Baffling News from OSPI on Charter School Students
State Superintendent Randy Dorn issued guidelines for districts that want to take in charter school students under ALEs (Alternative Learning Education.)
He says:
Next, what "transition period?" Does the Superintendent know something we don't because I'm unclear on what that means.
He continues on sayings that some of the charters are intending to contract with "public school districts" to allow them to continue "providing education services" for their students. That may just be covering the bases but is there more than one district considering this?
What will OSPI be doing:
- helping the transfer process from their "resident districts" to a "school district's ALE program via the Standard Choice Transfer System."
- those WSLPs (Written Student learning Plans)? OSPI is allowing the districts that enroll these students until the February 2016 count day to provide these. I'll have to go check the RCW but that seems like a long time. And, of course, gives a lot of breathing room if/when the Legislature gets money to them.
My biggest question is - aren't ALE students getting money from basic ed funding? Isn't that what the Court said can't happen?
The memo says districts "may claim the student on the December monthly enrollment count for state funding, even in the absence of a WSLP."
Students enrolled in ALE programs will generate an allocation based on the non-vocational Running Start rate for the 2015-2016 school year, which is $6,308.69.
He says:
As a result of the Washington State Supreme Court announcing that it will not reconsider its September decision declaring the state's voter-approved law establishing charter schools unconstitutional, OSPI no longer has legal authority to allocate apportionment to charter schools. OSPI plans to take steps to ensure that students continue to get a quality public education during a transition period.Okay, first, there IS something that students and their parents can do - enroll in public schools. I'm sorry that the Superintendent doesn't suggest this and seems to imply that a "quality public education" is found elsewhere.
Next, what "transition period?" Does the Superintendent know something we don't because I'm unclear on what that means.
He continues on sayings that some of the charters are intending to contract with "public school districts" to allow them to continue "providing education services" for their students. That may just be covering the bases but is there more than one district considering this?
What will OSPI be doing:
- helping the transfer process from their "resident districts" to a "school district's ALE program via the Standard Choice Transfer System."
- those WSLPs (Written Student learning Plans)? OSPI is allowing the districts that enroll these students until the February 2016 count day to provide these. I'll have to go check the RCW but that seems like a long time. And, of course, gives a lot of breathing room if/when the Legislature gets money to them.
My biggest question is - aren't ALE students getting money from basic ed funding? Isn't that what the Court said can't happen?
The memo says districts "may claim the student on the December monthly enrollment count for state funding, even in the absence of a WSLP."
Students enrolled in ALE programs will generate an allocation based on the non-vocational Running Start rate for the 2015-2016 school year, which is $6,308.69.
Comments
According to public testimonials, many of these families have already endured the public school system's inability to serve them. Furthermore, as correctly pointed out on this blog, public schools are not effectively educating the under served or disenfranchised, so how long should parents stick with a public school system?
There are literally hundred of comments posted here chastising public school for its failures to serve students of color and special education students.
Why shouldn't these groups seek some possible relief via the charter route.
I have always leaned towards not having charters, but after reading about the decades of problems chronicled on this blog, I now think it's worth trying charters here in Seattle.
I don't believe just because you can find charter failures you should disregard that Seattle could make them work. The double standards expressed on this blog are very irritating.
Been waiting
I don't have a double standard; maybe you can explain that.
That's a win-win.
Maple Valley
-SWWS
As far as I know, no one has come to SPS (and you could see why given their stance as well as Tacoma's stance.) That the Seattle region charters had to go all the way across the state AND find safe harbor in a tiny district run by a just-resigned Charter Commissioner tells you something.
With this document from the Superintendent, which I compared with regs at OSPI, I see the fix is in. Because some of what today's memo says does not line up. I think the long lag for the student learning plans is a gift from Dorn (as is the dates for counting the students.)
I can't do a lot but I'm sending the Supreme Court a letter outlining all that is happening. I'm sure they keep up but as I seem to be the only media person in Seattle outing these actions, I'm not sure who knows what.
Dora Taylor
By the way, is it legal for a private non-profit to be giving money to a government agency?
First, I need to thank Melissa for uncovering this story and for investing a great deal of time on this issue.
