New Hampshire
Center for School Reform
Bi-Weekly
Newsletter
July 22, 2004
We are pleased to bring attention to New Hampshire's
progress.
In this edition:
Please direct inquiries to Susan Hollins (susan@nhschoolreform.org)
NON-PROFITS PROPOSE CREATION OF CHARTERED PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
Non-profit organizations for mental health, mountain
climbing, fitness, science, or even equestrianism
can design chartered schools because NH charter
public school law allows and requires this.
RSA 194-B:3.V: Entities eligible to submit an
application to establish a charter school shall
include: (a) a nonprofit organization including but
not limited to a college, university, museum,
service club, or similar entity.
Parents and teachers may also start a charter
school; however, Rule ED 318.03 requires “Persons
or entities eligible to apply to establish a charter
school shall be organized as a non-profit
corporation in accordance with the provisions of
RSA 292.” In sum: all public charter
school applications must come from voluntary,
non-profit 292 corporations which are registered
with the NH Secretary of State.
The forms to file are found here.
Once a charter application is authorized to come
into existence, however, the private, non-profit
parent organization is no longer in charge. The
public charter school is born as a separate, legal,
public entity, fashioned after the New Hampshire SAU
(school administrative unit) model.
What is a charter public school? See our web site
for
Charter School Basics.
CITY CHARTER SCHOOL SYSTEMS…Thriving in Florida
In New Hampshire, we still await our first chartered
public school. In Florida, however, the newest idea
is city systems with multiple charter schools.
Pembroke Pines city opened 7 charter schools to
respond to growth and parents are thrilled.
New Hampshire’s statute makes it very difficult for
local school districts and school leaders to
establish chartered schools, even when funded by
re-arranging their own resources. The local approval
provisions of
RSA 194-B:3, III, are so complicated districts
cannot even use them! Why take a whole year to ask
permission to enable the district to use an enabling
law? We can do better than this.
Cities in other states are making good use of the
chartered, choice public school model…like
Pembroke Pines.
CHARTER SCHOOL PROGRESS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
At a Department of
Education program for charter school starters, July
21st, Hope Fitzgerald received a
present—a long-awaited check to design a specialty
chartered school serving 24 autistic children.
Hope for Autism, the non-profit sponsor, finally
is launched. This charter school promises the best
techniques for assuring the high developmental
levels of autistic children.
Georgene Sellinger
represented The
New Hampshire Alliance for Equestrian Studies,
designing a charter high school with a focus on
equestrian careers. Georgene reminded the group that
the bar for jumping is called a
“standard”—humorously reflecting how charter school
development is about setting high standards and then
jumping over the bar. Their school has already
connected to colleges offering equestrian studies
degrees.
Franklin Career Academy’s Carol Sideris
mentioned 39 requests for admission and a September
opening moving right along. From Keene (Charter
Academy for Environmental Sciences) and the
North Country (Alternative
High Charter School) to Exeter (Seacoast
Charter School) and Goffstown (Charter
High School for 11th and 12th
grades), the room was buzzing with energy and
excitement about the design and opening of high
standards, choice independent public schools in New
Hampshire.
Two new projects have
been funded to design a charter school in New
Hampshire: New London and Henniker.
Host Roberta Tenney
said “A year ago, there were no projects…and look at
the energy in this room today. Charter Schools are
the Research and Development arm of the Department
of Education now. It’s so very exciting for all of
us.”
[Note: The
legislature passed a new Pilot Project for charter
schools effective July 1, 2003—allowing the State
Board of Education to authorize 20 chartered public
schools over 10 years. Six (6) school applications
have been approved and there are approx. 20 projects
in the design stage. New Hampshire received a 7.2
million federal grant to support the opening of 15
high-standards, chartered public schools.]
THOMAS JEFFERSON’S ADEQUATE EDUCATION VISION
Thomas Jefferson’s Vision for Public Education was
based on every young student, male and female,
mastering reading, writing, and arithmetic at an
early age. The Intermediate school had a rigorous
academic standard—trigonometry, philosophy,
mechanical principles, Greek & Latin languages.
"The public education... we divide into three
grades: 1. Primary schools, in which are taught
reading, writing, and common arithmetic, to every
infant of the State, male and female. 2.
Intermediate schools, in which an education is given
proper for artificers and the middle vocations of
life; in grammar, for example, general history,
logarithms, arithmetic, plane trigonometry,
mensuration, the use of the globes, navigation, the
mechanical principles, the elements of natural
philosophy, and, as a preparation for the
University, the Greek and Latin languages. 3. An
University, in which these and all other useful
sciences shall be taught in their highest degree;
the expenses of these institutions are defrayed
partly by the public, and partly by the individuals
profiting of them." --Thomas Jefferson to A.
Coray, 1823. ME 15:487
Schools that offer a classical education and set
high academic standards are in demand. Under the
chartered public or choice model, any town or city
might host a choice academy with high academic
standards. That is, if you can find a space.
CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES…or…WHERE, OH WHERE, CAN MY
LITTLE SCHOOL GO?
Our charter law allows a school to “…acquire
property by lease, lease with an option to purchase,
or by gift for use as a school facility.” But
there’s a catch! There can be so many zoning
restrictions that the little public schools can’t
even lease! The Town of Exeter recently denied a
building owner’s petition to let
Seacoast Charter School
lease a great space for its school, following
Chapter 674. So how can chartered schools lease and
open? According to
RSA 674:54, only the governor can declare a
“government use exemption”…but only for endangerment
of public safety. Seems we need another
exemption--to allow space for chartered public
schools!
Any reader with a
space suggestion for one classroom in the greater
Exeter area, please
contact us.
SUCCESSFUL CHARTER SCHOOLS REPORT FROM THE U.S.
OFFICE OF EDUCATION
A
new publication the U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement
highlights eight outstanding charter schools,
successful over time in boosting student
achievement. While they are all getting remarkable
results, each takes a unique, innovative approach.
These schools demonstrate the powerful potential of
chartering.
The publication can be
downloaded here.
UPCOMING LAW
CONFERENCE
The 11th Annual Education
Law Conference, held in
Portland at U. Maine School of Law, has
pre-conference session July 26--KEEPING STUDENTS
SAFE: Responding to Bullying and Harassment--and
a post-conference AUTISM special, July 30.
Useful sessions for new school leaders, from a list of fine
choices:
·
July 27th a.m. - Discipline &
Reality; How to Hire a School Attorney & Advisors
·
July 27th p.m. - Educator
Misconduct; Teacher Pay & Performance
·
July 28th a.m. -
Charter School Primer (Susan Hollins & Kathleen
Shoenberg, Esq.)
·
July 28th p.m. - High Stakes Testing
& Standards; School Choice & Urban Reform
·
July 29th a.m. -
Sick Buildings and Allergies; Children and the Law
·
July 29th p.m. - K-20 School Reform;
Legislation and No Child Left Behind
The conference brings together a diverse,
national group of educators, attorneys, and
policy-makers to discuss legal issues of concern to
K12. This is a great chance for new school managers
to learn details on important school law issues.
More info at
www.edlaw.org; to register contact
University
of Southern Maine, Department of Conferences,
68 High St.,
Portland, ME 04101,
207-780-5951.
Charter
School Starters: The conference has offered “...4
for the price of 3 for charter group sign ups.”
QUESTION or COMMENT?
Please do not
hesitate to visit
our web site
and peruse the world of New Hampshire charter
schools. We are updating weekly and responding to
your requests and suggestions.
