For progress of charter schools in this state to continue, the issue of funding state-chartered schools must be addressed. Otherwise, the state-chartered schools provision, which was originally intended to help encourage the growth of charter schools in this state, will actually chill charter school development. Eventually, local boards opposed to charter schools will realize that they simply have to deny charter school petitions, go through the motions of a required mediation, and then send the petitions to the State Board. Even if the State Board grants the charter, these local boards know that the school will never open because, in most cases, it will not be able to survive on state and federal money alone. Not all children are alike and not all schools should be alike.
Charter schools provide that choice.
Our leaders must decide if they want Georgia to be a charter school state. If they do, then they must show their support for charter schools by addressing the critical issue of funding state-chartered schools. Otherwise, Georgians will realize that the promise of charter schools was nothing more than a distant mirage. Chris Carr is a policy analyst with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. The Foundation is a nonpartisan, member-supported research and education organization that promotes free markets, limited government and individual responsibility.