Refuting charter school skeptics

The Maine Association for Public Charter Schools on Wednesday hosted a public charter school forum. A legislator, superintendents, potential charter school operators and others attended the day-long session at Augusta's Central Maine Commerce Center.

As charter school advocates try to get charter school legislation passed in Maine -- one of 11 states that lack it -- they need to confront the critics of the independently run, public schools, who have alleged charter schools drain funds away from other public schools and that they skim the best students from district-run schools.

Part of Wednesday's session focused on how charter school proponents can best refute their critics. Todd Ziebarth, vice president of policy at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, offered some advice. Here are some of my observations from that session.

For insight into charter school opponents' thinking, I interviewed Maine Education Association President Chris Galgay last week and included parts of the interview here and here. Derek Viger of The Maine View also has some insight on the charter school debate.

Allegation: Charter schools take the highest-performing students away from traditional public schools.

Ziebarth: "Charter students are typically further behind when they enroll in charter schools than traditional public school students. This notion that charter schools cherry-pick students, I don't think is grounded in reality." If a private school seeks to become a charter school, for example, that school can't even give its current students preference in admission.

Allegation: Charter schools serve largely white, privileged students.

Ziebarth: Some 62 percent of charter school students nationally are non-white, compared to 47 percent of the overall student population. Forty-eight percent of charter school students are eligible for free and reduced price lunches, compared to 45 percent of the overall school population.

Allegation: Charter schools are an urban phenomenon and won't work in a largely rural state like Maine.

Ziebarth: Some 56 percent of charter schools are located in cities; 25 percent are in suburbs; 6 percent are in towns; and 14 percent are in rural areas. "While there are unique challenges to opening a charter school in a rural area, it can be done, and has been done." New Hampshire, for example, has a few examples that Maine charter school advocates will visit this week. In Colorado, Ziebarth said, charter schools have opened in rural areas where a traditional public school had previously closed. Bringing back a school to an area without one can cut students' commute time.

Allegation: Charter schools siphon away funding from traditional public schools.

Ziebarth: "You're just transferring money from one public school to another. You're expanding the definition of what we mean by public education." Charter schools can also access federal grant money to cover start-up costs and philanthropic funds, thereby bringing more education funds into a state. "Maine will actually have more funds in its education system than it did before" if state legislators pass a charter school law.