Let charter schools face a key test

Saturday, May 3, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

LEGISLATION pending in the state Senate may settle the debate over charter schools once and for all.

Senate Bill 220 would allow Nevada to experiment with the charter school concept with up to 25 campuses statewide and no more than 12 in one school district. Hopefully, it will end the arguments over whether the schools are superior to public education.

The concept allows neighborhoods or groups with special education needs to organize their own schools, hire their own staff and tailor education to the unique needs of the students. Charter schools have been tried in other states with varying success, apparently depending on the degree of state control.

In Nevada, charter schools have been a hot-button item in previous sessions of the Legislature. Teachers' unions have resisted the idea in fear that educators would lose their bargaining rights. Loss of state funding by public schools also has been a concern.

This latest bill attempts to quiet most of the objections that killed the concept in the last session. A coalition of senators drafted a bill which allows teachers to participate in or refrain from collective bargaining. It also permits teachers in the public schools to work for a time in charter schools while maintaining their seniority in the original district.

The teacher provision remains a sore point with Nevada Concerned Citizens, which blames public education's problems on the power of the unions. That group would prefer giving parents a tax credit and letting them decide what kind of school to send their children to.

Nevertheless, this legislation is a breakthrough for Nevada.

The bill also features:

n A prohibition on charging tuition since students would receive per-pupil state funding similar to that provided to public schools. The school also may not levy taxes or issue bonds. Public money cannot be used to build or purchase buildings.

n An exemption from required courses of study and other state mandates. The charter school board could choose holidays, approve library books and textbooks, determine class sizes and establish punishment rules.

n Staff accreditation would be required as in public schools.

n Statewide achievement and proficiency tests would be administered and the results reported to the state, which would conduct regular audits.

Although the approaches to education may differ in charter schools, the state would maintain jurisdiction to ensure minimum standards are maintained.

Nevadans should consider this bill as an experiment which may end the uproar over which approach to take in education. If charter schools become a reality, the Legislature should regularly review their performance to make adjustments and apply the lessons to public education.

But that should not shift the focus from public schools, which will remain the primary source of education for most Nevadans. Charter schools should not be viewed as a replacement for public education. It may provide a niche for a small percentage of the students as well as a testing ground for improving education for all children.