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So perhaps now the distinction made should be between"for-profit" charters and "non-profit" charters. And the census bureau acknowledges that most are run by "non-profit" groups.
Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.
~ Chinese Proverb
But I'm not sure that still can be used to determine if a charter is a public school or not. "Non-profit" vs "profit" might make a distinction between charter schools, but I don't think it makes a distinction between public or private.
Also, we must be carful about what we call a "non-profit". There are some "non-profits" that pay outrageous salaries to consultants, administrators, and other non-teaching positions.
Do students in charters have the same rights as students in public schools?
I think charter schools conveniently play both sides of the fence. They are public when it suits them, and private when they don't want to play by the rules.
I teach at a charter school because after looking for 7 months it was the only position available. I have been there 3 years now. The pay is horrible. The working conditions are intolerable. Yet, I have heard many, many worse horror stories from large charter organization teachers (like Imagine and Bennet and Horizon Science) Even though I feed and clothe and house my family with money made at a charter school, I do not think they are the answer to education. I admit that so many of our kids would not make it in an overcrowded Toledo Public classroom with their behavior problems, I feel that we are short changing them by having our chartering organization take their profit from the gross, leaving us what is left over to run this school. We had two years with almost no turnover since no one else was hiring and we got a lot better (from academic emergency to effective in 2 years) but we are starting this year missing 4 of 11 teachers from last year. We shall see. I feel like this is my make it or break it year. I almost feel like I would accrue less debt going back to school for my PhD...
PK-12 Certified Visual Art Specialist,
Teaching K-8 Visual Arts and Music in Toledo, Ohio
My personal opinion is that the creation of charter schools, from the beginning, was a wedge to divide public schools in order to make room for for-profit schools. I do not believe it is an accident.
A charter school, or charter teacher, is not inherently a bad thing. However, the doors they open are definitely an a front to public education.
This is a battle with politicians and billionaires who have successfully created a divide amongst teachers & parents. They successfully created a crisis, provided a "solution" and are now pushing their agenda full force.
Sadly, the charter movement can not be rewind-ed, which means that we teachers need to stick together more than ever. No matter where we teach.
High School Chemistry Teacher. 7th year HS teaching. Franklin Central. Indianapolis, In
I think charter schools conveniently play both sides of the fence. They are public when it suits them, and private when they don't want to play by the rules.
Wasn't this their original purpose? To be public schools that could make their own executive choices and educational choices (as long as they showed results?)
Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.
~ Chinese Proverb
I teach at a charter school because after looking for 7 months it was the only position available. I have been there 3 years now. The pay is horrible. The working conditions are intolerable. Yet, I have heard many, many worse horror stories from large charter organization teachers (like Imagine and Bennet and Horizon Science) Even though I feed and clothe and house my family with money made at a charter school, I do not think they are the answer to education. I admit that so many of our kids would not make it in an overcrowded Toledo Public classroom with their behavior problems, I feel that we are short changing them by having our chartering organization take their profit from the gross, leaving us what is left over to run this school. We had two years with almost no turnover since no one else was hiring and we got a lot better (from academic emergency to effective in 2 years) but we are starting this year missing 4 of 11 teachers from last year. We shall see. I feel like this is my make it or break it year. I almost feel like I would accrue less debt going back to school for my PhD...
Kimberlie - do you know anything about an Eagle charter in Toledo? My son is headed there now for an interview. Thanks!
That one I have heard nothing about. Which is good, because horror stories tend to travel fast. They will all be underfunded, over strict on things that seem superfluous and lacking in substance where it seems it is needed the most. BUT, most of us stuck in the charter world (not for lack of effort) are bending enough of the "school rules" to try to give the kids the best possible education they can get. The pay is horrible and raises are usually not guaranteed (I even have a union and we will not get ours this year) and the student population often includes kids that were not functional in other schools. My school is 99.3% poverty but we do not have a social worker! One of our teachers left for Eagle this year.
PK-12 Certified Visual Art Specialist,
Teaching K-8 Visual Arts and Music in Toledo, Ohio
But I'm not sure that still can be used to determine if a charter is a public school or not. "Non-profit" vs "profit" might make a distinction between charter schools, but I don't think it makes a distinction between public or private.
Also, we must be carful about what we call a "non-profit". There are some "non-profits" that pay outrageous salaries to consultants, administrators, and other non-teaching positions.
Do students in charters have the same rights as students in public schools?
I also don't think the bar should be set at not-for-profit. Remember, the NFL is not-for-profit. I think when anyone can be excluded or the school operates under different rules than a public school it is a threat to the public school system.
Last Edit: Aug 25, 2013 13:58:08 GMT -5 by realteacher43