CULLMAN — For Betty Marks, of Fairview, there are a lot of ways to fix education in the state of Alabama — but charter schools aren’t the answer.

“I don’t like it at all and think it should stay out of our state,” the local mother said. “I just don’t think it’s a suitable option for Alabama.”

Chad Johnson, father of a Fairview student, agreed that he believes charter schools would hurt the local schools in Cullman County.

“Most of us grew up in this school system and I think we need to take care of it, first,” he said. “We need to work with what we have, not open a bunch of new schools.”

Charter schools — which are currently being considered by the state legislature — operate as public institutions, but can be more flexible because they’re not bound by as much red tape and regulations as traditional public schools. Charters must meet state academic standards, have the same number of annual school days and follow all civil rights laws against discrimination.

But, charter schools often operate without requirements that students live in certain neighborhoods and aren’t held to the state’s teacher tenure law. The main focus of charter schools is to improve low-performing schools, or to offer a more specialized focus.

Alabama is one of 11 states that has never passed charter school legislation, though Gov. Bob Riley and the state school board would like to see that changed.

But, many local education officials — as well as the politically influential Alabama Education Association — have opposed charters.

If a new law is passed, the decision to allow a charter school would likely be left up to each local school system, though there are some instances where the Alabama State Department of Education could make the decision. Existing traditional schools could also be converted into charters.

“Charter schools are there to fill a gap when traditional schools are failing,” state education spokesman Michael Sibley told the Associated Press. “There’s no expectation that we’re going to see a ton of charter schools popping up all over the state.”



Funding

One of the major reasons charter schools have become such a hot topic recently is because there are numerous federal grants available for states that allow them.

If legislation is approved, Alabama would receive 40 points in its 500-point federal application for “Race to the Top” grants, potentially worth $200 million.

“You’d have to get everything else almost perfect to have even a fighting chance,” State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton said of the application’s point structure. “If you have 40 states ahead of you at the start line, you've got to really run twice as fast to catch them. That’s why it’s important to address this issue now.”

The grants are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will be given to states willing to try school innovation and reform, such as charter schools, according to the Department of Education.

Alabama senate majority leader Zeb Little (D-Cullman) said he believes Alabama can reach the 500-point goal without passing a charter law.

“To accept the charter school money would require certain legislation to comply with federal regulations,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to get the federal money without resorting to charter schools. Ultimately, I believe we’re going to be able to get those funds.”

Morton said he believes charter schools are a move in the right direction for the future of education in Alabama.

“We do ourselves and, more important, our children a disservice when we do not use the abundance of our political and educational will to reach the lowest-performing schools in the state and possibly offer better alternatives,” Morton said. “An independent charter school can provide better opportunities, increase accountability and foster educational excellence under the guiding principles and governance of a legislative charter, while traditional schools simultaneously benefit from their existence.”



Local thoughts

Superintendents of both local school systems in Cullman County — as well as many teachers and principals — have expressed concerns about charter legislation.

Cullman County Board of Education Superintendent Hank Allen said he is reluctant to embrace the idea.

“I’m personally not in favor of it,” he said. “It’s sort of like having a road or highway that you can’t take care of, then adding a new highway that you’re going to have to take care of. That’s the analogy I would use, because I believe we should first take care of what we have, before talking about adding charter schools.”

With funding at a critical low, Allen said he hopes the focus can remain on schools already in existence.

“It’s not so much that charter schools are a bad idea, or something that’s not probably good for the students, it’s just the fact that we need to do a better job of funding the schools we already have, before we start surveying that,” he said. “We’re in dire straits and looking at a financial train wreck pretty soon, so why add another track that might not be successful?”

Cullman City Schools Superintendent Dr. Jan Harris said she does see some merit in charter schools, but does not believe they would benefit Alabama.

“Competition is always a good thing, however, I believe charter schools should come under the umbrella of the State Department of Education,” she said. “They should have to adhere to the same federal and state regulations as public schools. My fear for charter schools is, if they don’t have to adhere to these standards, you have an uneven playing field funded with the public’s money.”

Harris said she expects the charter debate to continue for some time.

“Education is a state function and I’m not in favor of education being a federal issue,” she said. “Education is not mentioned in the constitution, therefore it is a state function. It should be led through local boards and by the character and people of the community.”

Neva Hite, a first grade teacher at Fairview Elementary School, said she fears charter schools could rob public schools of needed funding.

The only positive, Hite said, would be additional freedom afforded to teachers at charter schools.

“I do think we’re professional enough to teach by guidelines, or a course of study, because one specific program doesn’t fit every child,” she said. “I don’t think we all fit in one little box, so that freedom could potentially be a benefit.”

Reading teacher Anita Nelson, at Fairview Elementary School, said looser restrictions on teacher certification in charter schools could be a bad thing.

“Up to 25 percent of their teachers don’t have to be certified by state standards,” she said. “We have a lot of teachers working hard and that is a slap in the face to teacher’s who push themselves to be better.”

Becky Eason, with the Cullman Area Career Center, said she is concerned about how career and technical classes would be handled if charter schools became prevalent in the state.

“I understand that Gov. Riley wants to model us after the charter laws in Florida,” she said. “I actually called relatives out there, who told me everyone wants their son or daughter in a charter school. I’m inclined to think that it seems unfair that it would be a public school, alleviated from some of the rules we have ... How that could affect career and technical education is unknown.”

Fairview Elementary School Principal Jessica Johnson said the issue is simple for her: If it hurts public school funding, she is opposed.

“The concept takes away money from local schools, so I’m not in favor of that because of funding,” she said.



Local legislators opposed

The charter school law is facing an uphill battle in the state legislature, and members of the local delegation have all expressed concerns about the plan.

Rep. Jeremy Oden (R-Eva) said he sees the positives, but thinks we should first focus on the existing public schools in the state.

“Those are public education dollars pulled and put into another public setting,” he said. “Why not pull those and put them in what we have now? Our schools are in a critical place and we need to take care of them.”

By taking federal Race To The Top funds, Oden said Alabama would also be accepting additional federal stipulations.

“There is a lot of money out there, but what we don’t realize is that if we go after that, we’re bringing down federal regulations that come with that money,” he said. “My constituents have said they don’t want any new federal regulations, because that money has strings attached.”

Rep. James Fields (D-Cullman) said he is still researching the proposed charter school legislation, though he is unsure if it will fit the needs of Alabama students.

“I haven’t looked at the entire bill and I’m still trying to figure out if it will take money from our public school systems,” he said. “But, right now, I would not be in favor of charter schools, because I would want to support our local schools.”

Though charter schools work in other parts of the nation, Little said he does not believe the concept is feasible in rural Alabama.

“Our public school funding is already based on their enrollment, so we can’t just drop that by pulling kids out and putting them into charter schools,” he said. “The goal is to run a tighter ship, but the people I’ve talked to in education don’t say that model will work here. I’m open to anything to make our schools better, but what I’m not open to is taking public money away from our public schools right now when they’re hurting.”

Charter school facts

* Most charter schools are newly created, while some are converted from existing schools.

* Most charter schools are small schools (median enrollment is 242 students compared with 539 in traditional public schools).

* Charter schools serve many different communities with a wide variety of curriculum and instructional practices.

* Charter schools vary a lot from state to state and school to school.

* Charter schools have atypical grade configurations (K-3, K-8).

* Most charter schools provide one or more non-instructional services, like health, social services, or extended day care.

* Info from US Charter Schools.org



* The Associated Press contributed to this report.



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.