Rhode
Island League of Charter Schools
2005
Bill Positions
The
Rhode Island League of Charter Schools SUPPORTS
the following legislation:
Support:
H-5745
(Crowley), S-830
(Gibbs)
Explanation:
This act would remove the current moratorium prohibiting
the Board of Regents from granting final approval for
any new charter school to begin operations in the 2005-06
school year.
Rationale
for Support:
- Charter public schools provide
the ONLY public school choice option to R.I. parents;
- R.I.’s eleven charter
public schools are moderately/high performing and
are demonstrating success in serving students from
disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly in urban communities;
- The moratorium and “cap”
in urban communities has resulted in the loss of millions
of dollars in federal funding;
- There are currently two outstanding
charter proposals waiting for consideration, the Urban
League and the URI Academy.
Support:
H-5131
(Savage), S-098
(Gallo)
Explanation: This act would require that in the creation
of charter schools, the application submitted to the
commissioner and the local school committee pursuant
to the creation of such a school would include a description
of a plan that would include measurable student academic
goals.
Rationale for Support:
- This is currently the case in
the application process;
- Putting this requirement in
statute strengthens the plan;
- The League supports this bill
and views this as an opportunity to embrace and demonstrate
what charter public schools are all about-ACCOUNTABILITY.
Support:
S-760
(Issa)
Explanation: This act would allow for the creation of
the “University of Rhode Island Academy for Post
Adjudicated Youth” a charter school.
Rationale for Support:
- Outstanding example of
collaboration between agencies, URI, DCYF, and the
Department of Corrections;
- Serving a population that
is at risk in need of an innovative program.
The
Rhode Island League of Charter Schools OPPOSES
the following legislation:
Oppose: H-5216
(Gallison), S-323
(Sosnowski)
Explanation: This bill would require that funding for
charter public schools be approved by the voters of
each local school district at either a regularly scheduled
financial town meeting or budget hearing.
Rationale for Opposition:
- Adoption of such a policy would
severely undermine the charter public school approval
process and funding mechanism;
- Under current law, the state
and local districts bear a proportionate share of
the per pupil cost for each student who attends a
charter public school;
- The rationale behind the funding
of charter public school students is that the local
municipality has a continuing responsibility to its
own resident students and thus has a responsibility
to fund the students from that municipality that attend
charter public schools;
- The charter review process is
lengthy, multifaceted, deliberative, and PUBLIC;
- The Board of Regents and Department
of Education do not rush to approve charters, but
are most judicious in their deliberations.
Oppose:
H-5513
(Gallison), S-412
(Sosnowski)
Explanation: This act would authorize cities and towns
to appropriate money for charter public schools located
therein.
Rationale for Opposition:
- The funding of charter public
schools is addressed in Title 16, Chapter 16-77-6
Establishment of Charter Public Schools;
- Attempt to impede the growth
of charter public schools;
- If enacted, would have
an impact on how Davies, School for Deaf, and the
Met School are funded.
Oppose:
H-5560
(Gallison), S-504
(Sosnowski)
Explanation: Act would require that the Board of Regents
hold a public hearing in those instances wherein the
board grants a charter to establish a new charter public
school over the objections of the local school committee.
The hearing would be held in the district in which the
proposed charter would be located. Also would require
adherence to Administrative Procedures Act as well as
Chapter 44-5 Taxation-Maximum levy of 5.5%.
Rationale for Opposition:
- Current process calls for 2
public hearings in district where charter public school
will be located;
- Current process is multifaceted,
lengthy, deliberative, and PUBLIC;
- Board of Regents has never approved
the granting of a charter over the objections of the
local school committee;
- Current process welcomes and
considers all forms of input including testimony at
the public hearings, written correspondence, and face-to-face
dialogue when reviewing a charter proposal;
- League complies with the Administrative
Procedures Act;
- Language which that singles
out the funding of charter public schools as the cause
of a municipality to go over the 5.5% maximum levy
cap is both unconstitutional and arbitrary.
Oppose:
H-5738
(Gallison), S-391
(Sosnowski)
Explanation: This act would add section 16-2-9, the
general powers and duties of school committees as a
provision binding on charter schools.
Rationale for Opposition:
- Unnecessary, since RIGL 16-77-4
Procedures for the Creation of Charter Schools address
issues of powers and duties of charter public schools;
- Attempt by local school committees
to gain control of charter public schools, especially
regarding budget approval and transportation requirements;
- Transportation requirement
for charter public schools is borne by the district
(16-21-1).
Oppose:
S-761
(Sosnowski)
Explanation: This act would continue to current moratorium
prohibiting the board of regents from granting final
approval for any new charter schools until further action
by the general assembly.
Rationale for Opposition:
- Extending the moratorium, as
well as not addressing the charter cap has resulted
in the loss of millions of dollars in federal grant
money;
- There are two outstanding charter
proposals waiting for Regent Consideration, the Urban
League and the URI Academy;
- Charter public schools provide
the only public school choice option available to
R.I. parents, as required by the federal NCLB Act;
- R.I.’s 11 charter
public schools are moderately/high performing and
are demonstrating success in serving students identified
as at risk, from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly
in urban communities.
|
