Dr. Lisa Karmacharya, Executive Director of Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, penned this guest column.
After several iterations of charter related law, the Mississippi Legislature enacted the Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013, which established a charter school oversight board to authorize high-quality charter schools that expand opportunities for underserved students and increase access to excellent public schools.
Mississippi is ranked No. 6 in the nation by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools for its charter school law. This leaves little doubt the legislature made solid decisions when crafting the legislation. Those decisions guided founding board members of Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB) when they developed practices and policies that would ensure a strong foundation was in place to carry out the work of the authorizer. That work continues today.
As a relatively young charter sector, Mississippi has been positioned to learn from others who began their journey into the public charter school world much earlier. The nation’s first public charter school opened in 1992. The MCSAB has taken advantage of lessons learned early in the charter movement and has intentionally authorized only those operators who provide evaluators with a compelling application that clearly demonstrates their ability to provide children with access to high quality academic experiences and establish standards of excellence in organizational and
fiscal management.
Mississippi’s charter law clearly outlines and describes the components that must be included in the request for proposal. Those requirements include everything from the vision and mission of the school, the school’s model, plans for student recruitment and discipline, how it will identify and successfully serve students with special needs, parent involvement strategies, a five-year budget and the disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest. This is not an easy task, nor should it be.
Operators who are offered a contract to open and operate a public charter school in Mississippi are engaging in the charter bargain: autonomy for accountability. The MCSAB entrusts the leadership of the operator with public money and the lives of children. Both demand high levels of confidence before a charter can be granted. Throughout the application cycle, applicants are provided with ongoing and on-demand technical assistance, guidance and a chance to participate in a mock capacity interview. Applicants who choose to take advantage of these opportunities place themselves in a better position to earn the approval of the board, but participation does not guarantee the
application’s quality or acceptance. Applicants must do more than demonstrate on paper their ambitious and sincere goals to serve children. They must demonstrate the capacity to lead, develop, organize, plan, operate and execute their goals in a way that brings their vision to reality.
Since the charter law passed in 2013, seven charter schools have opened in Mississippi and two more will open in fall 2022. Some charter advocates criticize the MSCAB for not approving more applicants, but the charter law is grounded in quality, not quantity. Mississippi’s seven –and soon to be nine – charter schools are providing the parents in their communities with a high-quality public-school option for their children. We are growing our charter sector at a deliberate pace to ensure every school that opens is strong and successful.
Mississippi’s charter law was designed so our state would not be in the same position as Arizona, which opened 200 charter schools in six years only to see 100 close. The MCSAB and charter school leaders and advocates share the common goal of improving the lives of children and offering options for families. We each play a role in attracting, recruiting and supporting potential leaders and high-quality operators. When opportunities to grow the charter sector come, MCSAB will be in a position to approve innovative, creative, high-performing schools that will flourish throughout the great state of Mississippi.
Dr. Lisa Karmacharya Executive Director, Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board NACSA Academic Performance Framework Reviewer & Member of NACSA Leaders 9ᵗʰ Cohort
15 comments:
I just want to know who decided to name it the "Authorizer Board" instead of the "Authorization Board." Someone semi-literate, perhaps? If the Legislature came up with the name, that would explain it.
24 comments on a closed Asian eatery and NONE on a school choice article. Telling.
3:59, perhaps school choice is a dumb idea for many reasons. Why not just apply the rules of charter schools to the public schools? The concept that competition from a charter school will motivate a failing public school to "do better" is ridiculous.
The children that I know who transferred from JPS to a charter school are extremely happy & performing at a higher level.
Mississippi has worked to establish Charter Schools since 2011.
So far, there are 7. Two more will open next year (Canton and another addition to a North Jackson school).
Is the state being too strict with charters? Hard to hire teachers at the Charter Schools since teachers don't get the PERS.
"The concept that competition from a charter school will motivate a failing public school to "do better" is ridiculous."
Since that's not even among the top 30 reasons to develop Charter Schools, I'm left wondering why you submitted that post.
Passengers don't jump off a sinking ship to make it lighter. They jump-ship to save themselves.
Hmmmm. Mississippi has "excellent public schools"???
Not to my knowledge.
