NEWS

Delaware bill pushes changes to charter school rules

Matthew Albright
The News Journal

Correction: A previous version of this story attributed a quote from Kendall Massett to the wrong person. 

Lawmakers are considering changes to charter school enrollment preferences and the school choice process.

It is an issue that previously has been fraught with emotional debate between supporters of charters and traditional schools, but the two sides are trying to work out some compromises this legislative session.

Rep. Kim Williams, D-Newport, is sponsoring a bill to remove charter schools' ability to give enrollment preference to students who live within 5 miles of the school.

"I think it's much better when we can come together and work things out instead of just fighting," said Rep. Kim Williams, D-Newport. "I think you're going to see more of this in the future."

When charters have more applicants than seats, state law allows them to give preference to certain students. Charter school supporters say that allows them to fulfill their specialized missions, but traditional school advocates say that has allowed charters to screen out at-risk kids — including those in poverty — and exacerbated racial and economic segregation.

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In 2013, the General Assembly created a task force to study the issue. Williams chaired that group and is rolling out legislation this year to implement some of its recommendations.

The first is a bill that would eliminate one of the enrollment preferences, which allows schools to prioritize kids who live within a 5-mile radius of the school.

Two schools currently have that preference in their charter: Newark Charter School and First State Montessori in Wilmington.

The 5-mile radius was included so schools could create a neighborhood atmosphere, said Kendall Massett, director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network.

"When kids are closer to school, it allows for our parents and our families to have more access to the school," said Massett, whose group helped craft Williams' bill.

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Despite this reasoning, parents and educators in traditional school districts have criticized the 5-mile provision. Newark Charter, in particular, has been a lightning rod among supporters of the Christina School District who believe it is sapping students and money from the district.

If Williams' bill passes, the 5-mile preference would be eliminated, meaning charters would need to give preference to any student who lives in the district.

"We want our schools to be accessible to all our kids," Williams said.

The legislation makes one tweak to address the peculiar geography of the Christina School District, which mostly covers the Newark area but also includes a small piece of Wilmington. Christina is one of only four "non-contiguous" school districts in the country.

Williams' bill would allow charter schools in Christina, like Newark Charter, to give preference only to students in the Newark part of Christina.

Greg Meece, head of school at Newark Charter School, supports a proposed changed that would allow charter schools in Christina School District, such as Newark Charter, to give preference only to students in the Newark part of Christina.

Newark Charter School leaders support the change.

"It basically preserves our ability to fulfill the school's mission, which includes focusing on the Greater Newark community," said Greg Meece, head of school.

Meece said the 5-mile radius can be confusing to parents and said the new setup would make it simpler to understand who gets the enrollment preference.

Newark Charter has some of the highest test scores in Delaware and routinely wins academic honors. The school currently has a wait-list of almost 3,000 kids, Massett said.

The school's critics point out that it serves mostly affluent, white students. During the last school year, less than 8 percent of its students were from low-income families, about 6 percent required special education services and only 2 percent were English language learners — those numbers are fractions of those for the Christina district as a whole.

Meece and Massett said the new enrollment rules could prove problematic if state leaders reduce the number of school districts in Delaware. Some officials have called for such a change to save costs, but charter advocates say that would also mean their schools would be required to serve much larger geographic areas.

"If redistricting happens, we may have to revisit this," Massett said. "But we can't deal with the what-ifs. We must deal with what's in front of us right now."

The bill does not change other enrollment preferences, many of which remain controversial.

Perhaps the biggest sticking point is a rule that allows charters to give preference to kids who "have a specific interest in the school's teaching methods, philosophy or educational focus." Williams and other advocates argue that allows some charters to "cherry pick" top students away from traditional schools.

Charters defend the practice as an important way to preserve their unique roles in Delaware's education system.

Williams said she will be introducing legislation to address other enrollment preferences soon. Some of those may draw stiffer opposition from the charter sector, but she praised the charters for their collaboration on this bill.

Massett said she thinks this kind of collaboration is better in the long run.

"Healthy compromise is what every American should want from good government," Massett said. "If you're always only looking to win, then somebody is going to lose, and that's not what we are about."

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.