What is a Charter School?

Recently, I accepted the volunteer position of Community Relations Representative for Virtus Academy of South Carolina. This is a public charter school that will be built in Florence, SC.

The most commonly asked question is:  What is a Charter School? Is it a public school?

Yes, charter schools are public schools which are allowed the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for improving student achievement.A Public Charter school is not a private school, a for profit school, a religiously affiliated school,   an elitist school (Selective Admissions),  a family business,  a business solely created to provide a job for someone or a magnet school.  

 

A public charter school is one which receives public funding but operates independently.  A public charter school is governed by a group or organization under a legislative contract or charter with the state or jurisdiction.   A school's governance model is not the primary determining factor in academic outcomes. Things that  make  schools  successful include: 

1. Communities that value education;

2. Families who nurture their children's academic endeavors; 

3. Classroom teachers who know how to inspire kids to excel;

4. School administrators who create a positive and productive learning environment which includes “thinking out of the proverbial box”.

5. Parents and educators embracing the use of technology.

These are much easier to achieve in the public charter school.   Public Charter school is an example of alternative education and choice in educational options. The typical public schools have to be all things to all people; they don't have the luxury of deciding what kind of families they want to serve or carving out their niche.  Unconstrained by bureaucracy and, of course union rules here in South Carolina, it's much easier for charters to adopt reforms and offer unique educational opportunities. 

Despite detailed contracts, autonomous charter schools usually have more freedom and flexibility than traditional public schools.  Charter schools can offer things like: Extend school days/weeks, extended school year, increased instructional time in a particular subjects, independent staffing decisions, new curriculum, new instructional methods, competitive pay for performance and extensive tutoring.   The charter school is exempt from selected state or local rules and regulations.  Start-up charter schools may hire up to 25% of noncertified faculty, however these teachers must still meet the highly qualified standards of the  Federal No Child Left Behind requirements. Many of the non-certified teachers are university professors, professionals with critical career expertise, or teachers certified in other states. 

There are zero “for profit” charter schools.   Public charter schools must be nonprofit corporations governed by a board of directors. Public charter schools, just like district run schools, purchase goods and contract for services based on the needs of their students. All of SC’s Public Charter Schools must submit an annual audit to their sponsor and the SC Department of Education and must file 990s with the IRS.  In return for funding and autonomy, the charter school must meet the accountability standards articulated in its charter.  The charter school is exempt from selected state or local rules and regulations.  In return for funding and autonomy, the charter school must meet the  accountability standards articulated in its charter.

A school’s charter is reviewed periodically (typically every 3 to 5 years) by the group or jurisdiction that granted its charter.   The charter can be revoked if guidelines, curriculum and management  agreements  in the charter are not followed or if the U.S. Department of Education standards are not met.

Charter schools foster competition and theory, having competition makes educators up their game.  Competition has made traditional public schools much more conscious about customer service. The most compelling argument for charter schools is that, one size does not fit all in education. The neighborhood school is not necessarily a good environment for every child. Charter schools foster innovation.  Some of the most exciting experiments in American education are occurring in charter schools, such as those Project-based Learning, New Tech programs and combinations of these programs.  

Charter schools may not have admissions tests or other requirements for enrollment and admissions.  By law, charter schools must have a fair and open admission process, conducting outreach and recruitment to all segments of the community they serve. SC Charter Act requires there be no barriers to entrance.  The SC Charter Act requires schools to hold a lottery if there are more applications than open slots. Public charter schools are nonsectarian and nondiscriminatory in admission and employment practices

Currently there are over 22,000 students enrolled in South Carolina’s 60 public charter schools and approximately 9,500 enrolled in the 7 virtual public charter schools.

I hope this has provided you with a good overview of public charter schools.  I will write more in the days ahead regarding Virtus Academy.  If you are interested in getting your child on the waiting list for Virtus, please take a moment to fill out the survey at the link below.  

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LFZNL2Y

There are currently two community information meetings scheduled.  I hope that you will take an hour to attend and learn more about this exciting opportunity!