Wyoming Legislator Considers Improving Charter School Law

It's well-known that Wyoming has a very weak charter school law. The local union has to approve the charter application and charter teachers are a part of the district's collective bargaining agreement. It's a wonder any charter schools are open given this archaic law. But then, maybe that's the point.

The Center for Education Reform gives Wyoming's charter school law a low D.

Rep. Sue Wallis (R-Gillette) wants to improve the law after hearing Bill Gates speak at the National Conference of State Legislators conference this summer. Rep. Wallis is also the chair of the Wyoming charter school association so she knows first-hand the obstacles faced by charter applicants in the state.

The Wyoming Board of Education recently denied a charter high school's waiver request to offer teachers an annual contract. In comparison, charter school teachers operate on at-will contracts without any guarantee of continued employment at all.

In reporting the possibility of new legislation, the Billing Gazette exposed its bias by stating:

When 100 students or so leave a traditional school for a charter school, the district loses state money for those students.

The article's author failed to note that the district authorizing a new charter school of 100 students no longer has the responsibility to educate those students. Colorado's charter school law permits authorizers to retain up to 5% of the per student funding to cover administrative costs for charter school oversight.

In Wyoming, charter school founders must persevere through intense opposition and stigmatization and yet often end up without a charter school. That could be why there are only two charter schools currently operating in Wyoming.

Alaska Charter Schools

I just returned from ten days in Alaska where I saw the word "charter" on hundreds of signs throughout the state. Sure, the word was on signs for charter fishing boats, but the state also has 26 charter schools in operation. Alaska's charter school law is weak, receiving a "D" rating from the Center for Education Reform.

Alaska's charter school law passed in 1995 and permits up to sixty charter schools. Some of the provisions that make the law weak are less autonomy than other states (i.e. an "academic policy committee" instead of a governing board) and the charter school is bound by the authorizing school district's collective bargaining agreement with teachers.

Several of Alaska's charter schools focus on the Alaska Native heritage and culture. The Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Charter School in Bethel uses the immersion method of teaching Yup'ik to elementary school-aged students. In fact, note this list of spelling words for 2nd and 3rd grade students. Other charter schools use Spanish immersion, the Spalding method and a handful are homeschool programs.

Many of the state's charter schools are only accessible by plane, boat or dog sled since there isn't a road system in rural Alaska. About eight rural charter schools operate in Colorado, but at least they have a road to the school!