No Charters in RTTT Application

This from Jim Warren at H-L:

Kentucky's application for millions in federal Race To The Top dollars apparently will go to Washington next week without any provision for converting failing schools into charter schools.An effort that would have added charter schools to the state's application died Wednesday on a tie vote in the state Senate Education Committee.

Backers contended that including charter schools would have strengthened Kentucky's Race application by offering an extra option for turning around struggling schools — those with consistently low test scores. But opponents argued just the opposite, saying that making such a major, potentially controversial change at the last minute could weaken the application by threatening what has been unanimous support from Kentucky's 174 public school districts.

Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, paused after voting against an amendment that would have created charter schools. The amendment died on a tie vote in the Senate Education Committee.

A key blow might have come from Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday, who told education committee members Wednesday that Jefferson County — the state's largest school district — "definitely" would withdraw its support if
charter schools were included. Jefferson has seven struggling schools.

With the charter schools amendment dead, the Senate Education Committee quickly approved House Bill 176, a measure essential to Kentucky's Race To The Top application, making only a few technical changes. Minutes later, the full Senate unanimously approved HB 176, and the state House concurred soon afterward...

The Family Foundation responded to the defeat with lament and a bunch of loaded words.

"We will be back," said Martin Cothran, communications director for The Family Foundation of Kentucky.

"This was the end for this amendment, but it wasn't the end of charter schools in this state."

"We were disappointed in the vote," said Cothran. "We understood we had the votes going to vote for the amendment. It turned a golden opportunity for more parental and local teacher control of schools into a lost opportunity."

The bill failed when State Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr voted against the amendment."This was a loss for parents and local teachers and win for state educrats and teachers' union bosses who are to the left of the Obama administration on this issue. Charter schools are supported across the political spectrum--from Newt Gingrich to the Democratic presidential administration."

House Speaker Greg Stumbo, told the Herald-Leader he was glad that the effort to insert charter schools into the application had been defeated. But he said he thinks charters themselves should be explored further.

...State Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Erlanger, who proposed Wednesday's charter school amendment, said it could help turn around low-performing schools in Kentucky by allowing them to be converted into charter schools.

But, state Sens. Gerald Neal and Tim Shaughnessy, both D-Louisville, countered that the amendment as written could allow any Kentucky public school to be converted, not just schools with persistently poor performance.

Neal and Shaughnessy got it right.