Why, when I search for Charter Schools in Mississippi, do I get 20 (mostly private and parochial schools)?
1. St Aloysius High School
Vicksburg, MS 39183
2. Porters Chapel Academy
Vicksburg, MS 39180
3. Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Madison, MS 39110
4. MIDTOWN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
Jackson, MS 39202
5. St. Joseph Catholic School
Madison, MS 39110
6. St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
Ridgeland, MS 39157
7. Jackson Academy
Jackson, MS 39211
8. St. Andrew's Episcopal School
Jackson, MS 39216
9. Washington School
Greenville, MS 38703
10. St Anthony Catholic School
Missing Address Data
11. Tri-County Academy
Flora, MS 39071
12. Hillcrest Christian School
Jackson, MS 39212
13. Hartfield Academy - Main Campus
Flowood, MS 39232
14. Greenville Christian School
Greenville, MS 38701
15. Park Place Christian Academy
Pearl, MS 39208
16. Central Hinds Academy
Raymond, MS 39154
17. Central Holmes Christian School
Lexington, MS 39095
18. Brookhaven Academy
Brookhaven, MS 39601
19. Clinton Christian Academy
Clinton, MS 39056
20. Mt. Salus Christian School
Clinton, MS 39056-5444
Since Charter Schools are considered "special" - they are able to hold parents and students both more accountable for their engagement and performance. At least that's the premise. Whether or not it's actually happening isn't in the article.
They should be looking at attendance rates, average grades, and failure rates. In the traditional public schools - it's already been reported in several past studies - that over 30% should likely be held back, but are "completed" regardless of actual performance because the schools need their funding. Are the Charter Schools fudging the numbers as well to stay solvent?
https://www.mdek12.org/sites/default/files/Offices/MDE/OEA/OPR/FINAL%20-%20Chronic%20Absenteeism%20Report%20-%202018.pdf
@6:38 - you need to work on your search skills - the only charter schools in your list are 9 & 4.
The best thing about charters is they can run their business like they see fit.
Got a kid who is dragging down the test scores and the parents aren't loaded? FIRED!
Got a kid who is struggling in school but the parents are loaded? That's what a charter is for! THEY CAN WORK WITH THAT- EVERYONE NEEDS A SECOND CHANCE OR FIVE!
Got a teacher with problems but they are strong on the biblical aspects of Demoncrat Socialism and watching out for the latest RWNJ fever of the week? HIRED!
Hard to hire teachers at the Charter Schools since teachers don't get the PERS.
If a teacher is seeking a job specifically to get into PERS then you don't want that teacher instructing your children.
Open 200. Close 100. Net = 91 more than we have. What does it matter if they try and have to close? I wish some failing traditional government schools could close in favor of better ones. Better to have tried and failed than to limit options.
9:25 - most teachers want a retirement plan. Hard to retire on SSI paying only $1500 a month and medicare coming out of that check @$350month (includes a dental plan). OK, so $1150 remaining. A typical mortgage/tax/ins. escrow is $900, plus auto and auto insurance, plus then you have utilities/phone/cable, plus groceries and restaurants, plus eyecare and hearing aids. Maybe a vacation week every 3-4 years.
OK, I searched for the list of charter schools again. Most seem to be in Jackson and all but one are specific grades---not whole schools:
------------------------------------
Mississippi Authorized Charter Schools
Ambition Preparatory
Kindergarten - 1st Grades
P.O. Box 68705
Jackson, MS 39286
Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School
Kindergarten - 2nd Grades
1012 West 2nd Street
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Leflore Legacy Academy, operated by MS Delta Academies
Sixth Grade
500 W Washington Street
Greenwood, MS 38930
Midtown Public Charter School, operated by Midtown Partners, Inc.
5th - 8th Grades
301 Adelle Stree
Jackson, MS 39202
Reimagine Prep, operated by RePublic Schools, Inc.
5th - 8th Grades
309 W. McDowell Road
Jackson, MS 39204
Smilow Collegiate, operated by RePublic Schools, Inc.
Kindergarten - 2nd Grades
787 E. Northside Drive
Jackson, MS 39206
Smilow Prep, operated by RePublic Schools, Inc.
5th - 7th Grades
787 E. Northside Drive
Jackson, MS 39206
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