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Charter Schools Drain Top Districts: Students Transferring to Weaker Programs

Posted on: Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Doug Oplinger and Dennis J. Willard, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Jan. 10--COLUMBUS -- Publicly funded charter schools, initially created to let children escape poorly performing urban districts, will enroll 3,000 students this year from the state's highest- achieving public schools.

Many of those students are rejecting the state's top districts to enroll in online charters, which have some of the poorest academic ratings in the state.

The phenomenon raises questions about the underlying state policy for the rapidly growing experiment, which this year will cost taxpayers $476 million:

Is the purpose of charter schools to give children a chance to escape failing schools? Is it to provide parents with school choice, regardless of how well their local district performs academically?

The charter school movement's chief legislative supporter, the governor and the Ohio Department of Education have conflicting ideas about the mission of the movement.

The legislature and former Gov. George Voinovich created charter schools in 1997 to provide publicly funded alternatives for children living in urban districts with low academic ratings. The common theme: It would give children an opportunity to escape failing schools.

Several laws passed since then have made it possible for students across the state to enroll in charters. As the rules changed, enrollment soared from 17,251 five years ago to more than 71,000 today.

That cost money.

Twice in the last two years, state officials had to find an estimated $75 million to pay for the influx of charter students, many of whom previously attended private schools or were home-schooled.

Changing mission

The complexion of the students changed, too.

In 2001, 75 percent of the students were black. Last year, blacks accounted for 54 percent, as whites and other ethnic and racial groups flocked to online schools and other specialty charters.

Meanwhile, the mission has become less clear.

Susan Bodary, Gov. Bob Taft's executive assistant for education, said the administration adheres to the early goal. She said charters are to "provide choices for students in underperforming districts so that they have an option of having a different education experience that can help them to achieve."

But Bodary also said the state is learning that families choose alternatives for a variety of reasons -- "not just academics." They may opt out of high-performing districts because they have different ideas about parent involvement, discipline or safety.

Ohio Department of Education spokesman J.C. Benton said the purpose of charter schools is to provide opportunities for innovation. A department pamphlet says that each school is, in itself, "mission-driven" for a "particular purpose or philosophy to enhance education for a targeted group of students."

House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, a leading proponent of school choice, said through spokeswoman Tasha Hamilton that the mission of charters is competition.

"When you empower people to make choices about education, you create competition, and that competition will improve all schools," she said.

As for families' opting out of academically excellent schools for underperforming online schools, "the speaker thinks that's what choice allows individuals to do," she said.

And, "if there is a bad charter school, he would encourage those people to go to a different charter school," Hamilton said.

Specific numbers

The Beacon Journal's analysis of recent charter school data shows that nearly 3,000 students this year are opting out of the state's 112 top-rated public school districts to enroll in charters -- mostly in online schools.

In the Akron-Canton area, those top districts include Norton, Hudson, Revere, Green, Jackson, North Canton, Lake, Northwest, Perry, Aurora, Cloverleaf, Highland, Wadsworth, Chippewa, Dalton and North Central.

"I personally cannot imagine why a parent would enroll a child in a school setting where the results are inferior when they would have the opportunity to attend a school district like ours, where students are meeting high levels of achievement," said Norton Superintendent Karen Wilson.

Her district achieved the highest possible score in the state's academic ratings and, according to state data, is a sought-after district.

About 200 students from neighboring districts have transferred into Norton through open enrollment, another school-choice program.

However, the state this year is subtracting $210,598 from aid to Norton for 38 children who are enrolled in charter schools.

The district, which was financially strapped for two years because of six unsuccessful levy attempts, has one of the lowest levels of spending per pupil in Summit County.

Wilson acknowledged that Norton's charter students probably would have enrolled in private school or been home- schooled if charters had not been available. They are not likely ever to be public school students, she said.

Performance

The top schools, which receive the designation "Excellent," must achieve at least 21 of 23 state performance standards. The standards include minimum passing rates on state proficiency tests, graduation and attendance.

The five largest online charter schools met two to five performance standards on last year's report card, among the lowest ratings for any school in the state. Cleveland Public Schools achieved two last year; Akron, Canton, Cincinnati and Columbus achieved three; Toledo made four. Dayton and Youngstown were the lowest with one.

The Beacon Journal analysis also showed that while traditional public schools increasingly are starting online and alternative schools, they remain a small portion of the movement.

In 2001, only 5 percent of all charter students attended a charter operated by a public school district. That rose to 12 percent in 2005.

Current law prohibits the startup of charter schools by independent groups in high-performing districts. Only a handful of districts designated as in academic emergency or academic watch are eligible.

That prevents children in most of the state from enrolling in charters unless they join an online school or travel to an urban area.

In 2001, there was one online school enrolling 2,232 students. Last year, there were 46 enrolling 17,070.

Asked whether this is a reason to allow startup charter schools in rural areas and suburban districts, Bodary in the governor's office said: "I honestly haven't studied that question.

"Traditionally, children who are of greater means tend to have more choices because their families can make those choices. Choice has been available in a variety of ways in areas outside of urban districts for a long time."

Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com. Doug Oplinger can be reached at 330-996-3750, or doplinger@thebeaconjournal.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

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Source: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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