Charter schools could gain power to take over public schools

[proud2BlibKansan]

TALLAHASSEE — Charter schools would receive more construction money, greater freedom to expand and the ability to take over struggling public schools at the request of parents under two bills still in play as the legislative session winds down.

Conservative education reformers are back in the state Capitol this year with an array of proposals that would strengthen alternatives to Florida’s traditional public schools, from more private school vouchers to expanded virtual education programs.

But the bills promoting charter schools are generating the most resistance from public school districts.

After years of budget cuts, many district leaders oppose the plan to share property tax collections for building and maintenance programs with charter schools. Legislation that would allow a majority of parents to shut down a traditional public school and reopen it as a charter has drawn intense debate.

more . . . http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120226/ARTICLES/120229610/-1/entertainment?Title=Charter-schools-could-gain-power-to-take-over-public-schools

[Vincardog]

1. There is no fucking way charter schools should be allowed to; cherry pick the students and the

facilities, cheat on the tests, steal power and money from the real educators.
if the parents want the students to do better they need to demand the students put in the work.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Blaming the parents is not a solution.

demanding of parents what they aren't naturally doing simply won't work.

demanding that students do work that's uninspiring, in rotten classrooms with frustrated teachers won't work.

time is too short, we need real reform and we need it faster than many traditional schools and districts are able or willing to deliver on it.

fixing it won't be easy, but blame-placing gets us nowhere.

[NYC_SKP]

2. This would be a good thing, depending upon the type of charter school.

In Florida, private for-profit charter schools coming in would be, IMHO, a bad thing.

However, were these competitive schools PUBLIC charter schools, I would welcome the competition in most cases.

Things just aren't the same from one state to another.

Not all charter schools are bad, just as not all traditional public schools are good.

We don't have time for failing schools and districts to reform; it can take a generation or longer to effect meaningful change, and even then it's not guaranteed.