Boardbuzz

CHARTER SCHOOLS: Bad for Seattle, good for Buffalo?

The Seattle and Buffalo school boards are taking polar opposite approaches to charter schools. The Buffalo board is proposing a decentralized network of district charter schools called the Renaissance Project Schools Initiative. The board says this effort will be a cornerstone of its “vigorous reform agenda” to promote student achievement, enhance parent choice, and nurture the district’s financial stability. In Seattle, however, the school board is expected to pass a resolution this week opposing state charter school legislation. Board member Darlene Flynn tells the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “We want improvement across the system for all children. Charter schools are sort of the opposite of that.” The Seattle Times takes the board to task for their position. A recent study from the Brookings Institution looks at positive and negative implementations and implications of “school choice,” encompassing public school choice, charter schools, and private school vouchers. NSBA believes publicly accountable local school boards should be the charter-granting authority in their communities (see Resolution #5).

admin|January 5th, 2004|Categories: Boardbuzz, Governance|

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