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Local legislators split on charter school law

Alabama hasn't had live thoroughbred racing in years, but there's still been plenty of political jockeying in the days following Gov. Robert Bentley's signing the School Choice and Student Opportunity Act into law.

Republicans hail the legislation, which allows the creation of public charter schools in Alabama, as a creative pathway that provides parents more freedom as to where their child is educated.

Conversely, Democrats have blasted the new law as a useless sidestep around the real problem—a need for educational reform—in Alabama.

House Minority Leader Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) went so far as to label the bill a “scam” as he urged Bentley to veto the legislation earlier this month.

Just like with the budget crisis, legislative leaders are avoiding the problem. They are not actually helping or fixing failing schools,” Ford said.

Hours after Bentley signed SB45 into law, Alabama Republican Party Chairwoman Terry Lathan lauded the legislation as real reform for Alabama education.

While there is no quick fix, the establishment of public charter schools in our state will allow our students, parents and teachers the opportunity to make a true difference in the education and future of Alabama,” Lathan said.

Locally, the Franklin County legislative delegation was split in its support of the charter school bill. Rep. Ken Johnson (R-Moulton) and Sen. Larry Stutts (R-Tuscumbia) supported the measure while Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow (D-Red Bay) voted against it.

This legislation will likely set Alabama's educational system back 50 years or more. The only winners from this charter school bill are Bob Riley and his cronies in Montgomery,” Morrow said, referring to the ex-governor and his lobbyist associates.

The recurring theme for Republicans is 'choice,' as Johnson explained.

We continue to tie the hands of our educators to be flexible and be innovative. That's part of what we want to see happen,” Johnson said. “42 other states and Washington, D.C., have this choice for children and parents. With 43 other systems in existence, we are able to learn from their mistakes and choose what is most effective. We're not reinventing the wheel here. It's the ability to build off successes and learn from the failures of those charter school systems that existed before ours,” Johnson added.

Johnson believes charter schools will allow public school systems more flexibility in meeting particularlized educational needs.

A charter is a contract. Each system has the freedom to take a particular school in the community and charter it. They develop a plan of how that school needs to provide to the community educational needs not currently being provided, or that can be better provided,” Johnson said.

School systems can take that school and utilize innovative ideas not otherwise available in this traditional structure where we're seeing continuing failure in some systems in this state. In those areas, parents are crying out for options,” Johnson added.

Alabama Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley strongly disagreed.

The charter school bill does nothing to help failing schools, and, based on every other state's experience, will do little, if anything, to improve education. In fact, history has shown they may very likely lead to millions of dollars in fraud and waste,” Worley said.

Predictably partisan voting lines were followed on Alabama's charter school bill, with all but 13 House Republicans voting in favor. One Democrat abstained while the rest of House Democrats voted against the legislation. After the House modified the bill from its original form, the Alabama Senate concurred by a vote of 24-11, also largely along party lines.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools operated by non-profit corporations or entities. They must be open to all children and may not charge tuition. Charter schools are not subject to the educational and teaching criteria that govern public schools. That also allows charter schools to employ teachers who do not meet Alabama public school teaching criteria and qualifications, another controversial part of the law.

We received tremendous public input prior to enacting this law, including from charter school educators in Georgia, where the system has been a tremendous success. Just because it doesn't say they have to, doesn't mean these schools won't hire highly certified teachers and instructors,” Johnson said.

We're giving some flexibility to these systems to do some unique things. Under existing Alabama law, you can have a four-year degree or masters degree in a particular subject, but until you get a one-year teaching certificate, you can't teach in our present system. No matter how well you know a subject, you've got to have a piece of paper saying you're certified. Even Bill Gates would not able to teach in Alabama under our present system,” Johnson added.

Up to 10 public charter schools may be created each year for the first five years under the new law, but no limit exists on how many charter schools can be converted from traditional public schools by existing systems. 

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