January 27, 2011
Group urges Governor Chafee to support charter schools
By Jennifer D. Jordan
(From The Providence Journal, January 26, 2011)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- For the second time in two days, an education advocacy group is appealing to Governor Chafee to push ahead with controversial school reforms, in this case the growth of public charter schools, an expansion the governor has made clear he does not support.
Joe Williams, the executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, hand-delivered a letter with his concerns to the governor's office Wednesday morning, said the organization's spokesman Bill Fischer.
"Democrats for Education Reform today called on Governor Lincoln Chafee to abandon his call to take a 'thoughtful pause' on the development of new charter schools," the statement said.
The promise to expand these alternative public schools was a key part of Rhode Island's successful Race to the Top application, which will bring $75 million to schools over the next four years.
Federal education officials have said that changing any part of the plan could jeopardize the entire grant.
Chafee has said he is discussing altering that part of the plan with Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
"We would strongly urge Governor Chafee not to turn the clock backwards on such a significant accomplishment," Williams said. ".... Reaching out to Secretary Duncan to discuss suspending charter school growth sends the message to the secretary's office that Rhode Island is not committed to education reform or the promises articulated in their application for Race funds."
Tuesday, a new organization, RI-CAN (Rhode Island Campaign for Achievement Now) sent Chafee an open letter asking him to support Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist and the ambitious slate of reforms she and the state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education have embarked upon.
"There's been silence from the governor's office about publicly supporting the commissioner," RI-CAN executive director Maryellen Butke said Tuesday. "So the lack of communication was a signal that we needed to make sure our voices were heard."
As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, 362 people had signed the online letter.
The state's teachers' unions, both of which endorsed Chafee, have objected to the expansion of charter schools, saying they drain resources from traditional public schools.
Teacher unions also point out that successful innovations and approaches used by charters do not benefit traditional school systems, as was originally intended by state law.
However, many school districts have been reluctant to tap into charter school successes. The one notable exception is Central Falls, where Supt. Frances Gallo reached out to The Learning Community charter school, which saw impressive gains in elementary school reading scores. Two years ago, Gallo asked their educators to help train the district's elementary school teachers, and reading scores in district schools are also on the rise.
The state has 15 public charter schools which are taxpayer financed but are free from much of the bureaucracy of traditional public schools.
Gist says she plans to roughly double the number of charters over the next several years by bringing in high-performing charter school operators such as KIPP and Achievement First.
The state Department of Education has received a separate multi-million federal grant for the expansion and improvement of charter schools and is currently making its application and renewal process more rigorous.
Democracy for Education Reform is a national group started by Williams, a former education reporter. A Rhode Island branch opened in 2010.
Williams sits on the board of Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, an umbrella organization designed to expand high-performing charter schools and led by Cumberland Mayor Daniel J. McKee.