Texas Today

Just in case there is anyone who doesn’t know about it yet, there is a senate bill, SB 4, that is in committee and will be coming up for a vote that needs our support. Specific text can be found here:

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/analysis/html/SB00004S.htm

Summary:

AUTHOR’S / SPONSOR’S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Many of the state’s charter school operators have been plagued by low performance, mismanaged funds, and fraudulent practices that do not benefit students. Far too many have found loopholes to avoid fully participating in the state’s accountability system. The Texas Education Agency has the authority to revoke low-performing charters, but the number of problem schools exceeds that which can feasibly be cleaned up using case-by-case interventions or administrative
litigation. However, there are also some exceptional charter schools in Texas – 30 schools were rated recognized or exemplary in 2006. These schools are setting an example for others to follow.

C.S.S.B. 4 rewards charter schools that are high performing and makes it easier to close charter schools that are failing. This bill will implement the best practices to ensure inclusion of all public charter schools in the accountability system. Additionally, high performing charter schools that have earned the ratings of recognized and exemplary for two years or more would be rewarded with funding for facilities. This program would serve as an incentive for other schools to achieve this level of performance and help successful schools to expand and serve more students.

If you don’t know who your state senator is, you can visit the following site to conduct a search:

http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us

I strongly recommend, if you haven’t already, that you write or send an e-mail to your representatives about this legislation. I will include what I wrote myself, though much of it is personal to my situation. Feel free to pinch any relevant bit you like and use it in your own letters. Please also write your house representative and encourage him or her to support the legislation contained in SB 4. Our children depend on it!

My own letter (personal information removed to protect my privacy):

The Honorable John Carona
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711

4/9/2007

Dear Senator Carona,

I strongly recommend that you support Senate Bill 4 establishing charter districts, setting operating guidelines, establishing performance requirements and addressing funding for charter schools.

In Dallas and across the state, the school system is in desperate need of improvement. Classes are overcrowded and often held in `temporary’ classroom structures that have become permanent fixtures, students are uncontrolled or labeled uncontrollable, teachers are in short supply, and many of the schools are unsafe. When it came time to enroll my own daughter,XXXXXXXXXX, in school, I found my options lacking. The closest elementary school was one of the lowest rated in the state, made worse by language barriers and a severe teacher shortage. Luckily, I discovered XXXXXXXXXX charter school, to begin my daughter’s educational path.

In that school, she thrived. The class size was small, disruptive children were removed from the classroom environment, and appropriate conduct was not just expected, but was a part of the curriculum. Cursive writing and good penmanship was taught from kindergarten on up, something that often begins as late as 4th grade, if at all in the public school environment. Reading was a priority and all students got the assistance they needed in order to make sure they read before they moved on to first grade.

My daughter has since had to move on to other high performing charter schools, attending XXXXXXXXX for 4th and 5th grades, and is now in XXXXXXXXXX for 6th grade. When I selected XXXXXXXXXX, it was in part because I saw the high performance and achievement standards set by the administrators. I saw that the same standards of conduct and
accountability I had grown accustomed to in my daughter’s previous school were held in high regard, and making certain the children were set on a path for success was not just something teachers and administrators talked about, it was what inspired and drove them in every moment of every day at the school. I wanted that for my daughter and I did not feel that she would get the same quality of education in the public schools I had to choose from. I have not been disappointed by my decision. My daughter has been in the highest performance group on the TAKS tests every year she has been tested, consistently achieves high grades, and is being challenged in the classroom in ways I don’t feel she would be otherwise. The classroom is a safe environment where actual learning takes place, disruptions are not tolerated, children are held
accountable for their behavior, and the performance bar is set high.

My daughter and her classmates are proof that when held to high expectations, our children can achieve greatness. In short, these students are being led to present and future success through a quality education in the way that all students everywhere deserve, without regard for their neighborhood or their parents’ financial circumstances.

All charter schools are not created equal, this much is true. There are many in operation that should be closed, including some in my neighborhood. However, by setting districts for charter schools, establishing accountability and oversight, and rewarding those schools that lead in educational excellence, we can only enhance an educational system that has been stretched to its limit and beyond. Inner city students, often the most overlooked group of children, stand to gain the most from this legislation. Charter schools have been able to succeed where public schools have failed because they have had the freedom to approach education from a new direction, with a fresh set of ideas. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. What we are doing with our school system today is the classic example of insanity. It is time to support change, time to support our children, time to create a legacy of which we can be proud. Support Senate Bill 4. Your future voters are counting on you.

Thank you,

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