In 2004 when a Republican tried to do the same thing, the moonbats in the legislature shot it down...

I lived in FL for a few years and they have charter schools. I think it is good to give the public schools a run for their money so to speak. The local schools that don't bother trying lose kids in FL. It is also good for kids who are interested in performing arts can go to a high school that specializes in that or any other number of specialties that charter schools would be catering to. I think it can work in the more populated areas don't know how well it would work in the rural setting. I do think they should go for it.

Public schools need competition in this state. Education should be overhauled nationwide. Students are not learning what they need to be productive and to attain jobs. We must learn to build on the talents they have, encourage them to think critically and creatively. We must stop treating childhood energy as a medical condition to be controlled with pills. All of this could be subsidized if we repealed "No Child Left Behind" and redirected those funds in a way that would benefit the STUDENTS.

Speaking of Washington County, where are the funds comming from to create charter schools? Or is this another program that is only going to benefit the more populated and wealthier counties of state?

I am in favor of consolidation of the schools if it will drastically reduce the top heavy structure of the school systems that exists today. Unfortunately it seems that the Governor has managed to take a simple process and complicated it by creating a more complicated structure. With the usual cuts in funding to operate the existing schools in rural areas.

Here's a novel thought. Fix these students from the earliest years. Don't allow them to move from 1st grade until they master 1st grade skills. The same for all the following years. You can't build a house without a foundation, yet the present system does it all the time. Then they want to fix these broken houses after the problems arise.

The article above complains that a large percentage of 9th graders will not be able to finish HS in the alloted time. And 25% upon graduation are incapable of doing College level work wihtout remedial repair work. Wouldn't it be a novel idea to make sure that children at their formitive ages be educated enough that they can do HS and College level work when they reach those levels?

It is about time that Maine joined the other 40 states and DC. The legislation seems solid with appropiate oversight and control. Families and students in Maine deserve choice in their schooling options. My recent study of charter schools (Inside Urban Charter Schools Harvard Ed Press) shows that some charters can well serve all students. Not all charter schools are good however, so the oversight of the Department is important.

"In this bill the charter schools have to be controlled by the university or a public school system,” Connerty-Marin said. “Private or nonprofits cannot do it on their own. They need an authentic public entity for oversight.”............. isn't this the problem to begin with?

I wouldn't be so quick to believe Obama supports privately run charter schools. He's eliminating in new students into the voucher program in DC where those kids should have the same opportunity as his kids. No more choice in DC.

If schools have to compete for our students (money) then they will have to offer the best education. I think charters may be the best way to get that to happen. What is the incentive for our public schools to be better? I don't see any. We are simply lucky if we have some dedicated teachers and administrators and not too many slackers, our kids are doomed if they don't have this. Most public schools now are a real mixed bag. I often find many teachers are dedicated, but their hands are tied by their administrations. Those administrations work for US: the taxpayer, but not enough of us show up to school board meetings to remind them of that fact. You have to get involved to some degree if you want anything to change. You can't just sit at home and complain to the newspaper. Our kids deserve better than what they get in Maine. The only ones who get better have a parent(s)/guardian who works unrelentingly and vigilantly to be their advocate from K through 12. I believe parents should be partners with their schools to educate children, but many children do not have this for one reason or another, and all of our kids (and society) suffers for this.

The last thing public schools want is competition!

They've set the bar so low, every alternative looks good.

We have charter schools here in AZ. My children have thrived in school system down here, and the standard of education is set so high in comparison to where they went to school in Maine. When we first came down here, my children had a lot of catch up work to do just to maintain the level the other students were at in the same grade level here. The charter schools offer benefits of "specialty" education which has been a marvelous tool here. Performing arts, Medical, technical... a leg up for them as they approach adulthood. This would be a super program for Maine to adopt...truly. It could help familiarize the kids of different possible avenues of study in their post-secondary years, things that may spark their interest. I will hope it passes as it would be an asset once the pilot programs worked out the "kinks".

These Bill Highlights for LD 1438 may help to answer some questions about the proposed legislation. They are excerpted from the Maine Association for Charter Schools website. Full text can be found on the MACS website, also.

www.mainecharterschools.org

BILL HIGHLIGHTS

LD 1438 - “An Act to Permit Charter Schools in Maine”

Sponsored by Senator Dennis Damon

Co-sponsors: Sen. Peter Mills, Rep. Sen. Justin Alfond, Rep. John Piotti, Rep. Alan Casavant, Rep. Gary

Knight, Rep. Kathleen Chase, Rep. David Richardson

A. How Do Public Charter Schools Work?

Charter schools are public schools, free to families of all income levels. They cannot be

religious, and they can have no admissions tests, (which public magnet schools, exam schools, and

private schools can). A lottery is required if more children apply than spaces are available.

Public charter schools exchange flexibility in operations for increased accountability. They

will operate in Maine on a 5 year charter (contract) from a designated chartering authority. By

contract, they must meet their educational goals, attract enough students to sustain their program, and

manage their funds well. Their success will be closely monitored, and if necessary they will be

closed. They must meet health, safety, and civil rights regulations applicable to all schools in Maine.

Charter schools must prepare their students to meet the objectives of the Maine Learning

Results and abide by the goals of federal education legislation. Charter schools require no new funds

from either the state or towns. The same per pupil allocation that each town already spends on each

of its children will follow each child to the public school (district or chartered) attended by that child.

