By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org

CONCORD — Converting public schools to charter schools would do away with many of the problems facing public education, a House committee was told Tuesday.

The prime sponsor of House Bill 1358, House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, which would establish a commission to study converting all public schools to public charter schools, said his plan is “a stone that could kill a lot of birds.”

He said issues over public education funding, escalating property taxes and housing would go away under his proposal.

But opponents of the bill, say converting all public schools to charter schools would be a huge undertaking with untold consequences for many stakeholders including students needing much more time than the year allowed under the bill for the study.

“It’s an incredibly short period of time to study such a large issue,” said Brian Hawkins, National Education Association NH lobbyist. “The commission also lacks educators.”

Under the bill the commission members would be three members of the House, three members of the Senate, the education commissioner, one member of a charter school and one member of a public school.

New Hampshire charter schools “are crushing it,” Osborne told the House Education Policy and Administration Committee. He said the state’s charter schools ranked fourth in the country in a recent Harvard study.

There are 38 charter schools serving 6,000 students with more coming in the pipeline, Osborne said.

“If the model works this well for these students,” he said, “why not offer it to all 170,000 students.”
Schools are responsible for about 60 percent of all property taxes, he said, while the state pays for charter schools, so that would shift the burden.

Although others testifying said charter schools also are funded with local property taxes, for district approved charters and districts also send 80 percent of the average per pupil costs to the converted charter schools as well.

Local school districts with special education students in charter schools have to pay for their education.

The state pays charter schools more than double what it pays public schools per pupil in adequacy aid.

Charter schools do not have to meet the state standards and guidelines for public education nor follow certification requirements for teachers and administrators.

Charter schools are required to have at least 50 percent certified teachers or teachers with three years or more of experience.

“Tests scores are going in the wrong direction and we spend more than any other state and getting worse results,” Osborne said. “That insulates schools from accountability. They lose nothing, students are captive and the bureaucracy moves on.”
He said his plan would introduce market mechanics to drive outcomes.

“You hear a lot about local control, how this would be a state takeover of schools and it would undermine local control,” Osborne said.

It does not have to be like that to allow choice and competition to reign and provide accountability, he said.

“We can still fund these schools with public dollars and allow it to happen without putting our thumb on every test score and metrics and impose state mandates on schools,” Osborne said.

Every family is stuck in their school district without options, he said, although several committee members told him families have many options available to them including existing charter schools.

Osborne said with charter schools if a family does not like what is going on they can get together with several other families and start their own charter school.

But several committee members and others testifying said starting a charter school is not as simple as Osborne made it sound, that it is a very intensive undertaking.

Other committee members noted that recently several charter schools have been shut down because of financial improprieties.

Others noted school board members are answerable to the voters, while charter school trustees or board members are appointed and do not come under such scrutiny.

Giana Gelsey, Madbury’s representative on the Oyster River School Board, said her concern is the language in the bill appears preordained to the transition of all public schools to charter schools.

She said charter schools have a role to play and one reason they work is they do not have to follow the rules and regulations public schools must follow.

The commission has a very narrow window to do something this complicated, she said, while the legislature still has not been able to answer how to fund education at an adequate level.

Deb Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers NH, said the change to charter schools would take away the public’s voice and opportunities to be informed voters.

“Moving this consequential, community altering, and for students potentially life changing decision from a local school meeting where everyone in attendance is focused on education and property tax rates to the general election greatly diminishes genuine local control,” she said. “Voters lose the chance to deliberate together, ask questions which deserve detailed and informed answers from their school leaders, and weigh consequences in a forum designed for district governance.”

This is not what is best for communities or students, she said.

“New Hampshire is not ready to fund an expanded number of charter schools, so studying the process or making it easier to achieve is entirely premature,” Howes said. 

The state has yet to provide sufficient and equitable state funding, so every student can access a high-quality public education without overburdening local property taxpayers, she said.

“Launching a study of wholesale charter conversion before fixing adequacy is the very definition of putting the cart before the horse,” Howes said.

Rep. Stephen Woodcock, D-Conway, asked Howe what the impact of having only 50 percent of the teachers being certified would have on the profession.

Howes said you would find a lot of discouraged teachers because policy makers are not supporting their professionalism.

“It is just another example of things being done to us without consulting us,” she said. “It disrespects the profession of teachers.”
Under the bill, the commission would:

Study the potential benefits of restructuring all public schools as public charter schools or other independent schools.  

Examine funding models that would reduce reliance on local property taxes while increasing state funding.

Consider how charter-based governance could increase local district flexibility, innovation, and autonomy.

Assess potential impacts on student achievement, teacher recruitment and retention, accountability, and community engagement.

And identify statutory or constitutional changes required for the transition.

The committee did not make an immediate recommendation on the bill.

Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.