US Olympic skater is charter student

Rachael Flatt, the reigning US Figure Skating national champion and Olympian who is skating for a medal tonight, attends Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado, a charter school.

Cheyenne Mountain was the model school for American Preparatory Academy, and in turn for Navigator Pointe, School for New Americans, and other charters in Utah.

Legislative updates

Lots happening that affects charters in the legislature this week.

Both houses have passed S.B. 55 (though different versions that still need to be reconciled), the bill that would allow colleges and universities to authorize charter schools. The bill passed the Senate almost unanimously and by about 2/3 majority in the House. Details here.

The Senate Education Committee passed the charter school policy bill. The DNews highlights the provision that would place a Charter Board member as a non-voting member of the State Board of Education. That's an important reform that should help the establishment see charters as more than an annoying step-brother. Hopefully, having charters as part of the discussion will help the Board avoid mistakes like proposing a cut for charter students ten times higher than for district students. The bill also reforms lottery deadlines and removes the cap on charter enrollment, which gets the focus of the story in the Trib.

That bill passed committee unanimously.

Jordan teachers may strike

The effect of Jordan's budget shortfall continues to grow. "Jordan School District teachers say they are prepared to strike, depending on what happens at tonight's Jordan School Board meeting."

Republican budget keeps public school funding fixed

The Republican budget (the only one that matters with the GOP's huge majority in both houses and the governorship) would keep public school funding levels fixed at this year's levels for next year. Most other state programs would take a 5 percent cut.

That "fixed" budget is actually a functional funding cut since the number of students would grow, while the total amount to educate them would not. Therefore, the per student funding would go down by the same percentage that student population goes up. I've always understood that to be about 1.8 percent, but the article here calls it three.

My guess on that difference so far is that the WPU would take a three percent cut, while non-WPU funding streams (salary adjustments, local replacement, admin funding) would be affected differently, for a total per student reduction of 1.8.

Students attending charter schools have received lower levels of public funding for many years. Even though this year's budget is tight, the legislature should still bring that gap down with the ultimate goal of closing it. Protecting some charter-specific funding streams from these cuts would be the right step to take this year.

Magnet schools jealous of charters' attention

Magnet school leaders want some of the love that the Obama White House is lavishing on charters.

“'In Washington, all the attention has gone to charters,' said Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank based in Washington."

Magnet schools have a specific focus (science, arts, technology, drama, etc.) but remain controlled and funded by local school districts.

"Creepy" Pennsylvania school district spies on students...

...both at school and at home, using the webcams installed on school-issued laptops.

That is creepy.

It came to light when the principal tried to discipline a student for "improper behavior in his home" using a screen capture taken with the webcam as evidence.

Free stuff at Zim's

Teachers can pick up free school and craft supplies at Zim's. All the free stuff is going fast. See the details and guidelines here.

Big changes coming to state retirement

Many legislators stopped by the charter school center at the capitol yesterday, but didn't stay too long because there were caucus meetings being held on the controversial fixes to the State Retirement System.

URS has a $6.5 billion shortfall. How to close that gap is the topic of three bills that passed the Senate yesterday. The state and other government entities (including charter schools) would reduce their contributions for new employees, stop contributions to employee 401(k) accounts, and employees would lose the ability to return to work after retirement while still collecting their pension.

Charters who have defined-contribution plans instead of the state-run pension, should be singing a happier tune. Their employees get more stability for less money, along with immediate ownership.

Charter day at the Capitol

What a great event at the Capitol today. Dozens of charter schools and hundreds of students were there with boards, art, food, and stories of educational innovation. Based on my observations and conversations, more lawmakers visited the students, posed for pictures, and hears stories about how charters have improved education for children at a lower cost.

Is the glass $50 million more full, or more empty

According to the Tribune, the recent state budget report showing $50 million in additional revenue shortfalls isn't quite that bad. It turns out the legislature's contingency plans were for far less revenue, so the fact that it was "only" $50 million short means that cuts will be less than have been previously discussed.

On the other hand, Governor Herbert's plans assumed higher revenue, so his plan to hold schools harmless except for enrollment growth (the same as the State Board's plan) probably isn't enough. Schools will likely take a cut in funding next year, but it probably won't be near the worst-case scenario levels that have been discussed.

John Stossel education special to highlight charters

John Stossel will air a special on education tomorrow night on Fox Business Channel.

"The people who test students internationally told us that two factors predict a country's educational success: Do the schools have the autonomy to experiment, and do parents have a choice?"

Well, that's just what charters offer currently. However, there are always moves by the establishment to "embrace" charter schools, and in so doing make them no different than any other school. If charters become just another branch of the bureaucracy, there won't be innovation, and parents will have a choice in name only.

More dire possibilities, but also hopeful predictions

To the surprise of no one the budget outlook remains bleak. As the latest tax revenue numbers for the year come out they confirm what we all know.