Charter schools bring new resources to public education: new community partnerships, new

grants, and new federal funds. Charter schools will bring back to public education many children and

teaching professionals excited by new public educational opportunities. Maine will be eligible for

federal grants for planning and start up – up to $450,000 over 3 years for each new charter school,

plus the Maine Department of Education will be eligible for 5% of the total of such grants to support

charter schools statewide.

B. Why Does Maine Need Public Charter Schools?

In 40 other states, 4,600 chartered public schools now enroll over 1.4 million children. Many

are second chance high schools for failing students. Chartered schools are exploring a wide variety of

innovations to improve the academic performance of children who come to school disadvantaged or

who struggle academically for many different reasons.

With 2,000 high school students dropping out each year in Maine, and many others at-risk of

failure, there is ample evidence that our public education system needs to provide more options for

Maine children. When those who do graduate enter jobs or college, many do not have the skills to

succeed and require remedial training, very costly in time and money. Looking ahead, Maine has an

increasing percentage of children being born into low-income families, and research shows that this

places these children at higher risk of school failure.

Charter schools can help. For example, rural area superintendents and school boards can use

the public charter school mechanism to develop regional and collaborative programs to enhance the

districts’ ability to meet the needs of more children. In northern New Hampshire, nine school

districts have created the North Country Charter Academy for their at-risk students. Regional

programs qualify for the substantial federal grant funds available for charter school planning and

start-up expenses.

For more information, see www.mainecharterschools.org

The Maine Association for Public Charter Schools (MACS) is working with over two dozen

groups ready to create new public options to address the needs of Maine children. Some of these

groups are now working in the existing system, but will benefit from the increased flexibility of the

charter school model (as well as the federal grant funds). Others have started after-school, weekend,

and summer programs, and will be able to add the academic component to their efforts.

C. Key Provisions of the Legislation

LD 1438 is carefully designed to address public education needs in Maine. Its foundation is

the model bill recently developed by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which

incorporates the experience and best practices that have evolved nationally since charter schools were

first created in 1992.

1. Eligibility for Federal Charter School Grants – LD 1438 will qualify Maine for the large

federal start-up and planning grants for charter schools, which require no state match.

2. Pilot Program - A pilot phase of 10 years is proposed, during which 20 chartered schools may be

started. LD 1438 exempts programs authorized by local and regional school boards from this cap,

in order to encourage districts to charter existing alternative education programs, and programs

with a special focus, such as environmental education, visual and performing arts, career and

technical education, science and technology, foreign languages, agriculture, aquaculture, and

marine studies.

3. Multiple Authorizers - In other states, more types of authorizers have led to more innovations

and better student outcomes. LD 1438 designates local and regional school boards as authorizers,

as well as colleges and universities based in Maine that award 4 year degrees in education.

Charter school organizers may summit a proposal only to authorizing boards that have announced

an application process.

4. Accountability for Authorizers – Based on experience in other states, LD 1438 contains detailed

provisions to enhance the quality of charter school authorizers and their oversight of charter

schools that they approve and monitor.

5. Performance Contracts For Operators - Based on experience in other states, LD 1438 requires

detailed performance contracts between authorizers and operators.

6. Funding – Planning and start-up grants are expected from the Federal Grant Program. For annual

operating funds, the same per-pupil allocations that towns now spend on each child will follow

that child to the public district or public charter school that he or she attends. For facilities, charter

schools will not participate in the state school construction fund, but may apply for loans or grants

and they will have access to un-used or under-used public facilities.

7. Teachers – Teachers currently employed in a public school may take up to two years leave to teach

in a public charter school. At least 50% of full-time teachers in public charter schools must be

certified. Teachers at a charter school may choose to bargain collectively or form a professional

group.

8. Education Management Organizations – Public chartered schools are only allowed to contract

for whole-school management services with non-profit entities.

9. Virtual Chartered Schools - Based on national experience, LD 1438 adopts the language of the

model bill that defines and allows virtual chartered schools.

10. Protection for Small Districts - A start-up charter school cannot enroll more than 10% of

children in a grade level within a district, although this does not apply to conversions of existing

public schools or alternative education programs.

11. Protection for Small Towns - If a local board approves a conversion of its only public education

program to a chartered school, the conversion must be approved by the voters in that school

administrative unit.

Better yet, get the government completely out of education and let the private sector handle it. The public schools have become nothing more than a jobs program for a bunch of grifters who want a soft job where they don't get any dirt under their fingernails and 16 weeks of paid vacation a year.

Obviously you've never been a teacher-I have friends and relatives who are and they work longer days during the school year than anyone else I know. 7 hours at school teaching, a couple more in staff meetings, time at home and weekends spent correcting papers, tests, and creating lesson plans for the next day. And all the teachers I know work during the summer at second jobs to meet expenses. Have the private sector handle it-you've got to be kidding. Private schools can cost as much as colleges and I don't know many people who can shell out 30k a year or more to pay tuition from kindergarten through 12th grade. 13 years. And guess where the top private schools are? Not many in Maine. Drive more families and young people out of the state, what a great idea. Maybe you would be willing to pick up their tax burden?

The problem with this idea is that the charter schools would be controlled by the public schools and the state. If they really cared about giving children a good education they would privatize the schools all together.

JWB,

The way you put it, it has such a nice ring to it.

They're not "public" schools, they're GOVERNMENT schools. If one plays word association, would "excellence" or "outstanding" come to mind when you hear "goverment"?