Sioux City officials closely following charter school talks
by Nate Robson
Sioux City Journal
December 14, 2012
Sioux City school district officials are asking lawmakers for the same ability to develop new education programs as charter schools.
“If charter schools are doing something that’s considered to be better or improving student achievement, why wouldn’t the rest of us want to look at that?” said school board President Mike Krysl.
Charter schools are public schools created by local and state school boards that are typically given more freedom to experiment with alternative teaching programs, like classroom lessons and length of school days.
A traditional public school system — which Sioux City has — is not usually given the same flexibility.
Krysl said charters have failed to take root in Sioux City and Iowa is one of a few states that does not grant charters additional flexibility.
Gov. Terry Branstad last session proposed legislation that would have granted charter schools that leeway, raising concerns that traditional schools could be left at a disadvantage if they also couldn’t implement new programs that improve education.
The legislation failed to make it out of either the House or Senate education committees. The General Assembly reconvenes in Des Moines on Jan. 14.
Alison Consoletti, vice president of research for The Center for Education Reform, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group, said the lack of autonomy is part of why Iowa has lost three charter schools in the past two years. Three are still operating.
“I think schools started these (charters) thinking they could experiment with new things and realized they really can’t,” Consoletti said.
If the state were to approve legislation granting more autonomy to traditional and public schools, it could put Iowa at the forefront of a growing trend, Consoletti said. Traditional schools in Kentucky and Houston are among the first to started experimenting with charter curriculums.
Superintendent Paul Gausman said Sioux City could implement some of those programs if allowed by the state. That could give the district the ability to experiment with the length of the school day, how content is taught in classrooms and how teachers are hired or fired regardless of contracts.
“If the legislation believes flexibility and autonomy are important to making better schools, we are asking for that same flexibility and autonomy,” Gausman said.
Iowa House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Ron Jorgensen, of Sioux City, said that while it does not appear the governor will address charter schools in the upcoming session, that does not mean another representative or senator won’t.
Jorgensen said allowing charter and traditional schools to experiment with their curriculum should be a key component to the state’s education reform.
“We need to do things differently if we want to lead the nation again,” Jorgensen said. “We need to trust that schools know what works and what doesn’t.”
Krysl said the district is not looking to take a stand against charter schools as a source of competition, or to get involved in the debate on the merits of charter education.
“All we’re asking for is a level playing field,” Krysl said. “If charters are not held to the same provisions as public schools, it would give them an unfair advantage.”
