Charter Schools and the Chopping Block

I am a teacher of 1 year at the
Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) and of 7 years at
a bricks & mortar school. The positive aspects of VLACS are clearly
evident to me as I a see the accomplishments of my VLACS students and
Milford High School, NH students taking VLACS courses. I see students
thrive taking a course for credit recovery, taking a class not offered
at their own school, or taking a class to get ahead in an academic
subject in which they excel. Even more importantly, I see students
that if not able to take online courses, they would drop-out of school
altogether. I have high achieving students that need to stay home to
be with their own babies or sick family members and I have students
successfully passing my classes that are otherwise unable to modify
their behavior to one that is socially acceptable in a traditional
classroom.

As a Superintendent in the North Country, Coos County, I have seen countless students graduate from the North Country Charter Academy. These students have not been successful in a traditional High School setting. We will now be responsible for children, by state statute, until they are 18. WE are working to reduce the dropourt rate to zero and yet we are being told we will have to serve less students rather than more. Current enrollment in the Charter Academy is 56 if the numbers are reduced due to legislation we will only be able to serve 45 students. ALL superintendents in the North Country STRONGLY support the Charter Academy!

My husband and I enrolled our 2 children in Seacoast Charter School in Kingston not because we were unhappy with local public school, but BECAUSE Seacoast was a public school.....but one with a smaller, specialized and focused learning environment that we felt could be a better choice for our children. We have never seen them happier. Our son, who in the past did not feel successful in school, is playing the violin, sculpting art, reading voraciously, and drew a SAD face on the calendar to mark the last day of school. I am unclear on why or how we are in a place where charter schools may be asked to cap enrollment, yet traditional schools are not. Share with me, so we can begin the process of explaining to our children why they may have to switch schools again. And so that we can once again begin the process of working with the local school to implement some Special Ed services for our son that we have not found a need for in a smaller school environment.

Both my children attend a public charter school. My oldest came alive at the Charter School in the way a parent or educator hopes for when a child is connected to their school. The charter school connected to our child's desire and thirst for knowledge and unleashed a 10 year old avid reader and aspiring writer. How can we tell this child that she may have to go back to her district school, a school she did not connect to and where she became withdrawn? As taxpayers with two children in a NH public charter school we want education options because we learned that the district's approach may not work for all learners. Education innovation and options will help parents do the right thing when it comes to making sure their child graduates from high school and become contributors to our community as well as be high achievers in life. my husband and I pay high taxes in our community and we deserve for those tax dollars to work for our children too. Risking any stimulus funds for NH charter schools and for all NH schools is a missed opportunity for the state of NH to raise the bar on education. NH runs the risk of not attracting or retaining businesses as well funding. In a rural state NH education options are a need not a luxury. NH residents cannot afford to move out of the state or their community becasue their local distrit school isn't working for them. The state of NH runs the risk of losing residents and businesses if education is not veiwed as progressive. The conditions for economic prosperity exists in society when education innovation and options are available to its residents. Make charter schools the engines for NH education innovation, appose caps. The prosperity of our state depends on it.

My oldest and youngest attend district schools in Merrimack. They are happy and doing very well there. Our middle child is a student at the Academy of Science and Design Chartered Public School in Merrimack. He is in 7th grade and like most first-year students as ASD is taking high school level courses in algebra, biology, chemistry, physics, English and world history, as well as Mandarin Chinese. He thriving in the challenging environment, and happy to be 'one of the crowd' instead of singled out. Could he get this educational experience in his district school? No. Is that an indictment against Merrimack school district? Absolutely not! Like all charter schools, ASD fills a niche for students who need or desire a different educational experience. I can only hope that the budget-makers see how successful, frugal, and productive charter schools are. They are a necessary part of the entire educational picture.

Charter schools are public schools operating more efficiently than "traditional" public Schools. I don't understand why my local tax dollars are not going to my son's Charter School. Is it because of the confusing way it has been set up in NH, then we need to work on the overall funding method? The National Education Association of NH should be embracing all styles of education in the public forum, not limiting them.

Charter Schools ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS with actually even greater acountability in regard to their charter. We and other families have chosen to send our children to charter schools because they are places of education for our children which is individual to all; something traditional public schools are usually unwilling or unable to do. It is about what our children need and Seacoast has fit those needs for our family. Just visit to see the students if you have any doubts that this money isn't well spent! The children are taught by dedicated teachers interested in the "whole child".