Tuesday legislators learned that revenue dips just keep coming, and that the budget for the current year will require another cut of $50 million. Just last week agreement was reached to hold education funding practically harmless by tapping rainy day reserves for $84 million? Will this new data undo that plan?

And what about for next year. How deep will cuts have to be, on top of the fact that federal stimulus dollars are no longer available to plug holes?

I continue to be optimistic. Like the lawmakers quoted here:

"I think this 5 percent we were budgeted is steep," said Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton. "I just in my heart of hearts don't think it will be that big."

Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who is co-chairman of the education budget committee, said he's been assured that schools won't be forced to take a 5 percent cut and not receive funding for the new students.

"My sense is we'll get significantly more money than is in this list," he said.

Inflexibility of a charter approval calendar

Good Foundations has a tremendous opportunity, but one that the law may not allow it to accept. Christian Heritage School in Riverdale has been hurt by the economy resulting in low enrollment, and they are ready to close their elementary school and sell the building and other assets to Good Foundations Academy, which was approved as a charter last year.

The law should be flexible enough to allow the school (and therefore taxpayers) to take one-time opportunities when they come along. But there are several things standing in the way:

1. The legislature still hasn't approved Good Foundations, which is a new requirement this year.
2. The federal startup grants that the school is eligible for only cover up to 18 months of startup and 24 months of operations. The next grant begins in October, meaning that the school would have to start its operation (by August, if approved) without the key assistance of this grant.
3. Startup loan applications can't even be processed yet, again because the legislature hasn't given approval for the school to open.
4. The State Board of Education can't grant official approval until April at the earliest, pending legislative action.
5. It may be too late to get the additional students approved in time for a legislative appropriation.

While it would no doubt save money in the long term, there may just be too much in the way. But I hope that the Charter Board, State Board of Education, Legislature, and others involved will find a way through waivers, exemptions, and whatever else it takes to help Good Foundations take this opportunity while it's there.

Beehive gets a reprieve

When I got to the State Charter School Board meeting on Thursday (I was late, and I blame snow-induced traffic) the place was packed. Someone explained, "They are going to shut down Beehive."

Well, Beehive's parents turned out in force and many testified about how the program has benefited and even saved their children. Whether or not that show of support was the reason, the Board voted to give the school one more chance to get its finances under control.

Last year, some parents made claims that Beehive was teaching Islam, was hiring illegally, and lacked transparency. An investigation cleared the school, but such press feeds fears among the parent body, which led to loss of about ten percent of the school's enrollment.

That kind of hit made an already financially struggling school even more unlikely to be able to pay its bills.

Charter Board Chair Brian Allen challenged the parents in the room to bring at least one other student to the school, saying that such a boost in enrollment could save the school financially.

As part of the school's probation, the State Charter School Board will reconfigure Beehive's leadership to include someone with more financial expertise. The board will closely monitor all of the school's monetary dealings.

Charter schools killed in Alabama

After passing in the State Senate, the Alabama House's Education Committee (which is friendly to teachers' unions--sound familiar?) killed a bill that would have added Alabama to the vast majority of states that benefit from charter schools.

Bill would hold poor readers back a grade

From the Trib:

Children who can't read at grade level by the end of first, second and third grades would be held back a year if a bill that gained committee approval Thursday morning becomes law.

SB150 wouldn't allow schools to promote students in those early grades who couldn't read at grade level. It would also require schools to notify parents before halfway through the school year if there were a possibility their kids might be held back.

Parents who disagreed with a school's decision to hold back a child could appeal to the principal, who could overturn the decision. The bill would also require schools to provide remediation to students who aren't reading at grade level, such as tutoring, before and after school help, or summer school

The State Board of Education on Thursday voted to oppose the bill on the grounds that the board should be in charge of setting such rules, not the legislatures.

Bill to change UPASS, er, passes

A bill that would eliminate the Iowa Test of Basic Skills as a requirement for public school students passed the house--unanimously.

"The bill would do away with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in Utah, which is now taken by third, fifth and eighth-graders. It would also allow more schools to participate in a pilot program where, among other things, students take computer-adaptive tests several times a year and the ACT instead of the Iowa and the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test, and it would extend that pilot program for five more years."

Legislature cuts everything

Instead of my preference for a targeted cut to specific programs, the legislature's education spending committee voted to cut (nearly) all programs by five percent.

While the dollar amount of funding reductions would have been the same either way, across the board cuts make it harder on schools. Now, the schools have to keep the same funding restrictions they've always had for science, arts, and other programs, but will have less unrestricted money to offer and support those programs.

I heard a district official testify earlier this year that they had to get rid of professional development because last year the state cut the Quality Teaching Block Grant. That's bunk. Schools will spend their dollars (at least their unrestricted dollars) on their top priorities. If a school or district chooses not to continue with professional development programs, it's because they made a choice that other programs or expenses have a higher priority.

