D.C. Bill Curbing Public Charter School Growth is Criticized

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/08/AR2008060801675.html?nav=rss_opinions

Nearly one in three students are enrolled in public charter schools in the District of Columbia. They are increasingly popular and often have long wait lists. A bill sponsored by D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray and council member Tommy Wells is designed to curb the rate of growth of the city's public charter schools. Provisions include a mandated 15-month planning period before a school can open, limiting new schools to one campus and a change in funding. The proposal was developed without any input from the D.C. Public Charter School Board and many observers see it as an action to undermine public charter schools and their autonomy. A Washington Post editorial highlights: "What's forgotten is that these children -- no matter if they go to charters or public schools -- are the educational responsibility of the District of Columbia. It is not a question of the charters siphoning money from District coffers but of parents deciding where they think their children will get the best schooling."

Source: Washington Post (free registration required)
Date: 06/08/2008