Charter schools to be held accountable for finances, academics

SALT LAKE CITY — The State Charter School Board approved a new measure of accountability for charter schools June 10.

In exchange for freedom from district rule, charter schools, which operate on tax-payer dollars, devise achievement contracts with the state. The State Office of Education has always monitored charter school finances and academics but, until now, there was no way to determine whether or not the schools were living up to their own unique promises, said Marlies Burns, director of charter schools at the State Office of Education.

"One of the key ideas behind charter schools in Utah is that trade-off: fewer restrictions equals more accountability," Burns said. "We are just starting to measure that accountability in a more quantitative way."

The new assessment will take a look at student's progress over time, post-secondary school readiness, board performance and community engagement — among other things. While most oversight is currently based on self-reported statistics, Burns said the new assessment will be "evidence based."

"Rather than just saying we're good, we can quantify that," she said.

Training will start this fall, but it will take two years to get the program fully instituted, Burns said.

Charter School representatives, for the most part, approve.

"If you're going to write a charter and make an application to the State Board of Education, you had better be willing and able to follow through with what you've promised," said Eric Lindsey, principal of West Valley City's East Hollywood High School. "Charter schools are public schools, and we ought to be held accountable to the public."

e-mail: estuart@desnews.com