For Immediate Release: September 8, 1999

Effective Charter Schools Can Only Flourish Under Strong Legislation

San Francisco, CA – The establishment of charter schools – deregulated public schools run by community groups, including parents and teachers – is a powerful new movement that is expanding the options of parents and students, freeing educators from regulatory burdens, and pointing the way to wider choice in education, according to Expanding the Charter Idea: A Template for Legislative and Policy Reform, a new study by the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy.

"Charter schools are given latitude in designing curricula, hiring staff, and contracting for services in return for meeting the educational goals of their charter," explain authors Pamela Riley and K. Lloyd Billingsley. "From zero charter schools in 1991, there are now more than 1,100 charter schools in 36 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. That in itself is proof that the American public wants serious reform."

The authors caution that charter schools will only be successful in states that produce strong charter-school legislation. Strong legislation, as outlined in the study, enables:

• Multiple sponsors of charter schools, other than local school boards;
• Few or no restrictions on the number of charter schools and long charter terms;
• An appeal process for denied charters;
• A process for private schools to convert to charter status;
• Automatic exemption from education codes and restrictive legislation;
• Full funding, equal with other public schools, along with start-up funds; and,
• Legal and financial autonomy.

"Without such enabling legislation, states end up doing nothing more than preserving the status quo," say Riley and Billingsley. "About 50 percent of current charter school legislation is too weak, including legislation in states such as Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. On the other hand, strong legislation does exist. For example, Arizona, Michigan, California, and New York have enacted effective charter laws."

The study also examines the success rate of charter schools. An examination of the surveys about charter schools shows that there are high levels of parental satisfaction and minority participation.

"The charter school movement," say Riley and Billingsley, "is the first step toward true education reform. The success of these schools confirms that full parental choice in education should be the long-term goal of all policymakers who claim to have the best interests of children and the future of the nation at heart."

But the authors warn that charter schools are being threatened by "regulatory creep". "If legislators begin to add additional restrictions on charter schools," the authors caution, "charter schools could wind up being merely standard public schools with a new name, delivering the same second-rate results."

For a copy of Expanding the Charter School Idea: A Template for Legislative and Policy Reform, contact Laura Dykes by phone at 415.989.0833x113, by fax at 415.989.2411, or by e-mail at ldykes@pacificresearch.org or visit PRI’s web site at http://www.pacificresearch.org.

# # #

For a copy of Expanding the Charter School Idea: A Template for Legislative and Policy Reform, contact Laura Dykes by phone at 415.989.0833x113, by fax at 415.989.2411, or by e-mail at ldykes@pacificresearch.org  or visit PRI’s web site at http://www.pacificresearch.org.

The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility. The Institute believes these principles are best encouraged through policies that emphasize a free economy, private initiative, and limited government. By focusing on public policy issues such as health care, welfare, education, and the environment, the Institute strives to foster a better understanding of the principles of a free society among leaders in government, academia, the media, and the business community.