Son of House Bill 109 to be Delivered Today

"If we don’t have a special session, as of June 1,

you will never hear me speak about charters again,

unless it is to say that ‘I don’t support charters in Kentucky”

--- Education Commissioner Terry Holliday

Charter chatter is increasingly occupying more space in the public debate over education reform in Kentucky. The Herald Leader ran my Op Ed on charters this moring.

The Prichard Committee has outlined the senate charter plan, how the bill deals with charter applications, and the impact of charter schools on Kentucky's bid for Race to the Top dollars.

But House Bill 109 is getting an overhaul from Commissioner Terry Holliday. We hope to learn more today.

What appears to be missing at present is any conncection of a charter school law to the Kentucky Constitution's equity requirements. This is precisely the moment for lawmakers to remember their duty to provide schools that improve equity and excellence in the state - not place them in competition.

This from Brad Hughes at KSBA:

KDE to roll out

revised charter school bill Friday

Holliday: Addressing concerns

can’t water down Race to the Top bid

Trying to boost Kentucky’s shot at $175 million in federal school reform funds, the state Department of Education will release a revised charter school bill on Friday for possible action in a May special legislative session on a state budget.

Speaking in Shelbyville Wednesday to superintendents of the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, Education Commissioner Terry Holliday also said that Kentucky’s second Race to the Top (RTTT) application will not include major, immediate changes in teacher evaluations. The Obama administration’s push to tie
teacher evaluations to test scores has divided education communities in several
states vying for the federal funding.

While offering no specifics on the new charter language, Holliday said he has discussed concerns about House Bill 109 – the charter bill that passed the Senate but not the House of Representatives earlier this month – with leaders of the Kentucky School Boards Association, Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, Kentucky Association of School Administrators and the Kentucky Education Association.

“We’re willing to rewrite the legislation to address your concerns, but we don’t want to put forth charter legislation that doesn’t get us any (RTTT) points,” he said. “We know where the line is that we can’t go beyond.” Kentucky scored the lowest of the applicants chosen as finalists in RTTT round one on the area that includes charter schools, an educational alternative being championed by the Obama administration.

Holliday repeated his position that he is not a charter school proponent, but believes that charter legislation is “the only way we are going to get (RTTT) funding.” ...

Holliday said the department will offer school boards, superintendents and local KEA chapters the option of withdrawing their RTTT endorsements before the application is filed. However, he also warned that there could be consequences for districts that break the state’s 100 percent endorsement achieved for the first RTTT application that was named a national finalist.

“I would hate for you guys to pull out, and we get a charter law and get the money, and then you’ve got to deal with charters anyway and you’ve got no money,” he said referring to the provision that only districts endorsing the state’s proposal would share in the estimated $100 million in direct-to-districts funding. “That’s the kind of decision you’d be making. I hate to be so blunt about it but that’s what will happen.” ...