What is the difference between a Charter School in a private school . Guest a Charter School is a Public School. A Charter School is a Public School that is ultimately run by contract, by either a nonprofit entity or a municipality or some other governmental entity. They basically run that privately outside of the Traditional School district or school board mechanism. Host where does the funding come from . Guest most of the funding comes in three sources. Federal funds, traditional title i and title two but most of it comes from the State Government who has a Charter School law. When the state legislators find basis, they that get a share based on the side of the school. The last piece is local money that School Boards raise, generally speaking that does not go to Charter Schools. Host as we talk about school choice, an estimated 3. 1 Million Students attend 5900 Charter Schools in 43 states in the district of columbia. There are 17 states plus d. C. That have at least 100. 2016 andhe 2015 and the 2015 and 2017 school here it increased by over 200,000 students and over the past 10 years enrollment has nearly tripled. We are talking about charter withls this morning Charter Schools usas general counsel. In this segment, if you want to call in, parents at 202 7488000, teachers 202 7488001, and if you have experience with Charter Schools 202 7488002. And align for all others. At 8003. You can start calling in now. We are talking about who can start a Charter School. Is it anybody that has the funding . Guest generally it is a group of people like a nonprofit board like in florida or louisiana or north carolina. They will form a nonprofit board and apply for a charter, whether it is the local district level or the state. They will receive a charter and the charter is a contract to run a Public School under certain guidelines. Charter schools are subjected to the same accountability standards, having certified teachers, basically general parameters of a Public School. There is some innovation and flex ability but generally speaking they deliver on the education, so the key charters soakes popular is that parents are empowered to make a choice. Many of them dont have another choice so many of them are driven to their zip code in school that is provided by the government. In this case parents are empowered to make a choice with another option. The Charter School is one of those other options. , as consumers,w have made the choice to go to Charter Schools. We are talking about Charter Schools from florida, with longtime republican strategist asre and additional work turtles usa. In the midst of the debate over the schools of hope legislation, explain what that is. Schools of hope is state and senate, in order to have Charter Schools served or located in areas of most need. I will give you an example. A school that is run in downtown miami that serves mostly over town, the overtown section of children there are newly 99. 9 percent minority, 99. 9 free and reduced lunch, but as an example, that school has an academic achievement of under the state accountability measures. That is what the state legislature is trying to encourage. More of those schools that serve the most challenged communities. In so doing they will provide extra choices for parents who need it the most. The topof democrat on the state committee was quoted talking about the schools of hope legislation as saying this. I want to hear your response. They will say they can do it better than a Public School teachers who are working tirelessly everyday in the classroom and is is not a step in the right direction. These renren schools are 200 from the beginning, then they would be on the right track. There is no reason we cant create a system that has Higher Standards and better resources and better access than what currently exists in the Public School system to obtain the same results as we worked with Charter Schools. Is a good representative but frankly, he is telling a bit of the party line on that. There is no party whether republican or democrat all independent, all are open to Charter Schools. I would suggest that this provides greater choices for communities of need. If it is simply minority parents, choices where they didnt have any. In on encouraging people to organize Charter Schools in their neighborhoods. I will say this way. Charter schools would not exist but for the parents wanting to affirmatively make the choice to send their children there. Isould suggest more money not always the answer but in this case it puts a greater focus on areas that most needed and students who need it most. What about accountability at Charter Schools . The argument that they are publicly funded but there is a lot less transparency and Public Schools when it comes to accountability issues . Most states that i am familiar with, in fact several of them, all of them that i know required open audits, regularly financial disclosures, Board Members who are independent, Board Members who are who did not have a conflict of interest in any way. Yearly audits, open meetings, all of those are subjective. So a Charter School that is run by the board is subject to the same public scrutiny, the same open meeting laws in other states. Host talking about Charter Schools and school choice, the line for parents, teachers, those with experience and all others. You can figure out where you fit into those lines and give us a call. Kim is up first. A parent in iowa. Good morning. Good morning. I would like to know, is Charter Schools privatized . In my eyes it sounds like it has been privatized by millionaires, billionaires like betsy devos. Never had experience in education. So i believe Public Schooling is better because youve got a diverse array of different children and you have more teachers there. Especially young teachers. We need more young teachers. But i think privatizing and Charter Schools, i believe privatized by investors and billionaires. Question give me the the answer i want to know . Is it privatized . Guest the answer is no. Charter schools are Public Schools. Heres another thing. Charter schools serve a greater percentage of minority students as well as those who are qualifying for free and reduced lunch. So what you are seeing is a greater focus on those students who need it most and the families who otherwise would not have choices other than their traditional Public Schools. But it is important to know Charter Schools are Public Schools. Host public charter. Org in their wrapup of some of the numbers in this country, we are seeing the city with the highest percentage of public Charter Schools students by School District. 93 of the enrollment share in Orleans ParishSchool District in louisiana attend Charter Schools. Cooln the detroit citys district, 47 in School District of the city of flint. 