Ralph Bailey: Our kids deserve innovative charter schools
| Friday, Oct 23 2009 12:00 PM
Last Updated Friday, Oct 23 2009 12:00 PM
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Charter schools are the tsunami of the future and while some believe this new wave could wipe out formal public education, charters will be the new road to a sea of success for disenfranchised children.
"Charter schools are not the end-all-be-all to solve our educational woes," said Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, former superintendent of the Bakersfield City School District. "But at the end of the day, I had kids in my district that could not be reached and ultimately, it's about success and charter schools can provide a setting where these kids can succeed."
While charter schools must adhere to state regulations, they can best be described as "public private schools." They must mirror the demographic make-up of the district they're trying to join. They cannot turn away anyone, including special education children, but their focus comes from the group or individual starting the charter.
Kern County's most recent charter, and perhaps our most innovative, popped up in Delano, where folks at Paramount Farms felt the needs of their employees' kids were not being met.
"We've been funding a lot of education initiatives in communities where our employees live," said William Phillimore, Paramount executive vice president.
He said their focus was not only stemming the tide of dropouts but providing innovative programs that, for example, allow high school students to graduate with an AA degree.
"You mean to tell me kids are going to be graduating high school and entering a four- year college as sophomores?" I asked incredulously.
"That's our intention," Phillimore said, adding the project in Delano is two-fold.
The charter school began a year ago and next school year, Phillimore said, they will construct a master of arts teaching program where young educators will embrace their way of thinking and teaching.
"We believe based on a model at Bard College that we need to change the look of schools through teacher training," he said.
Paramount Farms President Stewart Resnick has ties with Leon Botstein, president of Bard, a small liberal arts school in New York that claims Chevy Chase, "Dallas" star Larry Hagman and "Steely Dan" founder Donald Fegan as alumni.
As part of the school's many institutions, they teamed up with Paramount to form Delano's Paramount Bard Academy.
In the meantime, Damon Smothers waits to have his day before the Greenfield Union School District board.
Smothers, who owns Smothers and Associates, an educational psychology services company for children, hopes to open a charter in 2010 to help bolster the test scores of Latinos and blacks.
Smothers will make his case Oct. 28 and the board will likely make a decision Nov. 18, said Greenfield Superintendent Chris Crawford.
"They must follow the district's guidelines," he said. "They do fall under No Child Left Behind. But the beauty in these schools is their ability to focus on specific needs and then that allows us, as a district, to sit back and examine what we are not doing to service all of our students."
Unlike the antiquated idea of going to school in your own neighborhood, any child can attend any charter school as long as they can get there. The school can focus on any number of areas such as music, art and drama.
And unlike formal public schools, a charter can mandate parent involvement, which I believe is the true bottom line to education. And parent involvement is NOT:
"Have you done your homework?"
"Yes."
"OK, go to bed."
Parent involvement is:
"Have you done your homework?"
"Yes."
"Then come downstairs and let's go over it ... together!"
Recently, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation making things a bit easier for those making this bold effort. SB 592 allows charters to hold title on its buildings. The old law could prevent a school from even being built because the funds for construction must go to the title holder.
And SB 191 simplified the funding formula creating a uniformed funding process and calming the nerves of those frazzled by the financial burden on school districts.
Bottom line, if there are folks like Damon Smothers and Paramount Farms who want to help fill the crack in which so many of our children seem to be plummeting, then God bless them. Let them continue to shake up our educational system so we can ride the wave they've created well into the 21st century.
Our most prized possessions deserve no less.
Ralph Bailey is one of four conservative community columnists whose work appears here every Saturday. These are the opinions of Bailey, not necessarily The Californian's. You can e-mail him at rbailey@bakersfield.com. Next week: Heather Ijames.
