New Hampshire
Center for School Reform
Bi-Weekly
Newsletter
June 18, 2004
We are pleased to bring attention to New Hampshire's
progress.
Please direct inquiries to Susan Hollins (susan@nhschoolreform.org)
NEW CHARTER SCHOOL
LEGISLATION, JUNE 11 2004
New Hampshire Senate
Bill 421, relative to charter schools, was approved
and is in effect at this time. The bill adds several
new components to our charter school law. Helpful
provisions refine charter applications and the
process of initial approval.
One new purpose is
added to the law in section 1-a: "to encourage
the establishment of charter schools that meet the
needs and interests of pupils, parents, communities,
regions, and the state as a whole."
State-authorized charter schools were intended to
allow for multi-district, regional, and statewide
charters. The local authorization was intended only
for one district (this model doesn’t work very well
even for one district and couldn’t have worked for
multiple districts or choice schools for whole
regions.
The State Board of
Education must consider charter school approvals
based on Section 1-a of the law--the law’s purpose.
And so now it is clear that one acceptable purpose
is meeting regional and statewide interests and
needs.
For the complete text
of SB 421, as it was passed, click here.
Our explanation of the
changes to charter school law will be posted as an
advisory next week.
SPEAKING OF SCHOOLS
SERVING REGIONS AND THE STATE….
The
Laurent
Clerc Academy is an
academically-oriented school designed for students
who are deaf and need a complete ASL-English
bilingual environment. LCA was supported by the
members of the legislature, organizations and
specialists aware of the need for a high-quality
academic academy in New Hampshire, and the state’s
Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Applications are now
being accepted. Professionals involved with planning
are meeting with parents and school districts that
want more information. Top administrators at the
nation’s two most prestigious colleges for deaf
students have agreed to participate with the Board
of Trustees. Space in Concord is identified and
being readied. Schools and parents wanting more
information should contact
Susan
Wolfe-Downes
Delayed start-up
funding is LCA’s challenge, but the steering
committee is positive that citizens and the state
will pull together to assure this school will be up
and running in September.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
ONLINE
Our web site continues
to update advisory postings for public charter
school start-ups. New technical assistance sections
are added each week and are easy to find on the
left-hand bar under “START-UP HELP.” Topics posted
include finding banks, employer ID numbers, filing
with the IRS, obtaining board liability insurance,
understanding workers compensation, teacher
retirement options, and more. Suggestions and
feedback welcome. Soon to come: admissions and
lottery requirements.
PLANNING TO OPEN IN
SEPTEMBER
District public
schools are winding down and headed for summer
vacation, but in four areas of the state, charter
school founders and Boards of Trustees are working
triple speed to bring charter schools online for
September:
North Country Alternative Charter School—last
news is a plan to open this interesting chartered
high school in Littleton first and
to open in a second
location mid-year,
Franklin Career Academy—moving day is
tomorrow; applications are being accepted now for
this high school program based on a
nationally-recognized charter school in Providence,
Rhode Island. Students from outside Franklin are
welcome to apply.
Seacoast Charter School—the state’s first
elementary charter school will serve students in
grades 3-6 with a rigorous academic curriculum, a
comprehensive arts program, and thematic curriculum.
SCS is now accepting applications in the seacoast
region and has hired its first teachers.
The
Laurent Clerc Academy—plans
to open in September serving students in grades 1-8
who are deaf or hard of hearing and need or desire a
bilingual ASL-English environment. The school is the
last approved school among those planning to open
this September.
Information on all
charter schools planning to open in New Hampshire
can be found at our
web
site.
WHAT IS A CHARTER
SCHOOL?
It’s good to keep in
mind that the charter school initiative is a
national initiative for education, with significant
bi-partisan support nationwide.
Federal law defines a
charter school. The essential elements are 1) the
charter school created as a “public school” and the
charter school being free from excessive regulation
that inhibits flexible operation. These are the most
important provisions of the charter school law to
keep before us as public policy is developed:
From federal law….
(1) CHARTER SCHOOL- The term charter school' means a
public school that —
(A) in accordance with
a specific State statute authorizing the granting of
charters to schools, is exempt from significant
State or local rules that inhibit the flexible
operation and management of public schools, but not
from any rules relating to the other requirements of
this paragraph;
(B) is created by a developer as a public school, or
is adapted by a developer from an existing public
school, and is operated under public supervision and
direction;
(C) operates in pursuit of a specific set of
educational objectives determined by the school's
developer and agreed to by the authorized public
chartering agency;
(D) provides a program of elementary or secondary
education, or both….
NEW READ
ON SCHOOL CHOICE
This publication focuses on the
implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act's
public school choice provisions. It is the first
publication of what is promised to be a series on
the topic of choice and federal law. Chapters
include How Districts Build the Infrastructure for
Choice and Outstanding School Districts in the area
of choice programs and leadership. .
