Reader comments
Charter-school applicants face budget cuts, new timelines

Anonymous | 4:31 p.m. June 26, 2009

The legislature is really stupid, I know that does not need to be said.

A couple years ago, they changed the way Charter Schools were approved to the current approval 18 months or so BEFORE opening. This was so the Charter Schools could do things like have a building built or lease secured, BEFORE the school year began.

Do the legislators not remember that they changed this law? I know another dumb and unnecessary statement.

Now, these five Charter Schools will be force to have a building built and ready for occupancy in less then five months! It has been proven in the past that this is not logical or possible, especially if the weird weather of May and June 2009 occurs in May and June 2010.

The legislature needs to decide during the first week of session if there is money or not and let the five Charter Schools know if they will be opening or not by then end of that week. At least that way they can sign contracts or not and build/lease or not.

Anonymous | 8:33 a.m. June 27, 2009

Annon is exactly right. Clearly parents (taxpayers) want these schools. More than 60% of the states student growth choose charters. Why then does the legislature continue to change the rules, it's almost like they want them to fail hmmmm.

Anonymous | 7:04 p.m. June 27, 2009

Because the legislature, like the general population, is realizing that charters aren't all they were cracked up to be.

Too many are failing experiments that are harming our kids.

Comments continue below

@ Anon 7:04 | 9:17 a.m. June 28, 2009

If charter schools are performing so poorly, why do they have huge waiting lists? Is it because, as the UEA/PTA believe, that parents are not experts and are making bad choices?

JMT | 9:41 a.m. June 28, 2009

I agree that some charter schools are failing. Fact is, by percentage more traditional public schools are failing. Do we close them down? NO!

The fact that the teachers union insists on closing failing charter schools but refuse to address their own failing schools tells us what this is all about: Power. period!

Any public school, charter or traditional, that fails X number of years in a row should be flat out closed. Make it 2 or 3 years. I was at the recent national charter school convention and spoke to the executive director of charter schools from Tennessee. There, if a charter school fails two years in a row they are closed. All public schools should be as tough.

Should we be surprised that in Tennessee no charter schools are failing. They either produce results or they are gone. No reason we shouldn't do the same thing with all public schools in Utah. If we did that I would bet that 15% of all public schools would close tomorrow. Not a bad idea. Failing is failing. Let the kids go to a school that works.

give me a break | 1:03 p.m. June 28, 2009

charters are failing because they are run by parents who have NO experience running anything. but they think they know what they are talking about. that is the danger. i tried mva and was sorry i did. after their board ousted the only people that knew how to run the school the school went down the toilet fast. what a disaster.

Anonymous | 3:36 p.m. June 28, 2009

Uh if a public schools shows no progress on AYP for two years, they are in some serious trouble.

They can and will be taken over by the state. It is happening in areas where schools are truly lousy. Utah isn't one of those places. In fact other states are coming here to find out how we are having the success we do.

Search the NCLB documents for the consequences of failing.

Anonymous | 8:39 p.m. June 28, 2009

If a school is failing AYP it DOES not matter unless that school is a title one school. Besides it is EASY to fudge the numbers or change the tests so that students can meet grade level every other year. So far the state has done a great job hiding failure.

We should be closing down most of the underperforming schools, Charter and Public and offering something completely different. School should be MOSTLY at home anyway.

What we need are more days of school and less time each day. Teach the kids in three hours the material and send them home to do it. We should cease to babysit and start to educate.

Anonymous | 8:48 a.m. June 29, 2009

Far more traditional schools fail AYP than charters, so much for all those PHD's.

Gee, maybe parents really do know whats better for their kids than the Educrats!

JMT | 8:50 a.m. June 29, 2009

I've seen the chart that lays out what happens when a school fails AYP. The first clue that the chart is meant as a joke is that it goes on for 8 years! Think about that, a school can fail AYP 8 years in a row and then...(drum roll)...nothing. They aren't forced to close it even then.

Utah is a joke in this area. There are no real consequences for failure. No heads roll, jobs are not lost but maybe switched around. Yada, yada, yada.

And think of this from another angle. 8 years means a students entire education experience at an elementary school, middle, junior or high school could be in a failing situation. In fact, in many parts of the state a child will go from K through graduation in nothing but failing schools. No wonder they don't go onto college, even graduate.

Please, there are no consequences for failure in Utah. Charter schools a little more as if they get shuffled out they aren't reassigned to another school. For traditional schools, rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

MrH | 1:47 p.m. June 29, 2009

Close the failing schools? Why are they failing? Does location have ANYTHING to do with it? If so, does bringing in a new group change anything?

charteradvocate | 10:09 p.m. July 2, 2009

I don't think the financial backpack is going to be designed to include private schools.

The best thing about a charter school is that you can choose to go to it or not. If it'll help your kid, great go, if it won't, then choose to stay at a district school or exercise a different option.

Without charter schools, most of us are limited to the flavor the district wants to feed us.

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2 photos

Tom Smart, Deseret News

Teacher Heather Isaac, left, tutors students Dee Isaac, Jason Weatbrook and Hasivie Rosas Thursday at Ogden Preparatory Academy, which is the 2009 Utah Charter School of the Year.

Gallery (2 photos)