INDIANAPOLIS – The Senate Education panel took up the issue of expanding access to Indiana charter schools Wednesday – the same day a flattering study on the schools was released by Stanford University.
“Silver bullet? Absolutely not,” said Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma, author of the legislation that has already passed the House. “Another option for Hoosier families that we should expand? Yes.”
Charter schools are public schools that are free from many regulations traditional public schools face, and supporters contend they allow for more innovative teaching techniques.
Indiana legalized charter schools in 2001, and now there are 63 statewide serving about 22,000 Hoosier students.
Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre Haute, expressed concern about taking money away from traditional public schools during a time when K-12 education is struggling with budget cuts.
“I don’t think they perform as good as public schools. Why would we be in a rush to create more charter schools?” he asked.
Bosma said Skinner unfairly pits charter schools against traditional public schools.
“Charter schools are public schools with public school teachers and public school students. They are not private schools,” he said.
“So when you say we are taking money away from public schools to give to charters, I couldn’t disagree more. The money is following the student to another public school.”
The Education Committee heard hours of testimony on the bill but did not amend or vote on the legislation. That could come next week, although the continued House Democratic walkout could affect strategy on the bill.
For instance, some Senate members might want to use the bill as a vehicle to amend other education legislation into that might die in the House. Another view is to not change anything in the bill so that, if the walkout continues, the Senate could pass the bill, which would go directly to the governor for signing. The bill passed the House 59-38 on Feb. 8.
House Bill 1002 does several things, including establishing a statewide charter school board that can sponsor new charter schools. It also would allow mayors of second-class cities such as Fort Wayne to sponsor charter schools.
In all, more than 50 new entities would be eligible to sponsor charter schools. Currently, only the mayor of Indianapolis and six public universities are able to do so.
The bill would also increase funding for online or virtual charter schools; make it easier for parents to convert traditional public schools to charters; share some existing property tax dollars for transportation with charters; and increase accountability for the schools.
Earlier in the day, a report was released by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University. It found that reading and math gains for charter school students in Indiana were better compared to traditional public school peers.
Even though the study’s results were unveiled at a news conference with the Indiana Public Charter Schools Association, that group had nothing to do with the study. Instead, it was commissioned by the non-partisan Joyce Foundation in Chicago.
The center conducted a nationwide study in 2009 that is often used by opponents of charter schools to discredit the movement.
“Indiana has one of the highest-performing charter sectors in the country,” said Margaret Raymond, director of the center at Stanford.
That led Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, to question the need for the bill altogether.
“When I hear a report like that I wonder how much change we should be making,” she said. “If we are doing that well ought we not be careful about changes we make going forward?”