44 in the district of columbia in ec in d. C. Kansas city at 41 . We will go to some of the numbers throughout this segment. Patricia is in indiana. That line for all others, in warsaw, indiana. Caller good morning. I have a question. When first question is, as i understand it, the taxes that we pay into the state follows the students. How is that then when someone lives outside a certain School District going to a Charter School in a different district, how is that figured out . Secondly, students with special mentalphysical needs or special needs, how is that addressed in Charter Schools . To the first question, it deals with what happens between districts. Between School Districts, there is usually local agreement between the two governmental entities that have the money to follow the child, even if it is across district lines. In florida, if you technically you can live in miami and go to a Charter School whether it is in Fort Lauderdale or west palm or whatever is convenient for you. There is no district boundaries with respect to that and the money would follow but generally speaking across the country, even in indiana, you have local agreements. Needs,spect to special whatever their particular need is, generally speaking, Charter Schools are subjected to the same rigors of federal law. Under ide a. And provide such services. Explain what idea is. Guest it is an education service. Lets assume you have a child who needs Speech Therapy or has autism. Generally in Public Schools the Public School would bring in a specialist to assist that student. The same goes with the Charter School. They would work either with the district or on their own to bring a specialist in to help with the individualized learning notwithstanding whatever particular need they have. Host robert is in fort worth, texas. Good morning. Caller good morning. I was calling to find out, you Charter Schools what are their hiring requirements for teachers and is there a resource where a to to find out Charter School is located in the area of texas where i live . Guest there is a Charter School association in texas that i am aware of but just so you are aware, Charter Schools, generally across the country, require the same certified the same certifications that regular Public Schools or traditional Public Schools would. Charter schools are subjected to the same standards. Secondarily, there is teach for america with provides i think the previous caller mentioned young teachers, and opportunity for young teachers to be involved. It also provides that type of service for finding opportunity for young people who just graduated school. Host one of the criticisms is that it is a moneymaking business and the head of the American Association for teachers with the recent tweet about an l. A. Times story about Charter Schools expanding where they are not needed in los angeles. Modeleet, the business is to expand regardless of need or quality. Guest it is whose need . Randy weingartens needs . No. Ifit is parents need parents did not want to sign their child up for it here is the shift. Is taking thehift power and moving it to the parents so they can do what is best for their child. Regardless of where Charter Schools in her mind might be needed, if parents show up and sign their child up than the school is needed according to them. If they dont show up then there would be no need for the school. Host one parent is just in olympia, illinois. Caller think give her much. I had a quick question that i want to ask you when it comes to ,he research by dr. Samson Whose Research is showing that Charter Schools are expelling students, particularly africanamerican males and latino students from their andols at very high rates once the students are expelled and the Charter School has received the actual foundational spending and operational spending for the student, the student has no choice but to return to Public Schools. How charteress schools are going to be addressing their ability to expel students at high rates and not allow them to stay in school as Public Schools are required . Guest couple of points on that. Charter schools are required to follow discipline models of whatever entity provided them the charter. So if the School District provided a charter to a Charter School they would be subjected to Charter School they would have to follow discipline models or the suspension and its motion standards of that School District. You that thewith information that i have shows that in florida, the achievement and achievement gaps in florida between majority and minority students is less. Charter schools are doing a better job with minority students. All to share with you across all states. Charter schools are open enrollment and open to all that come. Areasdents come from all to be part of a Charter School. Parents make that affirmative choice regardless of where they are educationally or through race or gender. Host we have a line for folks experienced with charleston with Charter Schools. And is in north carolina. Caller i have a comment and then i have a question. My comment is that i was thinking about Charter Schools for my children and i went to different Charter Schools in our area and what i found out was old they all are located in or outdated buildings. No libraries, no place, no jim no gym. I also spoke to teachers and i they dontng that really have many benefits in publico teachers schools. They dont have trade unions, so they work hard. And also, some of the mentioned iny have two months when the summer and they dont get any salary. It is not corrected like in Public Schools. My question is, are there any Charter Schools where children sorry, where teachers, have the same benefits like in Public Schools . Guest the answer is yes and the benefits might be slightly different. Instead of a staterun pension which some teachers have the advantage of in provisional Public Schools, there is a ,01 k and Retirement Program whether their retirement organizations or the charter organization. Additionally, we have seen the salaries and the compensation of teachers becoming more and more on par with the traditional Public Schools and Charter Schools. Is it still below Public Schools . In florida we see that being the same in louisiana, but in other areas they are slightly lower. Some teachers go to a Charter School not just for the money, getting every penny off the table, but they go for a little bit of the professionalism and the nature and the culture of the school. Generally speaking, Charter Schools require their students to wear uniforms, parents to volunteer, so there is more interactive experience. Lets face it. Those in the teaching profession, this is truly a mission. It is not an area where they are just searching for monetary reward. Host now the line for one with experience for Charter Schools. Mark in Fort Lauderdale. Caller i have one question that i would like a yes or no answer to and then i will continue. His term schools a Forprofit Corporation or is it a noncop Nonprofit Corporation . It is a forprofit entity. Earlier thee, derailment said Charter Schools are public but not private. That is true, they are public in that they can take students from all over, but for the most part, they are forprofit organizations. Managers, the administrators, they operate to make money for these people. , and inFort Lauderdale our area we have seen dozens of these Charter Schools come and go. They open and close. They get money, then they close and leave the students stuck in a terrible situation. Thatare the same owners close those schools and they come back and apply again for licenses to operate. And they did it. Aboutr someone t