[Durham INC] Fw: School Board Resolution on Charter School Bill

[Melissa Rooney]

This just in. I hope that some of you can make this important meeting on March 2 
(4 PM, Fuller Bldg, downtown). And please forward this to your neighborhood and 
parent/teacher listservs as soon as possible.

Melissa (see below)


 
Unfortunately the charter school bill has been moving too quickly through the 
legislative process.  I attended the Education Committee of the Senate last 
Wednesday and watched as our State Representative, Floyd McKissick, raised his 
hand for the mere 50 minutes that the Chair allotted to discuss the bill and 
never once recognized his colleague to speak.  The bill was voted on by the 
Senate on Thursday and the agenda for the House Education committee has been 
changed so that bill can be heard tomorrow, Tuesday, March 1st.  

 
Because the normal process of deliberating over this landmark piece of 
legislation is being thwarted, the DPS Board of Education is left with  no 
choice but to pass a resolution, along with our neighboring counties in Orange, 
Chatham and Chapel Hill, and School Boards across the State, to say no to the 
bill as presented.  We have to let the legislature know that they must put on 
the brakes and return to the negotiating table.  If they are unwilling to craft 
a bill that will be fair to all of the school age children of North Carolina 
then we are prepared to ask the Governor to Veto the Bill.  

 
Please consider joining us at 4pm at the Fuller Building this Wednesday, March 
2nd to send the message that we want our legislature to work through the 
democratic process to create a bill that meets the needs of all of North 
Carolina’s children.
 
DRAFT Bill
 
Whereas, Senate Bill 8 removes the minimum number of students necessary to form 
a charter school, thereby potentially diverting public funds for education to 
small groups of private individuals or homeschoolers, creating a voucher-type 
system; and
 
Whereas, Senate Bill 8 also provides for consideration of capital funding for 
charter schools which are owned by private in-state and out-of-state 
corporations at a time when local public school systems have billions of dollars 
of capital needs that are going unmet. 

 
Therefore, be it resolvedthat the                      Board of Education 
respectfully requests members of the North Carolina General Assembly to 
reconsider Senate Bill 8 and make modifications that address the above concerns, 
specifically: 

 
	* Provide a mechanism for accounting for funds that are not appropriate to 
share with charter schools.
	* Allow for monies to follow the students involved, not requiring sharing of 
funds when charter schools do not provide the programs involved.
	* Remove the provision requiring donor specified accounting and replace it 
with     restrictions of use of funds as stated in the grants.
	* Allow for reimbursement of funds (such as activity bus fees, facility rental 
fees) to be accounted for in such a way as to not create a surcharge for charter 
schools.
	* Reinstate a reasonable number of minimum students necessary to form a charter 
school.
	* Reconsider the capital funding provision.
	* Create a bill that is truly fair and equitable for all public schools and 
public school students in North Carolina and is not subject to ambiguities which 
will have to be resolved through years of litigation at the expense of students.
 
At a minimum, revise the proposed legislation so that traditional public 
schools: 1) are not required to share in self-sustaining, fee-based programs 
such as child nutrition; 2) are not required to share preschool and other 
federal funds (such as JROTC and Free and Reduced Lunch) with charter schools 
that do not provide these programs; 3) are not required to share fund balance 
reserves; and 4) are not required to share reimbursements (such as facility 
rental fees and activity bus fees) to which charter schools have no legitimate 
claim. 

 
If the General Assembly passes Senate Bill 8 without the requested changes we 
respectfully request that the Governor veto the legislation. 

 
Adopted by the                         Board of Education
 
Date: 


      
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