Charter School Strongly Supported in West Bend

The following article appeared in the West Bend News and explains the Charter School concept and reasons for  supporting the effort.

Charter school worth exploring in West Bend

    There is a proposal before the West Bend School Board to create a charter school in the district. It’s a proposal worthy of serious consideration.

    Charter schools are not new to Wisconsin. There are over 220 charter schools in the state. Charter schools are simply schools that are chartered – i.e. contracted – by a chartering authority to provide education with taxpayer dollars but are absolved of having to comply to many of the regulations that burden traditional public schools.

    Charter schools also, because they are not shackled by as many stringent state regulations, offer school districts the opportunity to be innovative. Charter schools in Wisconsin specialize in technology, arts, the environment, math, science, at-risk, direct instruction, virtual and any number of other specializations while still offering the core curriculum required for all public school kids. 


...


And therein lies the beauty of charter schools. They are not mandatory. The district can choose not to renew the charter if they are not meeting expectations. If the educational benefits and financial benefits for Crossroads Academy don’t pan out, then cancel the charter and move on.

    Crossroads Academy seems to offer everything for which the district is striving. Educational flexibility. Relief from state mandates. Freedom from the confines of a unionized work force. Financial security. There are a few more details to gather, but all signs are that the School Board would provide an excellent service to the citizens of the district by exploring this opportunity.