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Pennsylvania makes it too hard to start charter schools

By Jeanne Allen
Op-Ed
Patriot News
February 13, 2012

While the headlines and dates might differ, we keep hearing the same old story.

Local school boards statewide, including Harrisburg School District, continue to deny their students quality educational options.

With 91 percent of Harrisburg’s traditional public schools failing (10 schools out of 11), a budget that’s a complete mess and only one charter school operating and approved during the last decade, it’s troubling to keep reading the same story — “Harrisburg School Board rejects charter school applications.”

You have to wonder what is wrong with the school board and why it doesn’t have the best interests of its students at heart.

Are all of these charter school applications really that bad? No. Would they really put greater financial burden on the cash-strapped district? No. They’d save the district money. So then, you might ask, what’s really going on here?

Pennsylvania’s charter school law is as absurd as the notion of requiring Burger King to seek approval from McDonald’s before opening another restaurant.

Traditionally, local school boards are often unable or unwilling to have fair and impartial processes to vet charter schools.

Many that do approve charter schools create friction with the schooling entities.

This is why the concept of multiple authorizers is an important change needed for the Pennsylvania’s charter school law.

The term “multiple” or “independent” authorizers is used to describe a component of the charter school law permitting authorizing entities such as universities, new independent state agencies and/or mayors.

In addition, state boards that approve charter schools on appeal might become an authorizer.

States that permit a number of entities to authorize charter schools or provide applicants with a binding appeals process encourage more activity than those that vest authorizing power in a single entity, particularly if that entity is the local school board.

The goal is to give parents the most options, and having multiple sponsors helps achieve it.

Having multiple authorizers is not a new concept. Presently, 16 states have independent or multiple chartering authorities while several more have been considering and advancing this improvement through their legislatures.

Those states with multiple authorizers on the books are seeing growth of high-quality charter schools that help students excel and achieve academic success not found in many traditional public schools.

Not too long ago, traditional public school scores in New York City looked a lot more like Pennsylvania’s dismal record.

But over time, the competition from giving parents a choice has improved all schools.

Charter school students in New York City demonstrate a long-term trend of outperforming their peers in traditional public schools, thanks to a strong state charter law that allows for multiple and highly accountable authorizers.

In fact, 68.5 percent of the Big Apple’s charter students are proficient in math compared with 57.3 percent in traditional public schools.

As it stands, there are only disincentives for local school boards to approve charter schools.

And without multiple authorizers, families and students are missing out on the opportunity to explore different and innovative educational options.

It’s time for lawmakers in the Keystone State to get real about education reform and act on it.

Children’s lives are on the line.

Every day they stall to get it done is one more day they are failing our future. 

Jeanne Allen is president of The Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C.