By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News

Could we eventually have charter schools in north Jefferson County?

Gov. Bob Riley favors the schools, but it won’t happen without a fight.

The state must pass legislation to allow charter schools in Alabama. Riley is pushing for the state legislature to adopt such a resolution, while the powerful Alabama Education Association (AEA) strongly opposes it.

State Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-51st, recently said he had not yet decided whether to vote for or against charter schools because he had not seen the final version of the bill.

“I’m very concerned and very watchful to see if any of these bills take away from our current school system,” he said.

Treadaway’s own children attend Jefferson County schools. He said if charter-school bills do take away from existing school systems, he will oppose them.

Mortimer Jordan High School principal Barbara Snider said she likes certain aspects that charter schools would bring to Alabama, such as possible federal money, offering parents more choices, and “natural competition.”

“It certainly seems like it would be a boom to Alabama to have charter schools and the good things that come with them,” she said.

What are charter schools?

Plenty of people in Alabama have likely been researching to find out what, exactly, a charter school is.

Many Alabamians do not know what they are because the state is one of only 11 in the nation that does not allow charter schools.

They are public schools, but they operate under different rules as Alabama’s existing public schools.

According to a press release from the governor’s office, the schools “operate under a written contract, or charter, with either a local board of education or the state board of education.”

Charter schools “must follow all state education laws related to accountability, student testing, health and safety, but are free from many of the bureaucratic rules that govern other public schools,” the release stated.

Most students who attend charter schools are reportedly children who are not doing well in other schools.

Charter schools could choose to have a year-round school year. They would not be required to offer teacher tenure.

AEA District 28 UniServe director Jocelyn Schilling said the AEA a problem with that. 

“That scares me a little bit,” she said.

But Snider finds elimination of teacher tenure a good thing.

“I’m not for tenure,” she said. “If people are doing their jobs, they don’t have to worry about tenure.”

Why the push?

Riley said charter schools would better qualify the state for a $200 million chunk of federal education funds.

President Barack Obama has made $4.35 billion available for states in his Race to the Top campaign. Of 500 available points in the Race to the Top competition, charter schools reportedly account for 40 points.

Schilling said the state could qualify for the funds without charter schools, and that bringing in charter schools does not guarantee that the state will even get any of the federal funding.

“It does not require charter schools, it requires innovative thinking,” she said.

Schilling also said that starting charter schools takes money away from existing public schools.

“Why would you take money from Gardendale Elementary, for example, to start a new school, when Gardendale Elementary is doing a fine job?” she said.

Schilling said that schools in north Jefferson County all perform at a high level.

“Communities are happy with the work the schools are doing,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to spend that money elsewhere.”

Schilling said that with another tough budget year looming in Alabama, “it’s nice to think of getting extra money.”

But she said charter schools are not the answer.

Riley said that if Alabama gets the federal funds, the state could use the money for all public schools, not just for charter schools.

Riley said another reason he wants to see charter schools in Alabama is to give parents more options.

“Charter schools will help Alabama’s children, especially those attending habitually low-performing schools,” Riley said in a press release. “Alabama deserves this chance to improve our educational system.”

Also supporting charter schools in Alabama is the State Board of Education. Riley serves as president of the board.