CHARTER SCHOOLS: TEACHER GROUPS QUALIFY CHARTER-SCHOOLS SUPPORT

Missouri educators express conditional support for the establishment of charter schools in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Both the Missouri State Teachers Association and the Missouri National Education Association have drafted resolutions of support for charter schools since 1998, when the state law that allowed development of charter schools was passed. However, the organizations, which represent approximately 72,000 Missouri educators, said the law needs to be strengthened to ensure students are taught by certified professionals in the best possible educational environments. In the past month both groups have again started discussing the law in the wake of a lawsuit filed by the St. Louis Board of Education that challenges the law."We are for them with qualifiers," said Carol Schmoock, MNEA assistant executive director. "Under current law, it makes it real unclear as to just who they're accountable to and how to deal with accountability issues.""We explicitly state that we support the establishment of public charter schools provided they are established by local boards of education within an existing accredited public school district," said Bruce Moe, MSTA director of communications.

Moe said MSTA delegates will begin discussing a new resolution regarding charter schools today, when their annual convention begins in St. Louis. Members appear to be concerned about fair treatment for educators in the charter-school environment, he said. The resolution they will consider advocates certification requirements and minimum education standards similar to what is required in public school districts, he said."The intent of our delegates is to ensure that teachers are not taken advantage of in a charter-school environment," said Moe.

Charter schools also should be required to participate in the Missouri State Improvement Program and offer salaries and retirement benefits equivalent to the public school district they are located in, said Mike Wood, MSTA eastern area field coordinator in St. Louis." Schools' success depends on teacher certification," said Wood. "The real key I think is making sure you've got a qualified certified teacher in front of the students, whether they're in public or charter school."Schmoock said MNEA delegates representing some 30,000 members discussed their support of charter schools during a state convention last week. The educators agreed the schools "have the ability to innovative thinking and programming," but they listed five areas of concern that need to be addressed before they could give their full support.

MNEA members said they wanted accountability measures included in the law, as well as mandates for employee background screenings and a valid evaluation process for student performance. MNEA members also said the law should require charter schools to wait a year after a charter is approved before opening. "There ought to be some time built into the structure for the staff and the community to get organized and restructure themselves as a charter school," Schmook said. "It isn't something you can grant one day and throw the doors open the next day."The fifth concern MNEA members voiced involved the make up of charter-school faculty. Schmook said the schools must be required to ensure qualified certified staff are leading their classrooms.

Presently, up to 20 percent of a charter school's faculty may be noncertified instructors. MNEA members believe that percentage is too high, said Schmook.