The following draft is an as yet unpublished paper. The purpose of the paper was in fullfilment of course requirements for Issues in Education, Spring 2005, Gannon University. I am e-publishing this paper to support a blog post at www.nooneknowsyet.edublogs.org. Please recognize this paper has not gone through a rigorous review. All copyrights reserved. -j b 5/2/08 9:49 AM
CRUCIBLE FOR CHANGE
THE CREATION OF THE REGIONAL CHOICE INITIATIVE
By
James C. Brinling
A paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Current Issues in Education
Curriculum and Instruction Summer Cohort
School of Education
Gannon University
Summer, 2005
CRUCIBLE FOR CHANGE
THE CREATION OF THE REGIONAL CHOICE INITIATIVE
An extraordinary structural innovation is occurring in education in Northwest Pennsylvania. In the Spring of 2005, the Regional Choice Initiative (RCI) was agreed upon by 13 area school districts. The creation of the RCI represents a change in the way public education conceives itself, and delivers instructional services to its students. RCI has broken down the traditional barriers and boundary lines between school districts. RCI creates opportunities for students in urban, rural, and suburban districts to have access to services, training, and instruction that would not be financially possible within their home district. When RCI was conceived and agreed upon, it provided a way for member districts to avoid a potentially destructive ‘charter war’, which would have damaged the financial health of many districts. As luck would have it, it is in the fire of this ‘charter war’ where RCI was born.
The Ingredients: Background of Charter Law
Senate Bill No. 123 passed on June 12, 1997. Passed under Republican Governor Tom Ridge, the Pennsylvania Charter School Law created independent public schools established and operated under a charter from the local board of school directors. Charter schools were established as public nonprofit, nonsectarian entities by teachers, parents, institutions of higher education and museums (Charter Schools Legislation). These schools were intended to meet the specialized needs of portions of the population. A loosely written law, the charter school provision required the public school of residence to be responsible for tuition and transportation to the charter school (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, June 29,2005). As a result, small charter schools were developed to handle a variety of educational niches; the Cyber Charter School, Perseus House, Great Lakes Academy, and Montessori to name a few.
Hot Enough For Ya?
Around the time of the charter law, public education was coming under considerable local political heat. Politicians and businessmen, led by the Manufacturers Association of Northwest Pennsylvania, complained the public education system in Northwest Pennsylvania was not producing the quality and type of workforce needed to work in their member industries. They loudly complained workers were not equipped with the skills they needed to succeed in manufacturing (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, June 29,2005)
In response to this increased pressure, a newly formed Civic Coordinating Committee (C-Cubed) invited the area school superintendents to a retreat in March 2001 to discuss common goals and needs. C-Cubed itself was formed with the purpose of making the region more competitive with other regions and to explore ways resources could be used more efficiently. Part of C-Cube’s goals were to create a globally competitive, technology based work force; and C-Cubed was looking to align career and technology education with career needs (Progress Report, 2003) The purpose of the retreat was to refocus the debate on how schools could improve. In this less adversarial and more cooperative dialogue, business leaders and school superintendents identified several areas of common concern. The result was a verbal agreement among those in attendance. They agreed to cooperate to reinvent delivery of public education services in Northwest Pennsylvania, to support a Regional Plan, and to work to clarify specifics of the plan ((Larry D. Kessler, RCI PowerPoint, June 29,2005).
Turning Up the Heat
Around the same time of the March 2001 Retreat, a sizeable superintendent turnover occurred in various school districts in the Northwest Pennsylvania area. The result was an influx of new forward thinking leadership. According to Fairview Superintendent, Larry Kessler, “a changing of the ‘old guard’ occurred”. These new superintendents were acutely aware of the provisions in the Charter Law, and concerned about the long term effects of charters on their respective districts (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, June 29,2005).
Boiling Point
The jewel in the crown of the School District of the City of Erie was and is the Northwest Collegiate Academy. The Northwest Collegiate Academy was conceived as an honors magnet school. This new high school drew the best and brightest from the three existing city high schools, to form a fourth high school focused on accelerated academics. This focus on academics and the innovative programs offered at the school, also, drew students from outside the Erie District.
