set up to do, which is to create an alternative when local schools aren't doing their job? I think for-profit charters should be illegal. But since charters were set up to be an escape hatch to schools that fail to provide the legally due equal education under the law, why should school boards have any more power than they do now? Isn't this exactly what the charter school system was set up to do? Why did no one imagine what happens next to support districts who get to this point, so that everyone can have the benefit of the better education?

One of the things we found from homeschooling - which we never wanted to do but ended up doing because of how abysmally we and our 2e child were treated in Palo Alto schools and we can't afford a private education - is that so many people do homeschool because the local schools fail their special needs kids.

In high school homeschooling, we see a lot of gifted kids, kids with significant special needs, or both (2e), especially boys, whose children were quite literally saved because at least they had the choice to do what their children needed before it was too late. Many parents sacrifice a great deal trying to change/improve the schools while their children languish. Homeschooling for many is the last resort, and the homeschool CHARTERS are where those who can least afford it can get teacher support and some (albeit far less than school kids) funding and resources. Homeschool charters ARE a PUBLIC education for those who need the independence.

Children can homeschool on their own or through homestudy charters - which don't have the facilities requirement of regular brick and mortar charter schools. The charters provide structure, oversight, funds, institutional resources, teachers families can work with. (Often, these charters attract teachers disillusioned by school and what it does to the students it fails.) But generally, the independent study charters are much cheaper, and can even make money for districts, while frankly, better serving kids the school districts relentlessly fail or like ours, don't even WANT to serve (actively drive out). Because the homestudy charters are independent, almost no one cares what school district they are under.

This option of last resort for the children who would otherwise fall through the cracks in our schools should not be so thoughtlessly destroyed along with the bad actors that really should be reined in.

The irony here is that a good independent study/distance charter could be set up fast (if the rules don't change) and actually bring back students to the Ravenswood district, even attract students from the Palo Alto district who are currently homeschooling, gifted kids who are ill-served by the rat race, creative kids who turn into discipline problems in Palo Alto schools because the treadmill is so soul-deadening, special needs kids who are languishing because of our district's continuing behavior of only taking care of those who make them through connections or expensive lawyers, and playing politics with (even retaliating against, deliberately trying to drive out, and/or at best persistently ignoring) anyone else who dares try to ensure their child has a FAPE as the LAW provides for.

(The Weekly had it right that some board members who used to be so critical of those before them have turned into worse. Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it...I learned in school.)

Lawmakers are making a huge mistake by lumping everything in together, rather than trying to fix the bad actors. They will end up pitting people who could be allies -- including parents of homeschoolers most of whom would work with local districts if they had the choice -- against each other. It's long been overdue that the state treat those who choose or have to choose an independent education as equals as the state Constitution requires. Mostly people have just been trying to stay under the radar and do what their children need and avoid confrontation even if it means they never have close to parity with kids in school.

Putting the screws to those people inadvertently could get them to stand up and finally force the state to treat their kids as equal. That wouldn't be a bad thing, but I think the state doesn't yet realize what they have been getting away with so far. (Any lawmakers reading this, do you remember the last recent hearing that would have negatively impacted state homeschoolers? I can still hear the jaws dropping from how many people flooded in to comment from across the state. That was nothing.)

Charter schools offer an alternative to traditional public schools that aren't serving their children. The reason that school boards and school districts oppose Charter schools is because they are generally NON-UNION and represent competition for the UNION traditional public schools. This is a UNION issue trying to drive out any competition, not teachers or school boards or school districts trying to serve students. If the schools were actually educating and serving students, then there wouldn't be much discussion about charter schools. But traditional public schools in California (and the nation) are failing to educate our students well, and academic performance has been flat for decades, even though funding for traditional public schools has increased greatly.

How about spending time, money and energy on better educating our children rather than driving out your competition? No? Of course not --- just another MONEY GRAB.

I'm glad that more and more districts are pushing back against charters. There is a lack of accountability for the way they spend public funds and how they affect local school districts which are legally required to serve ALL children, while charters select which children they will serve. The financial mismanagement and theft of public funds by some charter operators is a national scandal -- Web Link

While there are certainly some responsible and effective charter school operators, current CA law does not give the public adequate protection against fraudulent and ineffective operators. We need to start having an honest conversation about charters.

How about the lack of accountability for how traditional public schools spend their money and how they refuse to abide by the law? Pot calling the kettle black.

@rev:
"while charters select which children they will serve"

Not homeschool charters. They take everyone, including the special needs kids the school districts like ours unlawfully push out.