Charting a path to better schools

This week we asked our parent panelists about the two charter schools that are being proposed for the Newport-Mesa area: Should the school board OK their existence?

I generally like the idea of charter schools and believe that we need to try the concept in the Newport-Mesa area. Charter schools are the third choice on my list of public education options.

My first preference is still that regular public schools deliver high-quality education, consistently and equitably, but the glacial pace of change in regular public schools seems to necessitate that we do something to offer students and parents choices beyond just public or private schools. Private schools often provide superior educational opportunities, but are beyond the financial reach of many parents.

My next choice is magnet schools, which we also don’t have in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Some magnet-like ideas are starting to come online in the district with the academies and science programs in some schools, and we’ve had the Gifted and Talented Education program for many years, but none of those are the same as real magnet schools. My kids went to a magnet school in another city early in their educational careers, and the experience and quality of education were excellent. They were in Newport-Mesa’s gifted program when we moved into the district. That was definitely a good program, but it was too limited and took a lot of driving around.

So that leaves us with charter schools, which have the potential to fill lots of gaps. I appreciate the opportunities for specialization, variety and high standards that charter schools offer, but what I think I like most is the accountability. Not all charter schools are successful. Some excel and some fail, but even the failures illustrate how the system works. In many other states and school districts, failed charter schools have been forced to close by their boards or authorizers. The charter schools that have been abysmal failures get washed out fairly quickly. Traditional schools can be abysmal failures for years, and in many cases nothing will change.

Charter schools aren’t a panacea, but they are an opportunity for students and parents to have more of a choice in public education. It’s worth trying.

* MARK GLEASON is a Costa Mesa resident and parent.

It’s a no-brainer that trustees should approve both charter schools. It’s time the Newport-Mesa Unified School District offered parents choice. These two options would be the doors to excellence that many district parents have been dreaming of for years. Also, I know some of our teachers would jump at the chance to teach in a charter school.

But will the trustees have the guts to approve these charters? Not unless the whole community gets involved and tells the trustees it’s time for us to educate our children using 21st century ideas such as the charter school concept. Even if the applicants have done their homework and comply with the state education code, I still won’t be surprised if the trustees come up with reasons to deny the requests.

Charter schools are too threatening to public educators. The leaders of the teachers union, not necessarily the rank and file teachers themselves, like the status quo because of job security. Students succeeding in the charter schools, which are able to do more with less money, might mean others would take notice and change their methods. That would be difficult for some teachers.

John Stossel had a great report on ABC’s “20/20” news program recently. He featured students from Belgium, where the money follows the child and parents have choice. Belgian students outperform American students. Competition means excellence and eliminates mediocrity. With choice, educators must keep parents happy or the parents will chose another school. Our government monopoly, with teachers unions demanding more money all the time, goes against the charter school and school-choice movement because teachers unions lose control.

If parents want their students to excel in science, then let them have a charter school. If other parents want to home-school under a charter school, then let them. What about a fine-arts academy? How about a fundamental charter school like Greenville?

Our children deserve the best. Other districts are approving charter schools. Why not us? It’s time. It’s past time. If trustees don’t approve these schools and other districts do, then those children will be the winners and ours the losers.

* WENDY LEECE is a Costa Mesa parent, former school board member and member of the city’s parks and recreation commission.

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