Whereas, we believe that all charter and traditional public schools must be held accountable to the same ethical, legal, academic, and fiscal performance criteria and,
Whereas, we believe that parents should have a choice in obtaining better educational opportunities for their children regardless of their income or where they live, and
Whereas, the facts that more than 105,000 students are in public charter schools in Pennsylvania, more than 44,000 children are on waiting lists, and charter schools are growing at a rate of almost ten percent per year, are strong indications that many parents see charter schools as meeting their needs and providing hope for their children that they do not see in their traditional public school, and
Whereas, there are good and bad public charter schools, just as there are good and bad traditional public schools, and outstanding public schools of all types should be nurtured and replicated while poor performing public schools of all types should be closed, and
Whereas, the existing funding formula for charter schools is inequitable, excluding charter schools from access to funding that is available to traditional public schools and providing charter schools with only 52 to 80 percent of what taxpayers are paying the districts to educate a child, and
Whereas, good charter schools provide different and successful models of public education and are a refinement of, rather than a threat to, the public education system, and
Whereas, traditional and charter public schools should be sharing best practices so student performance can be accelerated regardless of the type of public school they attend, and
Whereas, current charter school law, which was enacted 15 years ago, has never been modified nor kept pace with the evolution of the role of charter schools in public education and must be updated and refined, and
Whereas, the charter reform legislation that was not finalized before the close of the last legislative session on June 30, 2012 embodies all of these ideals, addresses many of the problems inherent in current charter law, and provides hope for parents throughout the Commonwealth who are desperately seeking a better future for their children.
Now, therefore be it resolved, that the Board of Directors of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School hereby instructs our school leadership to:
1. Continue to act in accordance with these principles and beliefs.
2. Personally deliver this Resolution to all members of the Pennsylvania Senate and House who represent our school, urging them to pass the charter reform legislation (SB 1115) when they reconvene in September.
3. Forward this Resolution to Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis in the hope that the Department of Education can accelerate its work with both traditional and charter public schools to improve educational outcomes for all children in Pennsylvania.
Passed unanimously by the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School Board of Directors in public session Monday, Sept. 10, 2012.
Rebecca Manning, CEO