In the 2003-04 school year, 14% of the student body at Collegiate Academy, or 112 students, lived outside the boundaries of the Erie School District (Massing, 2003). Those families chose to send their students to the Collegiate Academy at their own cost of $2800 in tuition and they provided their own transportation. Erie School officials began looking at the cost of educating a student at Collegiate, and determined the cost of a single student at Collegiate to be $4157. In other words the Erie School district was losing money on every out-of-district student attending Collegiate Academy, to the tune of $1357 per student. Dean of the Collegiate Academy, Bob Oliver, began looking at the advantages of creating a charter school in the Collegiate Academy (Rhodes, 2002). The creation of a charter school meant students and their families would not pay tuition and transportation costs. Those costs would be paid by their home school districts. Tuition fees paid to a charter school were based on a state formula, averaging $6500 per student. The charter tuition would result in average revenue of $2100 per student for the Erie School District. At the January 2003 Open House held at the Collegiate Academy, the potential of a charter school was the hot topic. A petition was signed by several parents in support of the charter initiative (Massing, 2003).
Although the charter initiative was gaining supporters in the Erie School District, those districts outside of the city immediately became concerned. The implications of the charter initiative at Collegiate reached far beyond the borders of the Erie School District. Indeed, concern rippled throughout each Erie County public education institution.
The Millcreek School District, the second largest district in Northwest PA, sits on the western border of the City of Erie. In the 2003-04 school year, 48 Millcreek residents/ students were attending the Collegiate Academy. The potential charter school would have cost the Millcreek District an estimated $400,000 in tuition and transportation fees (Massing, 2003). The Millcreek School District did not like the idea of a $400,000 loss to their budget. Millcreek Superintendent Verel Salmon and Board President Karen Haas urged the Erie officials not to go through with their charter plan (Massing 2003). Convinced they were making a sound decision for their District, the Erie officials continued with their charter proposal (Rhodes, 2003). Unwilling to simply let $400,000 walk across the border to Erie, Millcreek officials implemented a charter school proposal of their own. The Pennsylvania Global Academy Charter School was introduced and designed to tentatively enroll 282 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Millcreek was hesitant to implement this charter plan, in fact, they had already developed and proposed the charter two years earlier, but chose to withdraw the proposal both times (Massing, 2003). Millcreek officials used their charter application as leverage to convince the Erie District that a charter school at Collegiate Academy would ultimately result in a net loss to the Erie District. Millcreek believed if some Millcreek High School students wanted to attend Collegiate, there must be city residents wanting to send their children to Millcreek. By opening their doors K – 12, Millcreek was betting they would win the enrollment competition.
Looking on in nervous anticipation was the Fairview School District. Located directly to the West of the Millcreek School District, Fairview believed the Global Academy Charter School in Millcreek might be attractive to some of its residents. As a result, a charter in Millcreek would result in the loss of students and funding. For its own survival, Fairview then began the process of developing its own charter program called the Fairview Advantage Charter School (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, April,2003).
Suddenly outlying school districts like Girard, Northwestern, General McLane, and others began to realize a domino effect would quickly take place. In the minds of many superintendents, the worst case scenario would be a “charter war”. A ‘charter war’ would see the development of a charter school in each school district. The potential consequences were frightening to area superintendents and school board members: everyone losing students, and tuition money and transportation costs draining your school budget. Perhaps even scarier was the prospect of a ‘brain drain’, with the best and brightest leaving for opportunities at other districts, and taking PSSA tests for another school. Some districts would be winners, and someone was going to end up with a classroom full of empty chairs and a bag full of bills (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, April,2003).
Intense heat and pressure make a diamond
Several of the county superintendents, lead by Larry Kessler of Fairview and Dean Maynard of Girard, made contact. They fast tracked some of the agenda items from the 2001 Retreat with C-Cubed. In February of 2003, the Intermediate Unit 5 hosted a gathering of the county superintendents and their board presidents to discuss possible solutions. A proposal was circulated, the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Proposed Erie County Regional Choice Initiative Consortium. A preliminary budget was outlined and districts demonstrated their support and commitment by contributing $5000 each to assist in the planning and development of this effort. The advantages of forming a consortium were listed for those attending. Intermediate Unit facilitator, Bill Nichols, outlined how ‘choice’ would be brought to the districts, students, parents, and communities of Northwest Pennsylvania (Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Proposed Erie County Regional Choice Initiative Consortium, 2003). The advantages of forming a cooperative effort, rather than a combative ‘charter war’, were well received in principle.
RCI was the sensible answer many district superintendents and board members were looking for to resolve the quickly changing educational environment. As details of the RCI program were discussed, developers made sure students attending another school would remain the possession of their home district. They would play sports in their home district, take PSSA tests in their home district, and logistically remain a student there. The tuition cost for participation in the RCI program was set at $2800 per student, considerably less than the $6500 average under charter law. Transportation costs would be shared by member districts (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, June 29,2005).
