What kind of "choice" do we support?

Personally, I support school choice.

However, I do not support tax dollars going anywhere but the public school system. Tax dollars have no business being sent anywhere else. It is a public fund just like any other tax.

I do not drive on all the roads in my community, but the taxes setup for the road building/repair system is spent throughout the state without my direct consent.

Teach your children however you want, but understand that tax money is a public fund and will not follow your choice.

Peter, the "official" stance is anti-for profit charters (or non-school district operated charters).

If the charter school takes no public funding of any kind, makes no profit, allows its board of directors to make no profit, encourages union membership for its staff, is subject to local administration and control, is subject to all the laws and rules to which all public schools in the community are subject, takes all students regardless of level of poverty or special need, and takes students from all demographics in the same proportions that the rest of the community takes, then I support the charter school. If any of these necessary components is missing, then, naturally, I do not support the charter, as it is absolutely bad for the community.

No, I do not support publicly funded charters.

They are private schools in all but name (and the source of their funding)

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As from wikipedia:

So if they are public schools then why is their autonomy?  If autonomy is such a key to success and charter schools are "public" then why don't traditional public schools get this kind of autonomy?

Many charter schools, here in Indianapolis, do not have to follow state rules on teacher licensing.  Teachers can be hired (and fired) at the will of the owners.  They can be selective about the students that they accept.  While there are certainly rules they have to follow, there is not any oversight to ensure fair processing of applicants.  Public schools have no ability to choose students all students within the district are automatically accepted.

A good example is the charter that took over John Marshall here in Indianapolis.  A school that previously had over 1000 students before the charter.  Many students did not want to go to the charter so they automatically went to the nearest public school.  No student that "refuses" to go to a public school will automatically attend the nearest charter.

The simple fact that there is an admissions process gives it a lot of similarity with a private school.

Finally, the fact of ownership plays into it.  No one person or corporation owns a public school.  It is owned by the tax payers of the community.  And if these people accept their responsibilities as a part of their community then they also have direct decision making ability through elected board members & attending board meetings.

Charter schools may or may not work under such a program.  Most of the local charters here are ran by companies.  Some are non-profit and some are for-profit, but either way there is a company/corporation that is essentially in charge of the school.  Not the tax payers of the community.  Much like private schools, which are ran by an organization, whether religious or not.