Tuition free schools with a zero percent drop out rate and no school board politics. How does that sound? This is being accomplished right here in Austin, along with other cities around the country. Certain charter schools such as KIPP and Harmony Public Schools are making the fantasy of quality public education a reality, and thanks to some much needed education funding legislation, are finding expansion easier than previously imagined.
Charter schools are public schools that are affiliated with a non-profit organization. These schools are required to take and pass the TAKS tests, just like standard public schools, and authorization to run the schools can be revoked following two years of academically unacceptable ratings. Though any student is allowed to attend a charter school, there are fewer spaces available than student applicants, so a waiting list is created. Each school uses a lottery system to draw names of the incoming students from the waiting list. Charter schools are quite popular in the state of Texas. In the 2010-2011 school year, 120,000 students were enrolled in Texas charters, while 56,000 children remained on a waiting list.
The Harmony system, the largest charter in Texas, boasts a zero percent dropout rate as well a low teacher-student ratio. In the 2009-2010 school year the Harmony Charter reported 95% of third graders passing the TAKS compared to 76% statewide, and 95% in 9th grade compared to 56% statewide. The Harmony Science Academy in Austin ranked 70th out of 1145 high schools in the state of Texas. As the Harmony Science Academies in Houston and Dallas ranked 28th and 40th state wide.
To help fund and grow charter schools in the state, the 82nd Texas Legislature recently passed the Permanent School Fund (PSF) bill. This legislation permits charter schools to have access to the state’s permanent school fund, and allows the schools wishing to build new campuses to receive an AAA rating for construction bonds. To receive the AAA rating, the charter must successfully present its construction project as one worthy of investment. This allowance is only available to charter schools that have reached a certain level of high academic performance as defined by the state. Access to this fund allows charter schools to improve their facilities, many of which are former office complexes or shopping centers, and devote their existing financial resources to improving the quality of education through hiring highly skilled and experienced teachers and increasing student access to top-notch textbooks, materials, and equipment.
In my opinion, the recent legislation is a success for Texas education. The charter school method has proven, in just a short amount of time, to be beneficial to children from elementary school through high school across the state. Charter schools provide families with an alternative when their neighborhood school does not meet the needs of their children. Charter systems, such as these, that have established themselves as on-par with state performance standards deserve access to this funding, a benefit that traditional public schools already enjoy.
References:
- Community Impact Volume 5, Issue 6 | July 22-August 25, 2011 "Harmony charter system expands in Northwest Austin"
- www.kvue.com "Success at Texas' Harmony charter schools turns head"
- New York Times "Bill Would Help Charter Schools for At-Risk Students"
- www.txcharterschools.org "Governor Perry Signs Law to Extend Permanent School Fund Bond Guarantee to Charter Schools"
- The Texas Tribune "Texas School Rankings 2011"
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