Charter-school bill filed: Regaining the 'promised land'

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008

Charter-school bill filed: Regaining the 'promised land'

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) A school-choice bill filed Tuesday by Rep. Stan Lee would add Kentucky to a growing list of states with charter schools.

House Bill 578 would allow local school boards, universities or local governments to sponsor charter schools public schools operated by groups of parents, teachers, other individuals or private organizations.

More than 40 states, including six of the seven states bordering Kentucky, offer parents the option of enrolling students in charter schools. A recent survey commissioned by the Bluegrass Institute found that 79 percent of Kentuckians favored allowing parents to have more choices in determining where children attend school.

Charter schools operate free of many of government restrictions, including teacher-union hiring mandates, which hamper some traditional public schools. These schools have more flexibility in approach and policy, including theme-based core curriculums, longer school days, requiring parental involvement and using alternative teaching techniques.

A leader of Louisville's black community called upon lawmakers to support more educational choices for parents, including a charter-school law.

"Education was a hallmark of the Civil Rights Movement," said Pastor Jerry Stephenson, chairman of Values Coalition U.S.A. and minister of Louisville's Midwest Church of Christ. "Civil-rights leaders like Dr. King believed that education was the key to bringing our people to the promised land to enjoy the richness of this nation."

The forced busing policy included in Jefferson County's desegregation policy, which was recently ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, "tore down our neighborhood schools, took away our neighborhood schools and caused us to lose ground in the education of our children," Stephenson said.

"Charter schools, we believe is the option that would allow the community, the family, the education system and the faith community to regain the value of education not only for African-American children but for all children in our community," Stephenson said.
 

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 For interview information, contact Jim Waters, director of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute. He can be reached at (270) 782-2140 or jwaters@bipps.org.