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Charter Schools: An Open Letter to the York City School Board

September 24, 2014

Mrs. Margie Orr
President
York City School Board
31 North Pershing Avenue
York, PA 17401

Dear Mrs. Orr:

There’s an old saying that information is power. Yet, I was shocked to learn that very few people showed up last night to the public information hearing the district itself was hosting. I was further outraged by on the ground accounts from parents and the public that the York City School District staff was to blame for discouraging participation in the hearing but encouraging attendance at a rally poised for this evening to defend business as usual.

How can there be an honest debate and the public feel that this elected body has the best interest of its students at heart when its staff is responsible for encouraging the misinformation campaign launched by the very same entities that have put York City Schools in the deplorable academic and financial state it has been in for over five years?

This evening, so-called “thousands” will rally in York with little to no knowledge of what they are rallying against. I ask that this elected body put the interest of students ahead of adults and start working towards solutions that will bring about meaningful change. I also ask that unbiased information about charter schools be shared as actively as this district has worked to proliferate widespread ignorance on this issue.

Performance-based accountability is the hallmark of charter schools and reforms aimed at improving student learning. Performance-based accountability is exactly what the students of York City School District need to ensure success academically and in life.

Unlike all other public schools, charters must be proactive in their efforts to stay open. They must set and meet rigorous academic goals, and actually meet or exceed the state’s proficiency standards. Unlike the traditional public schools that intentionally remain under the radar, charter schools operate under intense scrutiny from teachers unions, the media, and lawmakers. In states with strong charter school laws that allow for objective oversight, it is clear that performance-based accountability is working.

In the $607 billion enterprise that is the U.S. K-12 education system, public-private partnerships have played, and continue to play an integral role. There are over a dozen high-quality management firms that are driven by capital operating in the public school sector. They are building public-private partnerships whose bottom line is for the greater good of the public interest. Their entire business model is predicated on student outcomes. If it’s not, they will lose “business.”

The Center for Education Reform (CER) is serious about educational excellence and why we are proud of the fact that Jon Hage, CEO of Charter Schools USA (CSUSA), is a member of our Board of Directors. CSUSA has an outstanding track record and has achieved outstanding results with all students—particularly low-income and minority students—that are significantly higher than the average academic achievement results for such students in the states where CSUSA operates. In Florida, for example, CSUSA’s net proficiency growth in reading, math, writing and science is almost 10 times higher than the state. Seventy percent of the network’s schools earned A or B grades with over 90 percent of schools maintaining or improving their scores. CSUSA was selected to turnaround several traditional public schools in Indianapolis, and in just one year the schools collectively experienced a 30 percent gain in reading on the state assessment.

Education management organizations bring investment and capital to the communities they serve, creating jobs, innovation, and cost-saving strategies. Most assume great financial risk to build infrastructure and facilities in communities that in any other industry would most likely not be considered ideal or open to business. In fact, like most charter schools, even those in public-private partnerships, they receive on average 30 percent less per pupil than their traditional school peers whose management has no accountability or incentive to improve student outcomes.

Education management organizations serving charter schools bring expertise, capital, quality service, and tremendous job creation to the communities they serve.

Public-private partnerships are important for schools to be successful. I’ve personally seen how these partnerships work first-hand to help local people with great intentions be more successful in turning around student outcomes. I’ve seen results-driven business models transform communities and the lives of children.

York’s families need charter schools that prioritize performance and outputs above all else. To do so, they need to have access to quality providers, regardless of their tax status.

Not all progress is progress and what has occurred over time has sadly been incremental at best in York. I respectfully disagree with the notion that a new negotiated teachers union contract is the answer to your district’s woes academically and financially. There is a perfect storm of opportunities brewing in your community and establishing such reforms would represent a monumental step forward in the improvement of your students’ lives.

I thank you for your time and for your efforts to turn around your failing school system as well as any efforts to turn around the misinformation campaign about charter schools.

Respectfully,
Kara Kerwin
President, Center for Education Reform