DLC: Charter Schools and Mayors

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	State & Local Playbook
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DLC | Model Initiatives | June 30, 2008
Charter Schools and Mayors

New Dem Play | Letting mayors set up charter schools
Where It's Working | Indianapolis, Ind.
Players | State and local officials

More Education Plays

Most states primarily place the responsibility of creating and supervising charter public schools in the hands of local school districts and/or state boards of education. But increasingly, states are using a diverse array of charter school authorizers, including nonprofit organizations, independent chartering boards, and universities. Some charter school authorizers are more willing to grant charters than others, and some do a better job of holding their schools accountable. This is one reason states can benefit from diverse types of charter school authorizers, as well as an appeals process that helps expand opportunities for new schools to open.

One innovative approach to expand the range of charter school authorizers is to allow mayors to charter public schools in their cities. As a skilled workforce and quality schools become increasingly important to cities' economic health and their ability to attract a stable population of families, mayors across the country are looking for ways to improve their city's schools. Allowing more mayors to authorize public charter schools has a number of benefits:

Mayors can use charter schools to directly improve the quality of public education opportunities in their communities and provide high-quality options for students who are struggling in traditional public schools. This is particularly helpful because poorly performing schools tend to be concentrated in urban communities.

Allowing mayors to authorize public charter schools can expand opportunities for new charter schools to open.

Since mayors are responsible for a number of services within a jurisdiction, including transportation, safety, health, and facilities, they are well situated to coordinate and respond to the needs of charter schools and their students. Accessing these types of services and resources is often a challenge for charter schools.

Because mayors and other elected officials are themselves held accountable for results through an election process, schools chartered by mayors are also subject to stronger public accountability.

"Charter schools offer yet another way to bring innovation and creativity into our public schools."
-- Mayor Bart Peterson, Indianapolis, Ind.

Indiana's charter school law, enacted in 2001, empowered the mayor of Indianapolis to authorize charter schools, the only mayor in the country with such authority (local school boards and public universities in the state are also allowed to charter schools). Since authorization, the primary focus has been on developing a strong selection and oversight process and not rapidly opening large numbers of schools. From 2001 through 2007, then Mayor Bart Peterson chartered and oversaw 16 charter schools. In the 200405 year, 100 percent of the mayor's schools made adequate yearly progress, compared to 38 percent of schools in the Indianapolis Public Schools system.

Authorizing through the mayor's office brings high visibility, ready political and financial resources, and familiarity with community-based organizations and neighborhood needs. It also offers immediate accountability through the voters. Mayor Peterson took considerable effort to make his charter efforts very public through press releases, public addresses, and an annual report on charter schools. As a result, in a 2005 survey administered by the University of Indianapolis' Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, 85 percent of staff and 89 percent of parents expressed satisfaction with charter schools authorized by the mayor's office.

While mayor, Peterson appointed the Indianapolis Charter Schools Board to advise him on which charter school applications to approve and assist in holding each school accountable through annual comprehensive performance reviews. Board members have extensive knowledge and expertise in primary and secondary education, business financing and governance, curriculum, parent/community involvement, and special education.

Local and state officials can look to Indianapolis and Indiana's charter law as a model to expand the range of charter school authorizers. State legislators can amend charter school laws to allow mayors to authorize charter schools. Mayors and other local elected officials can also encourage this trend by expressing support for charter schools and interest in becoming authorizers, while working with existing authorizers to create high-quality public charter school options in their cities.

Resources For Action

Indiana Senate Bill 165, 2001
www.state.in.us/legislative/bills/2001/SE/SE0165.1.html

Indianapolis Charter Schools Board
http://www.indygov.org/eGov/Mayor/Education/Charter/home.htm

National Association of Charter School Authorizers
www.charterauthorizers.org/

Additional Reading

Bryan C. Hassel, Fast Break in Indianapolis: A New Approach to Charter Schooling, Progressive Policy Institute, September 21, 2004
www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecID=134&contentID=252889

Andrew J. Rotherham, Increasing the Supply of Public Schools, Progressive Policy Institute, April 9, 2003
www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110
&subsecID=134&contentID=251463

Paul T. Hill, Charter School Districts, Progressive Policy Institute, May 16, 2001
www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110
&subsecID=134&contentID=3365

Contacts

Dr. Bryan Hassel
Co-Director
Public Impact
504 Dogwood Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(919) 967-5102
bryan_hassel@publicimpact.com

Mr. Steve Campbell
Assistant Deputy Mayor, Planning
City of Indianapolis
2501 City County Building
200 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 327-3601
scampbell@indygov.org

Mr. William Haft
Senior Associate
NACSA
105 W. Adams Street
Suite 1430
Chicago, IL 60603-6253
(303) 817-6797
williamh@qualitycharters.org

Andrew Rotherham
Co-Founder and Co-Director
Education Sector
1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 850
Washington, DC 20036
(434) 973-2173
arotherham@educationsector.org