Mary Walker school district has an annual budget of $4.7M per year- not a lot. Seattle's levy dollars must stay in Seattle. Under no circumstance, should levy dollars be transferred out of Seattle.
http://www.k12.wa.us/safs/rep/app/1516/33207app.pdf
Recently, a charter school parent publicly stated she was glad to get her child out of crowded classrooms and into a charter school. Wonderful, but what about all the students in crowded schools and large classrooms. We're not looking at equity. Charter schools cap enrollment and our public schools are busting at the seams. We need funding for all.
As I see it, we may see public schools contracting with charter school operators. What the heck?
Right now we are at Dec. 4th. The state shuts off the funding on/before December 14th. School ends, what? Dec. 23rd? Comes back on Jan. 4th with the legislature in session on the 11th. So that's two weeks with no funding. From the memo it looks like they want to try to fund thru Feb. (not sure when this Feb. "count date" is; OSPI never got back to me today.) So that's about 6 weeks of funding that they need.
I don't really have a problem with the situation IF this was the sole way they wanted to continue these kids' education. But I suspect it's just a placeholder until the charters get funding. I don't understand the mechanism that puts the charter schools themselves in a holding pattern until they get funding.
Personally, I think OSPI is making up a lot and hoping no one will challenge it.
They would be wrong.
Melissa makes a good point. Washington taxpayer dollars wouldn't go to charter school operators because lack of local control via an elected school board. Yet, those dollars can get distributed to out of state charter school operators..as long as charter school operators are under local school board control. Wow. I'd love to see that contract, especially since school boards are responsible for curriculum and state laws governing education.
Why would a small school district want to take on this project? Seems like a lot of work and an expensive adventure.
Summit is considered a good charter chain but I think every school should have the evidence to prove their claims. Summit doesn't even have the minutes or agenda of their board meetings.
Why would a small district take this on? Well, if the superintendent is a charter support and on the Charter Commission and he gets asked to do this and the consultants are paid for by outside people (because I'm pretty sure no small district can afford that kind of expense), well, someone got asked by someone up the food chain.
But again, when all this is done in a closed-door, hush-hush manner, sure, it provokes curiosity and concern.
Where did they say that? Or did they say that was their goal?
I know people with kids in two Summit schools in San Jose. Last year, 100% of the kids at those two schools were admitted to four year colleges (and 90 something percent accepted). Over half were the first person in their family to go to college.
LisaG
http://summitps.org/uploads/board/15.12.09%20SPS-WA%20Board%20Meeting%20Agenda.pdf
LisaG
a) what colleges were accepting Summit students;
b) if they were, say, Phoenix-type colleges, themselves making money admitting every Comer and saddling them with student loan debt;
c) ALL communications between Summit, the colleges, and all the various Charter school pushers, such as the Gates Foundation, Walton, et al.
I smell collusion between Summit (and other charters), "colleges", and the well-heeled charter booster club to ensure that charters look successful.
That way the charter school staff would not be school district staff and the charter schools would not be schools. All of the usual regulatory and administrative overhead is evaded. Absolutely zero laws would apply to the charters - just as there are none for tutoring services. There would actually be LESS oversight and accountability than they have now. They wouldn't have to meet the requirements of their charter. They would not even have to be non-profit. And, of course, the teachers would not have to join the union.
The Mary Walker School District would have to meet the state's requirements for ALEs. but they could do that very cheaply and they would be well compensated for the work.
One of my friends sends his daughter to Summit Tahoma because in middle school she was saying things like "I don't want to go to college; there isn't really any point." That wasn't OK with him, but he had the impression that the district school wouldn't work very hard to convince a Latina student she should go to college. Now she's interested in school and wants to go to college to study experimental psychology.
Last year's graduating seniors at Tahoma all signed a poster with the college they were attending. I have a picture (I got it in an email and haven't been able to find it online anywhere), but I guess you can't paste pictures in the comments. Anyway, most of them seem to be going to various Cal State and U. of California schools.
LisaG
The poster says where they are attending or where they are accepted?
I ask because Summit Charter promotes that 90% of students are accepted into college, not attend college, which is a big difference. Personally, I suspect that one of the requirements of graduation is to apply to a college. And staff ensures that students apply to at least one school that will result in an acceptance letter, which then gives Summitt their 90% stat.
