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School Board, GECAC Charter School Remain at Stalemate

Posted on: Friday, 31 March 2006, 21:00 CST

By Erica Erwin, Erie Times-News, Pa.

Mar. 31--The Erie School Board still has not reached a consensus on whether to renew GECAC Community Charter School's charter nearly a month after the measure was to be decided.

Two board members, Jeanine McCreary and Mary Frances Schenley, continue to support the renewal.

Three board members, Gary Horton, Ned Smith and Jim Herdzik, either said they would not support the five-year renewal or would only do so if the charter school made concessions.

School director Eva Tucker, who said in January that he did not favor the renewal, said Wednesday that he would not take a public stance on the issue.

School director Richard Szychowski, who has supported renewal in the past, said unanswered questions about the school's special-education program have made him rethink his position. Now he is undecided, he said.

Board member Ed Brzezinski said he, too, is undecided.

Board President Rebecca Martin would not discuss her position.

The divide within the board and between the Erie School District and the charter school centers on the funding and operation of GECAC charter school's special-education program.

Erie schools Superintendent Jim Barker, along with several board members, have expressed concern that the charter school's special-education costs might be too high. The charter school's administrators have said the concerns are groundless.

The school as of January had 348 students, of whom 99 were designated as requiring special education.

Under the state charter law, the district each year must pay the charter school roughly $15,000 for each special education student, regardless of the severity of the student's disability. The district pays the charter school about $7,000 per year for each traditional student.

The school district also wants to know how many of the charter school's special-education students were not in special education when they attended elementary schools in the school district. School district officials said they want the information to better understand how the GECAC charter school identifies students as requiring special education.

The charter school has turned down the school district's request for the more specific special-education information, citing confidentiality concerns and other factors.

Under state charter school law, a district can only deny a renewal for six reasons, including fraud or financial mismanagement.

Other reasons are violations of the charter, failure to meet student performance guidelines, violating laws the charter school is not exempt from, including federal law, and violating the state charter school law.

A charter can be immediately revoked if the health or safety of students or staff is at risk.

McCreary said she doesn't believe the GECAC charter school fits into those categories, and said she doesn't understand why the charter hasn't been renewed.

"This is a long-term, permanent contract that we are obligated to, so they might as well put it in the budget," McCreary said. "Unless they do something wrong, (the charter) is forever."

Instead of debating the renewal, the board should focus on improving district schools so parents choose those schools instead of charters, McCreary said.

If the board opts to deny the charter, the GECAC charter school could appeal the decision to the state charter appeals board.

Herdzik said the decision would likely get overturned if that happens.

But he said the board must "send a message" that the charter law governing the funding of special-education students is unfair.

"If school boards start saying no ... then maybe legislators would say, 'Something's going on, we should look at the law,'" Herdzik said.

Other board members have said they disagree with the charter law but said the board has no legal standing to deny the charter school's renewal.

Martin said she believes the law is unfair, but stopped short of saying she would not support the renewal. She said she wouldn't put the measure on the agenda until directed to do so by district lawyers.

District solicitor Tim Sennett has said he would not recommend a vote until the district receives the special-education information it is seeking.

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Source: Erie Times-News

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