Charter school board to name new director

The State Charter School Board met for the first time last month, marking the hand-off of charter school approval from the State Board of Education to a new governor-appointed board. And this week they will announce a director.

The seven-member board was appointed after the passage of a charter school governance bill, which called for the creation of a board charged with the responsibility of approving new charters.

"You will direct a movement that started on a very small scale . . . and you will set the direction of whether this is a highly successful part of the charter school movement in this state," Darrell White, the governor's education deputy, said at their first meeting.

In the past, charter school hopefuls applied with their districts and then could appeal to the state board. But under the new law, charter applications can go directly to the charter board. However, charters also still have the option of applying through a school district.

Nonetheless, the charter school board is not entirely autonomous. Its decision on charter applications is not the final word, since applicants can still appeal to the State Board of Education.

Even so, board members feel they will be a help to both entities.

"We will be a help not only to charter schools but traditional public education system by alleviating some of the friction . . . in dealing with charter school issues and taking on other responsibilities," said board chairman Brian Allen, a former state representative who wrote and sponsored the charter school legislation in 1998.

The board will eventually meet once a month but will hold extra meetings this summer.

Patricia Bradley, state charter school planning coordinator, said for the next couple of months the board has a big job to do.

"It's exciting, but the contracted time frame is the most challenging," said Bradley, who is in the process of transferring information from her office to the new board. "It's a ton of information. It's understanding the complexities of public education funding and the background of not only the charter schools but public education in general as well as the federal and state laws (for charter schools). "

Time is crucial because of the number of decisions that have to be made immediately for the coming school year.

But Allen said the board is committed to covering the ground that needs to be covered and taking care of the most urgent matters first.

"We're a board that is poised and ready to take action, and I think you will see us move through those issues judiciously, intelligently and prudently," Allen said.