"I suspect that one of the requirements of graduation is to apply to a college. And staff ensures that students apply to at least one school that will result in an acceptance letter"
This sounds like a great idea. Why don't public high schools do this?
He graduated from SPS in June. He's a freshman in college now.
Can you name that racist school, then, so we might all avoid it? Who could believe that the teachers, counselors, and admins at a public school in this day and age wouldn't care about a Latina student....
I'm so glad she landed in a school where the staff cares about its Latina students.
In fact, you don't even have to tell us which school: as we've heard from so many charter parents, most every public school is simply filled with educators who don't care whether students of color go to college or not. We should avoid them all, because charters obviously have no racist, apathetic educators in them, and because they're not racist, and care, ALL students go to college!
Thank you! I KNEW the experimental nature of charters 40 years ago, as experimental classrooms within public schools, would finally pay off. They've done it! Public schools merely have to stop being racist and start caring.
We're saved!
: )
Because Summit Charter schools only have about 90-100 students in a senior class. They also staff resources as well as parent volunteers, which makes it easy to manage college apps for 100 students. For 400-500 students, no resources...not so much.
We do have test coordinators in our high schools, so yeah us.
My friend chose to send his daughter to Tahoma instead of this school http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2013/2013GrowthSch.aspx?allcds=43694274335907
The teachers in that school have been working-to-rule for a while. Encouraging students to go to college isn't in their contract, so they're not doing it.
Because most of the parents have not been to college, Summit also has a lot of parent sessions explaining about college applications.
GarfieldMom @2:50
The anecdote wasn't meant to be data. The anecdote was to explain how I knew that 100% of Tahoma's 2015 seniors had been accepted at four year colleges.
Po3 @ 12:55
The students signed their names and wrote the college where they had been accepted and planned to attend.
LisaG
Do you have a link to where they said it on their website?
I've found places where they say things like "our mission - to prepare a diverse student population for success in a four-year college or university, and to be thoughtful, contributing members of society" and "We have a rigorous, college-prep curriculum where 100% of our students meet and exceed 4-year college entrance requirements."
But I also found this: "NINETY-SIX PERCENT OF OUR GRADUATES ARE ACCEPTED TO AT LEAST ONE FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY" where I notice that 96% < 100%.
LisaG
I'm not sure what test coordinators are. I think that Po3 is right that it is probably easier to do with fewer students.
Summit seems to do it by assigning every student a "mentor". The mentor's are regular teachers that get a group of 20-25 students. So as class teachers change from year to year, the mentor stays constant to make sure the students stay on track. Every week the mentors meet 1:1 with each student and also with their mentor group as a whole.
I think having mentors was point 2 on Charlie's Closing Opportunity Gaps post, and I think mentors are probably one of the most significant ways to increase graduation rates and college acceptance rates.
LisaG
PLUS they got per-student from our tax dollars. Must be nice to be rolling in foundation money (also Walton's, see bottom of list.)
I spent some time on the Gates grant site, looking for grants that would go to WA charters. These stand out, but obviously we know that money Gates gives to other orgs is likely also used in WA. Add 25% - $64,000,000 into WA, plus Walton and other players. Divide by nine schools.... ; )
Ah, to have a sugar daddy for the million other students....
Summit Schools - to provide support to Summit Schools, CREATE [caps mine] Summit Washington and LAUNCH two charter 9-12s and one charter 6-12 - $8,000,000
Pacific Charter School Development, Inc - to support facility needs of WA charters - $4,000,000
Washington State Charter Assoc.- to support charters in WA - $6,350,000 (2014)
WSCSA - to build capacity for charters $4,200,000 (2013)
Puget Sound Educational Service District - consult on SpEd in charters - $250,000
PSESD - to support the development and implementation of and to provide back office support and operations support services for WA charters - $200,000
Craft3, Ilwaco WA (?!) - to support charter school facility development for low income children - $2,000,000
Washington Charter School Development, Inc, Seattle - to support the facility needs of charters in WA - $19,813,088
Spokane School District - build capacity to serve charters - $525,000
UW Foundation - to provide support for district/charter compacts - $1,900,000
Seneca Family of Agencies WA - to provide SpEd services to charters - $750,000
Seneca Family of Agencies WA - to develop integrated systems of support for at-risk students in WA charter schools - $200,000
Charter Board Partners - support expansion of their work in WA - $750,000
Charter Board Partners - to expand into WA - $500,000
League of Education Voters - to support the formation of an independent [cough] WA charter school organization (2013) - $800,000
LEV - To support a public awareness campaign and create support for WA charters (2011) - $1,800,000
UW Center for Reinventing Public Education - to provide oversight of district/charter collaboration compacts (2011) $600,000
FROM WALTON:
Washington State Charter Assoc. 2014 - $850,000
League of Education Voters 2013 - $250,000
UW Center for Reinventing Public Education 2012 - $750,000
And to say they don't encourage kids to go to college is just a massive, unfounded slam on those educators.
