CITY HALL

JCPS board: Mayor Greg Fischer 'blindsided' us with charter schools stance

Phillip M. Bailey, and Allison Ross
The Courier-Journal

Jefferson County school board members said they are dismayed Mayor Greg Fischer didn’t talk to them before he publicly voiced support for bringing charter schools to the state.

“For him not to consult with any of us on this position. … I think it’s a betrayal of JCPS and the 101,000 students that are part of the district,” board chairman Chris Brady said.

Those criticisms were amplified after a House Republican spokeswoman said Monday that Fischer had talked with legislators about giving him the power to approve charter schools days ahead of Friday’s vote in the chamber. Under the current proposal, House Bill 520, which was amended Friday, Fischer — or the school board — could establish and oversee charter schools that would use JCPS resources.

“While the mayor is complaining about a war on Louisville from Frankfort, he’s apparently participating in the state’s war on JCPS,” board member Chris Kolb said. The phrase "war on Louisville" was said by Louisville Democratic Party Chairman Russell Lloyd, and the mayor has said those are not his words.

Fischer spokesman Chris Poynter said Tuesday morning that the mayor meets regularly with lawmakers to discuss important issues related to the city.

"When this issue came up with legislators, the mayor conveyed that if a charter school bill passed, he believed that research showed that there are strong charter school models that includes mayors as authorizers,” he said.

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Fischer reached out to officials in former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's administration for guidance on best practices, according to Poynter. Indianapolis' mayor is the only one in the country with the power to authorize charters and oversees more than 30 such schools, some with multiple campuses.

Poynter said the Fischer administration also reviewed studies from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. He emphasized the mayor's office has identified more than 20 questions or areas of concern about Kentucky's charter schools bill.

But Brad Hughes, a spokesman for the Kentucky School Boards Association — which opposes the current charters school legislation — said there has been no public dialogue on allowing Fischer or other mayors to authorize charter schools.

"In Kentucky, mayors have no role whatsoever in providing educational services or managing and operating our public system of common schools," Hughes said. "This is a substantial concern for student success, if those in charge have no experience in education, and it is yet another infringement on local school board decision making."

Asked if the legislation would allow Fischer to use JCPS funds, House Republican spokeswoman Daisy Olivo said it would follow the example of other cities where mayors oversee charter schools. "Regardless of the authorizer, charter schools are public schools and they're paid for just like all other public schools," she said.

That could shift how the city and school district, which are separate taxing authorities, operate.

While the current version of the bill does not explain exactly how charter schools will be funded, the bill includes clauses such as a requirement that school districts provide transportation to and from charter schools or give the transportation money to the charter school. It also says that if a district teacher leaves to go to a charter school, the district has to allow the teacher to return to a teaching position in the district within two years.

"The taxpayers elected the school board to create JCPS policy and to distribute funds where appropriate," Brady said. "The electorate did not elect the mayor to do that. The mayor should not have the ability to direct JCPS policy or funds any more than I should be able to direct when garbage pickup should be or where police should do patrols."

Poynter said, "both the school board and the mayor are elected by the citizens of Louisville," and are accountable to them. "Mayor Fischer believes that accountability to citizens will ensure that both JCPS and the mayor can work to ensure that only high quality charter schools are offered to our students," he added.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are run by private groups that are often unfettered by some of the regulations and teacher union agreements placed on public schools. In Louisville, Fischer or the school board would be charged with vetting the applications of parties who seek to open charter schools; deciding which will open; and ensuring the schools are operating under agreed-upon conditions.

If an application for a charter school were to be denied, it could be appealed to the state board of education, according to the bill.

GOP lawmakers argue charter schools are needed to give parents and guardians alternatives to the public school system, but Democrats charge that the legislation will drain public schools that are already poorly funded.

Fischer, a Democrat, has spoken out against the fast pace with which the legislation has moved through the state legislature. He has also criticized the bill for a lack of adequate funding for charter schools without negatively impacting existing schools; allowing uncertified teachers in the classroom; and allowing corporations to gain from tax dollars and students through for-profit schools.

JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens said in a statement Monday that the district's agenda "differs from the mayor when it comes to charter schools." She reiterated, however, that Fischer "has been a great educational partner" and the district and city will continue working together.

But local school board members said they were "blindsided" by Fischer's support of charter schools. Many pointed out that Fischer knew the board's position after their Jan. 10 meeting where the district adopted a legislative agenda saying the board should be the sole authority to create them.

"I was surprised to learn that the mayor’s office was advocating a position counter to the school board’s and counter to what experts say is best for students," board member Lisa Willner said.

"Our constituents have placed public education decision-making powers into our hands," board member Ben Gies said. "The board has the closest insight of the effect of charter schools in our district and is the proper body to authorize charter schools."

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Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courier-journal.com. Reporter Allison Ross can be reached at 502-582-4241 or aross@courier-journal.com.