Whenever someone begins a sentence, “I’m not against charter schools,” that’s a pretty good sign, they’re against charter schools.
This morning (Friday, April 4th), in a front page, above-the-fold story, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that, since 2006, over $1 Billion in State funds had been distributed to the traditional public school districts of Arkansas for repair, expansion and construction of academic facilities. Determinations as to what districts get and how much are made by the three-member Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation Commission. According to the article by Cynthia Howell, “Before 2006, the state did not routinely provide money for school construction, leaving that responsibility to the local districts.”
How much did open-enrollment public charter schools receive during the same period? $0. Because charters have no access to local millage, they are precluded by law from participating in the grant fund.
So, in the recently concluded Fiscal Session, Governor Beebe proposed a one-time transfer of $10 Million from unobligated balances in the General Improvement Fund for an Open-enrollment Public Charter School Facilities Loan Fund “to provide short-term loans to open-enrollment public charter schools.” Unlike the grants to traditional school districts, the loan fund would be repaid by participating charter schools with interest.
Additionally, the Walton Family Foundation, in partnership with the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, agreed to provide an in-kind matching contribution of $10 Million to provide long-term capital bond financing of up to $50 Million.
Though the Governor’s proposal would have taken no money from the traditional districts or their spent-down billion dollar fund, all of the major education lobbies in Arkansas came out in full force against the proposal.
A collective letter of opposition was sent by the Arkansas School Boards Association, Arkansas Education Association, Arkansas Opportunity to Learn Campaign, Rural Community Alliance, Arkansas Citizens First Congress, and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.
Separate opposing letters were sent by the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators and Arkansas Rural Ed Association.
If ever there were a bill that the protectionists of the status quo could have supported in regard to charters, this would have been it. But instead, they fought it, as they have every other bill with the word “charter” in it, until the final hours of the session when it became apparent that they had lost. Ultimately, Act 292, though reduced to $5 Million, passed both houses overwhelmingly and was signed by the Governor.
Why rehash a hard-won legislative victory? Today’s article was a reminder that those who purport to serve the best interests of public school students only mean students served by the traditional delivery system. And they will fight any support, whatsoever, for the poorest public schools in Arkansas – the open-enrollment charters.
It wasn’t enough to receive over $1 Billion during an eight-year period. The traditionalists could not rest unless they also denied open-enrollment charters any opportunity whatsoever to fund facilities for their students.
Thankfully, our Governor, and the leadership of our Senate and House truly believe all of Arkansas’s public education students have value.
Had Arkansas Learns behaved as the “Omnipotent Octagon” of education lobbies, in the same bill, we would have fought over $150 Million (on top of the $1 Billion already awarded) in facilities grants which exclude charters. But you see, we have never, nor will we ever begin our sentences with, “We’re not against traditional schools…”
To us, public education is not either/or, but all.