Generalizations like that make my blood boil. Prove it.
Anecdotes about a school you haven't even been too, in another state, are just the kind of teacher-bashing we hear all the time. You might be doing your best to sell charter schools in WA, but stop bashing teachers with unfounded slanders.
I don't know that school, but I know their are educators in it who care very much; who work hard; who struggle mightily without sugar daddy Gates paying millions to support them. Please stop bashing teachers with tired, lame, inaccurate generalizations.
I didn't attend the school, but I've certainly been to it, and know parents who send their kids there.
I suspect you won't accept anything as proof. But here's a newspaper article:
http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_26992744/east-side-teachers-protest-negotiations-refuse-tutor-or
And a letter sent to parents by the school district:
http://www.esuhsd.org/documents/A%20-%20Update%202012/Community/Superintendents%20Communications/WTR_Parent_Ltr_English.pdf
And I'm sure that some teachers continued to provide support to students that went beyond their contract. And I suspect that the teachers who did work to rule also care very much about their students.
But I also understand how parents might feel discouraged about sending their children to school under these circumstances.
I guess it seems to you like I'm trying to sell charter schools in WA, but I'm really just trying to figure out why some people in WA think that they are evil incarnate, and everyone involved with them is only concerned with profit. If charter schools do something that helps students to succeed, do you consider that action to be "poisoned", so that a school district should not even consider doing the same thing?
LisaG
Anyhoo, it sounds like the students were supportive of their educators; the students evidently saw that teachers had little or no raises, had been forced onto three-week unpaid furloughs....larger class sizes...
Yes, students miss out, but maybe dostrict, city, and state can reduce class sizes down to, oh, I don't know, charter school size? so teachers can give students what they need without working to 7:00 for free.
Oh, but wait, that's a selling point of charters: "our teachers work 'til 11:00pm for your student! They have no families! No lives!"
Of charters do things that help students succeed, then replicate that in publuc schools. THAT was the purpose of charters in the first place. Charters aren't publuc as the court has rightfully determined. Charters aren't "evil"; they're just not publuc schools. Furthermore, their history amply demonstrates that there are many who DO see them as profitable - financial advisors are on record extolling the profitability of charters, the vast billions of public money that can be tapped into. I won't bother with examples of ways to profit; too many to list.
Charters represent a neo-liberal privatization of public schools, a separation from the commons. Using the argument that competing is always good, charters pull families out of our commonwealth, our public schools, and into little enclaves, separating from the common good. Each to their own. And really, using Seattle as an example, who needs charters? Even though many district alternative schools were closed to clear the way for charters, many still exist. Charters can't do anything publics can't, not one thing.
Lastly, it's apparent that charters, among other intentions, intend to break unions. Unions are good: they allow labor to get an honest wage, to not be fired at will, to be able to go home to the family...
Love this:" WASHINGTON STATE CLIMATE FOR NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS
Mr. Halsey reported that Chair Sundquist and he had travelled to Ellensburg on July 14, 2014 to meet with Sunnyside School District Superintendent, Dr. Rick Cole. The meeting had been in regards to 2014 RFP applicant Charter Schools of Sunnyside. Dr. Cole expressed curiosity at the need for such a school in Sunnyside in light of the programming already available through the school district."
We know that choices exist within public schools.