RCI’s Promising Start
Since its inception in 2003, RCI moved from the drawing board into reality. RCI has grown in scope and purpose. RCI I includes the tearing down of local school district borders so they can share programs. A student in Fairview can attend General McLane for the purpose of taking courses in their Ford Academy of Manufacturing Services program, and a Girard student can attend Fairview to take an AP English course. RCI II offers students the ability to earn college credit while simultaneously earning high school credit at the Erie Skills Center. These are courses taught by college professors and the credits are transferable. Plans are now being made for RCI III to serve as a Middle College concept (Larry D. Kessler, Personal Communication, June 29,2005).
Armistice
Both Erie and Millcreek implemented their plans for their charter schools. The results were as observers predicted. In 2004, Millcreek had the largest number of students attending Collegiate Academy at a cost of $450,000 (Thompson, 2004). By 2004, the Global Academy located in Millcreek had 225 seats, all but two were filled by city residents. As the Global Academy looked to expand by 75 more seats, the total cost to the Erie School District was estimated to be $1.6 million (Rhodes, 2004). In February of 2005, Erie County Judge John A. Bozza worked out a settlement between the Millcreek and Erie Districts; essential ending the ‘charter war’ (Gorley, 2005).
Lessons Learned
One way to consider the implications of the creation of RCI is in the context of competition in education. Did the concept of competition work to improve the public system? For all of the rhetoric about school reform by conservative policy makers, this is a case where competition significantly impacted public education. The PA Charter School Law was written to provide ‘choice’ in the education of students, to give them someplace to go outside of public schools. The charter law did not impact education in the way policymakers had anticipated. Charter schools existed to improve education outside of the public system, without the union issues and with much more freedom. Regional Choice demonstrates that public education is capable and willing to change from within, even with the restrictions with which it is burdened. Ironically, in a competitive system the best would rise to the top and natural selection would reduce and eliminate the weaker performers. Here in Northwest PA, competition, ultimately, did not pit school against school in a struggle of survival of the fittest. The ‘charter war’ forced independent districts to cooperate in order to survive. The school districts chose to reach out and join hands with others, rather than fight for only themselves. As of today, competition has spurred public education in Northwest PA to change, just not in the way people had anticipated.
Leadership and constructive partnerships played an important part in the creation of RCI. Creative people see every problem as an opportunity in work clothes. The leadership in place, beginning with the 2001 Retreat, recognized changes needed to be made. The ‘charter war’ intensified the need for change, and the stakes were very high. The county superintendents, C-Cubed, the Intermediate Unit, all worked on a solution beneficial to students, parents, and the communities in Northwest Pennsylvania.
What Next?
The future of RCI is still being written. Now entering its third year, RCI still faces challenges on the horizon. Can the concept of regionalism continue to expand? Are our community members able to overcome their sense of school identity and cross district borders? What innovative programs will enter RCI next? Can RCI expand to a larger part of the student population, and still retain its consortium members? All of these are serious questions about the future of RCI.
Reference
Rhodes, K. (2002). Board approves charter, high school plan. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 30, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Massing, D. (2003). Charter school buzz sets tone at open house. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Massing, D., Rhodes, K. (2003). Haas blasts Erie charter plan. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Rhodes, K. (2003). Erie school district thanked by Millcreek. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Rhodes, K. (2003). Erie school board set to ok charter school. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Massing, D. (2003). Millcreek oks charter school. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Rhodes, K. (2003). Debate focuses on funds. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Massing, D., Rhodes, K. (2003). Districts add twist to charter debate. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Massing, D. (2003). Millcreek considers own charter school. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Massing, D., Rhodes, K. (2003). Charter-school accord elusive. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Rhodes, K. (2004). Global academy classrooms get boost from board. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Hill, M. (2003). Mclane wants ok for charter. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 28, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Thompson, L. (2003). Charter school lawsuit moves forward. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 30, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Gorley, V. (2003). Charter school fight over. Erie Times News, . Retrieved Jun 30, 2005, from http://www.goerie.com/aps/pbcs.dll
Pennsylvania Department of Education, (n.d.). Charter schools legislation. Retrieved Jun. 29, 2005, from www.pde.state.pa.us Web site: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/charter_schools.
Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Proposed Erie County Regional Choice Initiative Consortium, February 2003
Erie County Regional Choice Initiative Progress Report, March 2003