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Boomers Want Choice

By ROBERT ANDERSON

During the last state legislative session, the Montana School Boards Association (MSBA) proposed charter school legislation. Senate Bill 370 was intended to "authorize the establishment of a charter school program under the control of a local school board as a means of providing educational opportunities to public school pupils." MSBA and the sponsor, Rep. Daryl Toews, Chair of the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee, were interested in the establishment of such schools as a means of providing new opportunities for:

Under the proposed legislation, a group of advocates for the charter school would make application (write a charter) to the local school board. The charter would detail how learning would be monitored and assessed, as well as how a host of other considerations would be managed. The board would have the option to grant the charter for up to three years, with renewal accepted upon demonstrated success. The local board and charter applicant would then apply for acceptance by the State Board of Public Education. Both the state and local boards could approve exemptions to school policies, collective bargaining provisions, and state rules and statutes if necessary. Teachers and administrators would not lose salary, benefit, or tenure protections. Montana's charter schools could not be used for religious instruction.

Senate Bill 370 passed the Senate with a considerable number of modifications, primarily concerning demands made by the teachers' union. The most onerous of these required charter schools to "apply to and seek approval from the recognized exclusive representative (teachers' union) for a waiver of the collective bargaining provisions that conflict with provisions of the charter." The bill died a quiet death in the House Education Committee. Republicans disliked the union concessions, while Democrats feared the bill was intended as a union-busting measure.

Rocky beginning that it was, Montana's first attempt to create charter schools is not completely dead. The underlying roots that will, I believe, nourish its ultimate success can be found with today's parents and local school board members. Parents today are looking for choices. As American citizens, they recognize that they have a vast array of alternatives that match their beliefs and lifestyle. If they want another doctor's or lawyer's opinion, they can get it. If they are dissatisfied with their car, they can trade it for another. If they don't like a particular TV show, they can channel surf till they find one they like. If they don't like their local politician, they vote in a new one. There are even dozens of choices for what to feed the family dog. Baby boomers grew up with the expectation of choice and freedom. They are not inhibited like their parents and grandparents, who had limited choices and typically stuck with the family doctor, automobile, or dogfood year after year.

Montana has 490 school districts. At first glance, the number seems large enough to offer a lot of choice for the relatively small state population of students. But closer examination will disclose that cloning has taken place in the public school system. One district looks pretty much like another. There are exceptions, but by and large, cubicle by cubicle, program by program, they are the same. In fact, state laws and regulations make certain that many aspects of schooling are uniform for each school in the state. Schools operate for the same number of days and hours using the same curriculum in buildings that meet the same codes. The state requires all schools to hire certified teachers and administrators, many of whom graduated from the same accredited college programs and took the same accredited classes. To ensure equity, schools statewide spend the same number of dollars for every student. The state has done a good job of guaranteeing that each school will look and perform like the school down the road or on the other side of the state.

One hitch to this lock-step, one-size-fits-all approach, is the trustees—locally elected school board members who represent their constituency fairly well and who are, more than likely, baby boomers. They want choices. They expect freedom from conventional restraints. They like variety. Many of these board members have children in the public schools and want the best programs for them, but not necessarily the same program as the school down the road or across the state.

At the same time, these very board members are responsible people. They are unlikely to allow their children to be used as guinea pigs for some far-out, experimental program without close examination of its pros and cons, costs and benefits. This is why I believe that board members are the best choice for oversight of charter schools. Just as their forebears found, the job of educating our youth is too big for city hall, state officials, or university systems with already huge agendas. Even though local school board members are perfect for the oversight of charter schools, they should not to be seen as instigators of such schools. The main push must come from other local advocates. However, members of the Montana School Boards Association could be considered advocates for their role in promoting legislation to create charter schools. In many cases, they themselves have struggled with federal, state, and local mandates, red tape, and bureaucracy. Most of the federal and state efforts of school boards recently have been to reduce unnecessary top-down dictates. School board members also recognize that charter schools are normally small and not intended for everyone. Montana's trustees are very familiar with small schools and innovation.

School board members have provided competent and accountable leadership in education for nearly 350 years in this country. Though they have been under fire from many directions during their history, they have always survived public scrutiny for one obvious reason: They are the public! The schools belong to the people, and local school board members serve at the will of the people.

Robert Anderson is executive director of the Montana School Boards Association.

Photo by Helena Photography.

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