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Charter School Concerns

Jesse Fox Mayshark needs to rethink his position on charter schools [Editor's Corner, May 30]. He cites some anecdotes and observations that lead him to say that charter schools are a good idea. I challenge him to cite one district that currently has charter schools where those schools have students that outperform "traditional" schools in that district, and at that same time save taxpayers money.

In reality, there have been dozens of studies done by independent researchers, large newspapers, universities, and state and federal governments that show case after case where charter schools have not done what they promised. Few if any of the innovations offered by charter schools help either children or taxpayers. My concerns about charter schools are several:

Public money could go to church-run schools, or schools that have church councils or committees acting as the board of directors. Many charter schools in the past have saved money by cutting corners, which has meant hiring teachers without credentials, or who have little or no experience in the classroom. The desire to save money in charter schools could encourage fraud. A Dallas Morning News story included data that said charter schoolteachers in Texas have about 5.3 years less experience than the experience of teachers in traditional schools Teachers in charter schools could be allowed to teach without background checks for criminal records or a history of child abuse, as has happened in Pennsylvania. Charter schools could be overseen by businesses or groups of business people, who have no training in education or any preparation for meeting the educational or social needs of children. Charter schools could be managed as "EMOs," Educational Management Organizations, with profit, not the needs of children, as their bottom line. These EMOs could be similar to HMOs, with all the criticisms that go along with HMOs. Charter schools have not normally outperformed public schools in student performance on standardized tests. In Washington, D.C., the worst-performing schools in the district are charter schools. Many charter schools have very homogenized populations, as noted in a University of Arizona study. This is de facto discrimination against groups of people, like people of color or people who have disabilities. Some charter schools systematically discriminate against such groups.

I could continue for pages, but suffice to say that charter schools will do nothing but put private groups in charge of public money. Charter schools take money out of the funds available to public education, which works to educate and meet the needs of every child, irrespective of race, sex, disability or any other factor.

Mr. Mayshark comments in his article that charter schools offer curricular freedom for teachers and are similar to magnet schools. I would like to remind him that we already have magnet schools in Knoxville, which offer a great deal of curricular freedom to teachers and students. For example, just ask the students in Compacted Math, a magnet class offered as an alternative to the Knox County curriculum, or students in Advanced Art, a magnet class offered to complement the Knox County curriculum, or middle school Latin, or Experimental Science, or Web Design or any other magnet class you care to.

Carl Howard

A Nice Big Box

I read the cover article regarding the Knoxville Convention Center [May 30] with interest. While you focused on future bookings for the Convention Center and the building design, you overlooked some impressive facts regarding the building's construction. I have toured the building site three times since its inception. It is my understanding that, thanks to the efforts of the City, the Public Building Authority, and the entire design and construction team, the building construction is ahead of schedule and under budget. More significantly, over 1,000,000 person-hours have been logged in the construction, without a single lost-time accident. The PBA, their consultants, Denark Construction and Clark Construction—and the numerous subcontractors—should be complimented for this impressive track record.

The design of the building is better appreciated from the interior public spaces and lobbies, which occur along the four sides of the "big box." Ironically, the Convention Center relates much better to Knoxville from its interior rather than from its exterior. Because of its location in the World's Fair Park, the Convention Center is separated from the downtown, with Henley Street as a virtual barrier. Yet, expansive views from the interior of all of the public lobbies connect the visitor to the World's Fair Park, to the downtown, and to the University of Tennessee. Along with a great deal of natural light, the sense of connection to the exterior city and landscape is extremely strong and ever-present. Interestingly, this is the one location in which both the downtown and the University of Tennessee seem to be unified and in close proximity.

Marleen Davis
Knoxville