Letter: State errs in denying funds

Sunday, April 23, 2000 | 9:24 a.m.

If she were in a "regular school" she would have failed due to missing too many school days. The Odyssey Charter School allows her to study year-round and get her 180 days of schooling in. Odyssey also allows and requires a lot of parent involvement. The main reason the state stopped funding is that they disallowed any time spent by the parent teaching their child.

In this day and age where there is a cry for more parent involvement I find this a callous attitude on the part of the state. The thing I find most disturbing is why the state waited until almost the end of the school year to stop funding. If you wanted to disrupt the lives of 300-plus students and teachers this is about the best way to do it.

Peterson was at Odyssey Charter School auditing the official head count in September. She knew how the school recorded student time, so why did she wait until the end of the school year to stop funding? Why not work with the school if there is a perceived problem? Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence." I am starting to think malice. The Odyssey Charter School fills a need in the community and it would be a shame to lose it.

JERRY LOVELADY

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