ACSA Position Statement on Charter Schools
ACSA remains supportive of charter schools and the opportunities
they provide to implement school level reform and creative models
of delivering instructional programs.
The primary goal of charter schools must be to improve student
performance. ACSA recognizes that the foundation of charter schools
is to be free of state regulation. ACSA even supports the notion
that non-charter schools should be free of unnecessary regulations.
However, there remains a need for a certain level of accountability
to ensure first and foremost that students are learning and that
public money is being spent appropriately. As a general guideline,
ACSA maintains the following positions with regard to charter schools:
- Charter schools should remain free from state mandates such
as collective bargaining, CCR's, PQR's, etc., except where there
is an overriding statewide and community-wide concern such as
accountability or discrimination.
- Charter schools should be held to the same performance expectations
as traditional schools and, therefore, must be subject to the
same academic accountability rules to ensure that students are
learning.
- To ensure that public money is expended properly, minimum guidelines
are necessary for charter school audits, including attendance
accounting. Independent study and distance learning charters need
additional guidelines for accountability purposes.
- An additional approval process is warranted for charter schools
that operate beyond the jurisdiction of the granting agency.
- Charter schools should remain non-sectarian and inclusive.
Charter school admission policies should not discriminate against
students for gender, race, national origin, culture, ethnic, sexual
orientation, academic, special needs, financial, or any other
reason.
- Charter schools should be established for improved student
learning and not for financial gain of any person, company, public
or private school agency.
- The number of charter schools should be limited to and consistent
with the provisions of AB 544 until their success in improved
student learning has been validated by research. Additional research
is also needed in order to demonstrate the types of charters that
are most successful in terms of student learning.
Adopted by the ACSA Board of Directors 7/30/99
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