PSEA+PRESIDENT+SAYS+PROPOSED+CHANGES+TO+CHARTER+SCHOOL+LAW+UNDERMINE+PUBLIC++EDUCATION+AND+LOCAL+CONTROL

= Calls for public input and meaningful review =

=(HARRISBURG, June 23, 2011) – The president of the state’s largest school employee union called on= =state legislators to allow for meaningful public review of legislation that would dramatically expand the= =number of charter schools, after a bill not even formally introduced has been quietly pushed for a fast-= =track floor vote.= =“Some members of the state House of Representatives are making a last-minute push to pass new= =legislation to allow the state to award charters to for-profit companies to take over hundreds of public= =schools, diverting even more funding from programs that our students need,” said James P. Testerman,= =president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. “This legislation allows a state board to= =impose charters on districts, taking decisions about the schools in a community away from local= =taxpayers.”= =Testerman pointed out that the General Assembly is winding down the number of available session days= =before adjourning for the summer. Testerman urged leaders of the state House of Representatives to= =slow down long enough to answer serious questions about House Bill 1711.= =The bill, which is currently only available in draft form and could be amended into other legislation,= =would nearly double the number of charter schools in the Commonwealth.= =Since the Pennsylvania charter school law’s enactment in 1997, the requirement that school districts= =fund charter school operations has cost school districts billions of taxpayer dollars. Pennsylvania’s public= =schools paid charter schools a total of $707.6 million for tuition of 73,054 students during the 2008-2009= =school year.= =Earlier this year, Gov. Tom Corbett proposed to eliminate the $224 million in state funding to school= =districts for charter school reimbursement, as part of a nearly $1 billion cut in public education funding.= =“At a time when Pennsylvania’s public schools face unprecedented cuts in state aid, rushing through= =important charter school legislation without even considering the fiscal impact is irresponsible,”= =Testerman said. “Quality charter schools can be a valuable component of the Commonwealth’s= =education system, but significant questions should be addressed in a careful manner. Charter schools= =aren’t a silver bullet solution to the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s struggling schools.”= =A study released by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes in April 2011= =shows that students in Pennsylvania charter schools on average make smaller learning gains in reading= =and math than their traditional public school counterparts. The Stanford study notes that strong= =examples of quality charters do exist in the state, but policymakers need to "drive quality throughout= =the sector.”= =“At the very least, the Stanford University findings suggest that state lawmakers should proceed= =cautiously before approving rapid expansion of charter school development,” Testerman said. “To= =confront the challenges of improving public schools that are struggling, the General Assembly should= =empower parents, teachers, principals, and other professionals to make decisions about what is best for= =their students, rather than for-profit charter operators. I encourage state lawmakers to look at PSEA’s= =proposal for site-based decision making for struggling schools.”= =Pennsylvania currently has 135 charter schools and 12 cyber charter schools. H.B. 1711 would allow as= =many as 92 school districts – the lowest performing 10 percent of school districts on state standardized= =reading or math tests – to convert individual school buildings into charter schools.= =If judged by the same standards applied to traditional public schools in the draft legislation, student= =performance in nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s charter schools currently in operation would place= =those schools in the bottom 10 percent, targeting them for takeover by the state.= =Under current law, conversion of a traditional public school to a charter school requires approval from= =public school districts. Under H.B. 1711, charter school operators would have the option of applying to= =the district or a state board. The board would include three appointees by the governor and four by= =legislative leaders of both parties.= =Testerman is a science teacher in the Central York School District. A state affiliate of the National= =Education Association, PSEA represents approximately 191,000 future, active and retired teachers and= =school employees, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.= = = = = = = =News= =home=