Cutting legislative funding for specific science or arts programs doesn't mean such programs go away. If the districts and schools think such programs have value, they will be funded with the higher unrestricted dollars that they receive after a more targeted legislative funding cut.

Unfortunately, this across the board cut is a way for the legislature to set spending priorities for local school districts and charter schools, instead of such decisions being made by those closest to the students and programs. This makes it harder for schools to make everything fit.

Jordan District will lay off hundreds

Getting a share of property tax revenue from richer districts hasn't spared the ax at Jordan School District. In an efforts to cut $30 million from its budget, the district will lay off 500 employees and increase class size by about 15 percent.

And that's just to cope with known hits to the district's budget from the loss of east-side property tax revenue. "The state may decide to make additional cuts. If that happens, the board is prepared to take additional measures to remedy the additional budget deficit."

Oy.

Charter school choir highlighted on KSL

An "interfaith choir" at American Preparatory Academy's School for New Americans was highlighted on KSL this week.

They perform at the Tabernacle on Sunday.

This year, no cuts, next year, not so much

Yesterday's news that the current year's education budget will stay largely in place was fantastic, though not unexpected by me. Next year, however, the budget scenario doesn't look quite so rosy. and the use of $84 million in "rainy day" funds for this year means less available for next.

So, the Public Education Appropriations Committee is still on a mission to come up with a way to cut five percent from next year's budget. This would be on top of the loss of one-time ARRA funds awarded to schools this year. Big changes will be coming to school budgets either way.

At this point, we don't know what those changes will be. The Committee is considering whether to cut some off the top of all programs, or to eliminate all of some specific programs. At this point, the committee is "sleeping on it."

I hope that they will take the specific programs approach. If cuts are to be made, they should be made to restricted funds, rather than to the WPU or other unrestricted dollars that schools can use broadly. If a specific program is cut, schools who consider such programs as a high priority can always move unrestricted dollars to protect programs they like. Leaving unrestricted dollars whole will make the impact of budget cuts lighter with increased flexibility.

Budget agreement protects school budgets

Except for a $1.3 million funding reduction (less than one-tenth of one percent), public education funding will be protected in a new agreement between the governor and the legislature to reduce state spending.

See articles in the DNews and Trib.

Also see my prediction that public education would be largely protected from deep cuts.

Knock your socks off testimony at legislature

"I don't understand why [my] children are funded hundreds of dollars less than other students?"

Well, that's how the testimony starts. (Click here and open Agenda Item 6 to listen. It's awesome. You'll need Real Player.)

Legislative fiscal staff tried answering the question. Staff are good people, but honestly the initial answer was so bureaucratic and nonsensical. Senator Buttars later called it "great government talk."

So, leave it to this charter parent to synthesize it. "I see flat screen TVs in other schools, while at the charter school parents have to donate soap and toilet paper." It's been a good life lesson for her kids to attend John Hancock, where they learn that "it's not what's on the outside that counts." You can learn lots in an old trailer and an old church.

This is worth listening to, especially when Buttars says that charters are treated like the public education stepchild. It's the first six minutes of the recording. Check it out.

There's no way

Top stories on the radio and in newspapers today was news that legislators passed a "base budget" draft bill that cuts public education by 12 percent.

Those cuts are deep--close many charters and cripple most districts deep.

There's no way that will happen while $500 million sits in the bank and while income tax is at a five percent flat rate, and in an election year.

Universities as charter authorizers

A bill that would allow universities and colleges to authorize charter schools passed the Senate Education Committee yesterday.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700006642/Utah-Legislature-Bill-allowing-universities-to-charter-K-12-schools-passes-committee.html

Obama's budget doesn't include "Charter School Program" grants

The federal startup and implementation grants that Utah charter schools have relied on to purchase equipment, curriculum, furniture, and labor in the year before school begins has been eliminated from President Obama's budget proposal for the coming year.

In its place is a new "Expanding Educational Options" of which charters are only a piece. Funding in this program can go to charters, "autonomous public schools," and "Smaller Learning Communities" among other programs. How much charters might get under this program (which is larger than the old Charter School Program) is unknown.

Karl Maeser highlighted

Elizabeth Stuart has a piece about the KGM's "winterim"--the three week period in the year when students complete self-directed "real-world" experiences.

"This program has saved my son," said Orem mother Monica English, who has a 10th grader at Karl Maeser. "When he started high school, he was really floundering. His grades were poor. He just didn't find anything that interesting."

After spending three weeks doing medical research with a professor at the University of Utah last year, however, her son Ethan "wants to take every science class he can get his hands on," she said. As a sophomore, he's already taken several college-level courses.

"It just sparked something in him," she said

.