Minority Whip Nancy Jacobs Leads Charter School Reform

One of the leading charter schools in Maryland, the KIPP Ujima Village Academy in Baltimore City, has been struggling to stay open because the state law requires teacher's union oversight for charter school faculty. That's right - an urban charter school that is a model program for advancing student achievement may close because the teacher's union drives up the alternative school's costs of doing business.

As described in our prior post (click here), the charter school legislation proposed by Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., was emasculated by Democrats in the General Assembly because of the stranglehold of the teacher's union on state education policy. Now Maryland finds itself ineligible for President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" competitive education grants because the state's charter school laws fail to contain basic provisions that would allow charter schools to thrive and offer successful alternatives to the failing public schools in urban areas.

Obama's Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited the KIPP Ujima Village Academy last November. He brought with him charter school education advocates Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton to highlight the bipartisan nature of the federal charter school initiatives. But in Maryland, the very nature of the charter school laws stifle the establishment and growth of these schools because the state law make these initiatives cost prohibitive.

A recent Baltimore Sun article states that "Maryland could stand to gain as much as $250 million in Race to the Top funds from the U.S. Department of Education, which this year is awarding money to states with what it considers the most forward-thinking policies." So far, Maryland is not on that federal list of "forward-thinking" public school systems.

The Baltimore Sun also notes that Minority Whip Nancy Jacobs is a leader in the state's efforts to improve Maryland's charter school laws:

"In the General Assembly, state Sen. Nancy Jacobs has drafted two bills to address some, but not all, of the key issues in charter reform: One bill would make charter schools eligible for capital funding; and the other would allow charter school teachers to opt out of their local unions. In the fall, KIPP Ujima Village Academy, a high-performing Baltimore charter, was forced to cut its staff and school hours after a dispute with the teachers union over pay."

"With the economic times we're in, I think it would be very unfortunate if Maryland didn't look at this as opportunity for education reform and to bring money into our schools," said Jacobs, a Harford County Republican. "The charter schools, the greater majority I've heard about, are doing an outstanding job - doing it cheaper than public schools. There's $250 million out there that would go a long way in helping. It would be a shame to miss out on it."

To view the entire Baltimore Sun story, click here.