Staff Report
In the final ticks of the 2017 Regular Session, the Kentucky Legislature gave approval to a dynamic measure that dramatically reforms education in the Commonwealth.
House Bill 520 establishes public charter schools in Kentucky, which are innovative schools free from many state curriculum mandates. Charter schools allow instructors to teach directly to the needs of individual students, with a preference for admission given to students on free or reduced lunch or in low-achieving school districts.
Public charters will be required to follow the same requirements as traditional public schools as far as state testing, transparency, safety, and finance.
Further, local input is a critical part of this legislation, as the authorizing authority for the establishment of public charter schools rest with local school boards, as well as the mayors of Louisville and Lexington.
The legislation passed in the Senate by a final vote of 23-15.
Kentucky is one of just seven states not to enact charter school laws and doing so would make Kentucky the 44th state in the nation to implement them.
Governor Bevin, who is expected to sign it into law.
“I applaud the Kentucky General Assembly for passing charter school legislation,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The flexibility offered by public charter schools encourages teachers and administrators to use good judgment in innovative ways to produce positive results for Kentucky children. Most importantly, public charter schools give parents additional options when selecting the school that is right for their child, particularly when they feel the needs of their child aren’t being met through the traditional public school model. We all know that parental involvement in the education of a child is of primary importance, which is why I support policies that empower parents with expanded options for meeting the education needs of their children.”
Kentucky Youth Advocates released the following statement:
Kentucky Youth Advocates applauds the work of the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives for their work to create a charter school bill that creates opportunity for students in Kentucky.
We at Kentucky Youth Advocates have consistently asserted three key points in the charter school debate. First, there are clearly good and bad charter experiences in this nation and we need to learn lessons from those. Second, high quality charters can be one of many tools to assist vulnerable children in the Commonwealth. And finally, no one can contend that charter schools are a magic wand to cure what’s not working for all students to succeed.
HB 520 is a silver medal version of charter schools. While Kentucky students would benefit most from more definitive language requiring charters to prioritize our most vulnerable students and a broader range of authorizing entities, this bill addresses many key points in a high-quality way around arenas such as assessment, accountability, and certification.
As the potential of charters becomes a Kentucky reality, it is imperative that we are vigilant in monitoring results, especially in the early stages of implementation. Just as we would with any new initiative, we must ask, “What is working and what is not to address achievement gaps?”, “Who are the students being served?”, and “Can we apply ongoing improvement processes to the charter movement to ensure it remains a source of innovation that other schools can emulate?”
Americans for Prosperity-Kentucky State Director Julia Crigler issued the following statement:
Today is an important day for countless families and students across Kentucky. This legislation will provide families with an alternative to the schools that may not be meeting their child’s educational needs.
HB 520 is all about improving choice, access, and accountability in education for every student. Kentucky is one of just seven states not to have passed charter school laws, hopefully Governor Bevin will change that by signing this bill into law.
It is important to commend leaders like Rep. Phil Moffett who has worked diligently on the issue of school choice in Kentucky for years. We would like to thank Chairman Bam Carney for his dedication as a public educator, understanding the challenges teachers face every day in the classroom and bringing that knowledge with him to craft this bill. This bill passed both chambers thanks to a strong coalition consisting of groups like ExcelinEd in Action, the Kentucky Pastors in Action Coalition, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.”
I am opposed to charter schools but after the November election I accepted the fact that the Republican legislature was going to give us charter schools whether we wanted them or not. I think this was rushed through without much thought to making it a good bill. We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. We have 43 other states with charter schools. Surely we could have had a thorough study, by a bipartisan committee, over the next several months and then come back next year with a bill that would truly encompass the best elements of each state. Kentucky could perhaps have had the best charter schools in the nation. The trump card was when they quickly passed a bill that would have the public school system finance charter schools including the costs of transporting those students and giving them extra curricular activities enjoyed by public schools such as sports activities. The Americans for Prosperity mouthpiece quoted above should have just said “The Koch Brothers win again!”
I’m with Marv Dunn here. It’s been shown the over-all education given at charter schools is notoriously less than the type given in regular public schools. The main reason there are no regulations on them — they are publicly funded-PRIVATELY run institutions.
They sound great, I admit, but the reality is quite different.
Running the government like a business is a terrifying, terrible idea. Why? Business is amoral; all it cares about is profit; the little guy be damned. Having our education system turned into a business is beyond the pale. Don’t believe me? Look at Trump University. See how well that turned out.