A GRADE of “A” should be awarded to Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle for his proposal to allow entire school systems to operate under the “charter” concept, which comes close to the ideal for “home rule” and is very much opposite to the way the state has most recently been talking and heading.
To her considerable credit, State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox appeared with Cagle when he revealed his plan and threw her support to it.
It only makes sense, Mrs. Cox said, to allow schools that have achieved the various state testing standards to be given more authority on how and where they will spend money from the state. Not to mention, she might have added, how to spend the money from local taxpayers.
“The missing piece for me,” she said, “and one of the things that I think really separates our charter schools from other public schools, is the fact that the people that are responsible for the results — the principals, the teachers, the students and the parents — in charter schools ... have control over the resources.”
This is, as Cagle said, “really all about local control, the ability for teachers, principals and superintendents to come together, along with board members, and ... have the flexibility to design an educational curriculum around the needs of individual students as well as communities.”
GIVEN THAT charter schools are few and far between in Georgia and comparatively new (there are now 58, with 17 being high schools), tossing out a proposal to allow entire systems — city or county — to basically “opt out” of most state mandates and blaze their own trails ... so long as standards are met or exceeded ... is pretty revolutionary stuff.
It’s also a notion that both the Rome and Floyd County systems should seriously consider. Already doing better by a considerable margin than most other systems in the state, and with strong and innovative leadership, the question becomes: How much better could Rome and Floyd school systems become if they blaze their own trails?
Cagle’s plan also included allowing “career academies,” high schools that offer technical/occupational training along with the traditional academics, to let students earn college-level credits while working toward their diplomas. With Floyd County actively discussing turning its fast-growing technical high school into exactly that (and with the main Coosa Valley Technical College campus practically right next door to it), the reason for local cheers to that part of the plan are obvious. And Rome seriously, seriously needs to explore making this “career academy” a joint venture with the county.
Whether Cagle instinctively knows what needs to be done, or had early word on what the state’s latest assessment of existing charter schools showed, is unknown. There’s no doubt that he’s offered this plan — not on the governor’s announced agenda, by the way — at the perfect moment.
WHEN CHARTERS were first started, the initial results showed them lagging the regular schools. Now, with early pioneering pitfalls negotiated and teachers and parents calling many of the shots, the opposite is true. The newest statewide assessment shows the test score averages — and the all-important graduation rates — for charters passing the regular public schools as though they were standing still ... which, of course, they largely are.
The Cagle plan is not just all talk, either. He’s asking for money, even though it is not in the current budget proposals (remember, Cagle pretty much runs the Senate and hence holds something similar to veto power of his own.
The lieutenant governor wants $625,000 to give as grants to five school districts to set them-selves up as charter systems, $1 million to help start five new career academies (like the one proposed for Floyd County) and $15 million in bonds to assist with construction and related startup costs for the academies.
This appears to be an excellent, forward-thinking proposal based on a track record of successful experience. If there’s any element missing from the outline it would be how to assure active parental involvement. That’s likely the key to really making charter schools something akin to real, locally controlled “neighborhood schools.” Too many parents give only lip-service support to their schools; others look upon them mainly as a baby-sitting service.
IN ALBANY TO TOUT his charter plan, Cagle called the International Studies Elementary Magnet School there a template for what he would like to see schools become. Parents want their kids in it; there’s a waiting list. And yet the school requires that every parent volunteer 18 hours a year at the school. “Volunteer” ... not mandatory parent/teacher conferences.
That time requirement is the school’s choice. Charters make their own rules, after all. Nonetheless, something like this should be a component of all charter schools ... and charter systems.
In campaigning for this — stumping much like he did in seeking office — Cagle has said, “I believe first and foremost in local control.” He’s singing this newspaper’s song.
“I’m ready for real reform,” he said to another gathering. “I’m ready to see something real special happen.” Boy, aren’t we all! Boy, aren’t we all tired of waiting for something special to happen!
Now’s the time and the General Assembly needs to pay attention. And so should the Rome and Floyd County systems that should elbow each other out of the way only to get first in line to take advantage of this.
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