I heard Tacoma's school board complain that charter schools resulted in higher class sizes. The board did not feel this was "equitable". Tacoma's school board wanted to draft an amendment to the Charter School Act to limit the amount of charters in a district. Here was the Charter Commission's response : "The Commission discussed passing a preemptive motion to oppose such an amendment."
Liv Finne has called to protect and expand charter schools, which is the real agenda.
I'll accept that as your recognition that I am not engaging in "unfounded slanders" and "inaccurate generalizations".
LisaG
--JvA
Sped atty
Given the tens of millions of dollars spent on supporting charters in WA, in addition to the approximately ten million dollars in state per-student funding (1000 students x $10,000 each), charters would continue to offer the supposedly low class sizes, mentorships, SpEd support, etc, when the extra funding goes away?
It is readily apparent that Gates, particularly, is feeding the charters huge wads of cash in order to make it appear that these "public" schools are able to do oh, so much more than actual public schools; what happens when that's gone? When charters have to get by on the same budgets as everyone else?
LisaG
Ka-ching!
"Steven Gering, Spokane Public Schools’ chief academic officer, said the the larger district simply didn’t have time to bring the charter schools under district control."
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/dec/04/washington-charter-schools-may-join-springdale-sch/
Lisa MacFarlane and others are partially responsible for this mess and all they can do is cry "not fair".
But, no matter what, no one on the charter side - save the innocent parents and students - is going to come out of this looking heroic.
I can't speak to what CA public schools have but Seattle schools already have what charters say they offer. We don't need them in Seattle.
HP
I'll look forward to it.
--- aka
RBHS is driving their dollars to IB, Cleveland to STEM. I can't speak for CSIHS nor Franklin.
Hale diversity from what I could find:
This school State average
White 56% 60%
Black 15% 5%
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 14% 7%
Hispanic 8% 20%
Two or more races 5% 6%
American Indian/Alaska Native 2% 2%
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander 1% 1%
It may not be as diverse as some of the schools on the south end but it is very diverse for the north end.
HP
HP
"that is probably Hale driving its dollars a certain way. What other high schools choose to drive their dollars to may be different. ... RBHS is driving their dollars to IB, Cleveland to STEM."
Is there anyone at the district level that looks at the different schools and says Hale is graduating 92% of its students, and the district is graduating 76% of its students (79% at RBHS and Cleveland), so maybe more schools should be doing what Hale does?
LisaG
Here's how Free and Reduced Lunch percentages break down by these schools:
Nathan Hale --- 28.9%
Rainier Beach --- 76.3%
Franklin --- 70.1%
Cleveland --- 68.2%
Chief Sealth --- 61.6%
Each of these schools have at least twice as many poor kids on average as Hale.
Please drive on down to the neighborhoods around these high schools and tell these families they don't need what charters have to offer. They just don't need them.
--- aka
Cleveland - STEM
RBHS - IB
Those are all college prep programs. Cleveland is allowed to suppress their enrollment.
Yes, Hale is a northend school and is better off financially but they are no Roosevelt or Ballard. Hale has a large population of immigrants and subsidized housing in the Lake City area.
HP
HP
LisaG
What, exactly, do charters offer that public schools can't?
The foundation now raises money through an auction and an annual fundraiser. It raises around $100,000 a year to pay for homework help and other things the principal identifies as needs.
Hale tries to ensure that all students can participate in all activities - sports, plays, college counseling, etc, regardless of ability to pay. This is done by funds provided by the Hale foundation, Music boosters, Drama boosters, Science boosters, Sports boosters, and the Dumlao Fund for athletics.
A lot of stuff funded should be funded by the state or district. At the last auction, I donated funds for copy paper. Paper.
HP
I'll look forward to hearing what you find out.
--- aka
Or is it that they are simply not publuc schools?
Or is it, that for the short term, they have been infused with millions of dollars of Gates grants (and other monies) so they can crow about smaller class sizes, individualized attention, support services, etc? Of course, that funding stream will end, sooo....
What will charters do better when they are working with the same budgets public schools do, when they can't advertise them as oh, so much better due to their inflated budgets, when they are held transparently accountable to the taxpayers for metrics beyond mere test scores?
What do charters do better, aka?
Again, instead of asking me your questions, go ask them.
I'll look forward to hearing what you find out.
--- aka