elpasospeak

The final way that one of our school districts can create a charter school is to hire a company to run an educational program within an existing school.

A school board can turn an entire campus over to an organization or they can ask the organization to operate within a school along with the regular education program.

In either of these cases the district will end up paying an organization and giving them free rent.

We got a hint of things to come in EPISD–avoiding reconstitution.

We deserve better

Brutus

An individual campus can become a charter campus if a petition is signed by:

1. The parents (one) of the majority of the students at a campus, and
2. A majority of the classroom teachers at a campus.

The school board cannot arbitrarily deny a charter requested.

Parents may enroll their student at a charter campus.  The district may not assign a student to a charter campus unless the parent has voluntarily enrolled the student.

A teacher cannot be assigned to a charter campus if the teacher has signed a written statement that indicates that the teacher does not agree to the assignment.

Texas law also has a provision that allows the school board to unilaterally create a charter campus as long as the number of students attending such district created charter campuses does not exceed 15 percent of the total students in the district.  There is an exclusion to the 15 percent rule if the district wants to create charter campuses to a feeder pattern of schools, including an elementary, middle, and high school.

It seems that there is a way for schools to be operated separately from the school district to which they belong.

We will discuss charter campus programs (private firms) soon.

Stay tuned

Brutus

This graphic has been floating around town for a couple of weeks:

It shows the percentage of students who took the state standardized tests this year that passed.  We don’t know as a fact that the numbers are accurate.

EPISD has the lowest scores in every test category.

Is that because EPISD’s students are somehow different than those in the other districts?  Are they more financially challenged?  Are more of them from households that don’t converse in English?  Are EPISD’s kids just dumber?

Could it be the teachers?  Are they lazier? Less competent? Less professional?

If EPISD wants to attract more students to the district they might start by providing a better education.

We deserve better

Brutus

In order for one of our local school districts to become a home-rule charter district, one of two methods must be used to trigger the creation of a charter commission:

1. a petition must be signed by at least five percent of the voters of the district, or
2. at least two-thirds of the total membership of the school board adopt a resolution ordering that a charter commission be appointed

In either case the school board must establish a charter commission within 30 days.

The commission must have 15 members, 25 percent of which must be classroom teachers.  A majority of the commission must be parents of school-age children attending public school.  The teachers must be selected by the representatives of the professional staff (whatever that means).

The commission must complete a proposed charter within one year of the commission’s creation, otherwise the commission is dissolved.

The proposed charter is then submitted to the voters in an election.  At least 25 percent of the registered voters in the district must vote in order for the charter to be approved.  The school district board of trustees can continue to order elections until the 25 percent threshold is reached, if they want to.

An adopted charter can be amended if at least 20 percent of the registered voters in the district vote in an election to approve the amendment.

We plan to discuss the method of approving a campus charter school next.

Stay tuned.

Brutus