Charter schools have proven so successful, they have found a home in 40 states.

The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, of which I am a member, has been working on L.D. 1640, “An Act to Permit Charter Schools in Maine.”

Charter schools are publicly funded elementary or secondary schools that have been freed from some of the rules, regulations and statutes that govern other public schools. In exchange for this freedom, the schools are held accountable for producing certain results, stipulated in each school’s “charter.”

Charter schools sprang into existence in response to the “crisis” in public education. They have proven so successful that they are now in 40 states. This legislation will allow a “pilot” program of 20 schools in Maine.

Fifteen of these schools would serve the at-risk population. This segment is composed of students who are disenfranchised, discouraged or just plain bored. We all know that not every kid does well in the traditional school classroom, but the current system does not allow the teachers to vary the curriculum to help these kids. They fall through the cracks. Many of them quit school, and they frequently end up on welfare.

The five remaining schools can be chartered by the University of Maine System for specialty curriculums such as math, science, English and so on. They would offer some of the best and brightest students a more challenging academic regimen. These types of charter schools would offer college prep and advanced placement courses, such as biotechnology.

Charter schools allow for individualized instruction and attention that fosters a positive learning environment by teaching subjects of interest to these students. What a concept – students might actually enjoy learning, and teachers could actually teach.

The location of charter schools would be determined by local school boards. They would decide if such a school would be appropriate for their community. Then they could decide what sort of school they want. The program allows for local control, choice for parents and students, student accountability and a positive learning and teaching environment. This sounds to me like an awesome idea that could inject real excitement and energy into a child’s school experience.

Who could possibly oppose such an innovative and dynamic concept that has swept the country? You would be surprised. The idea has run smack into a special interest stone wall made up of the administrative boards of the Maine Education Association, the Maine School Superintendents Association, the Maine School Boards Association and the Department of Education.

Why on earth would these organizations oppose this legislation? Here are some quotes from written testimony submitted to the Education Committee during the public hearing:

“Charter schools would have the effect of diverting badly needed funds (taxpayer money) away from our public schools for whom they are intended and by whom they are needed.” (DOE)

What? The charter schools are publicly funded schools, funded by your tax dollars the same as other public schools. The difference is that parents and students have a choice of which one to attend, and not be dictated to by education bureaucrats.

But I digress. Here is an excerpt of testimony from the Maine School Superintendents Association, which opposes the charter school legislation:

“We note at the beginning of this testimony that the actual text of the bill was not available to us at the time of this written testimony.”

So let’s get this straight. They didn’t know what the bill actually said, but they are against it anyway. No wonder it’s almost impossible to actually bring constructive reform to education.

I continue with MSSA testimony: “Legislators need to separate reality from rhetoric and recognize that the devil is in the details of any such legislation.”

The details of what legislation? When they wrote their testimony, the text of the bill hadn’t even been written yet. The only conclusion you can reach, but I may be wrong, is that parental control, local control, competition and saving at-risk kids are bad things for Maine. Is that a fair assessment?

There are some really great, caring teachers and principals who support charter schools and would welcome them in their towns. Teaching in these schools would free these teachers to make a huge difference in these kids’ lives. Many have told me they went into this profession because they had one particular teacher who made a difference to them. They wanted to follow in those footsteps.

Currently, Maine and Vermont are the only New England states that do not have charter school legislation in place. We all need to know the real reason for this blind bureaucratic refusal to do what is right for the children of Maine.

Rep. Scott Lansley, a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Education, represents Greene and Sabattus. He frequently serves as a substitute teacher.