A Charter School Is Born

Hurricane Ernesto did more than just damage roofs and flood basements in 2006. That hurricane brought new students to the South Side of Richmond and, ultimately, a new idea for the state's first elementary charter school.

The hurricane caused neighborhood disruption all over the City of Richmond, resulting in millions of dollars of damage and forcing many families to abandon their homes. A.V. Norrell Elementary School was flooded and students were temporarily displaced to Patrick Henry Elementary School.

When the students moved in, area residents took notice and liked what they saw. Neighbors enjoyed seeing children on the playground swings and having the old building being utilized again, as it had recently closed for economic reasons, after serving students in the community for more than 85 years.

The neighbors contacted Richmond Public Schools to see if the School Board had plans to reopen Patrick Henry again, but district officials said there was only a 1 in 10 chance that RPS would reopen the school. And the idea for the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (PHSSA) began.

Local educators got together and researched ideas for what kind of school they would create without the limits of traditional public school regulations. Shortly thereafter, they developed an idea for a charter school with an integrated curriculum heavily concentrated in science Standards of Learning (SOL) -- and a largely hands-on educational environment.

A charter school is unique in that it is granted autonomy to operate outside local school district policies, in exchange for maintaining agreed-upon levels of academic achievement.

PHSSA will host grades kindergarten through fifth grade and will be another school within the Richmond Public School system, therefore open to enrollment for all families in the district.

The Patrick Henry school is located next to Forest Hill Park, so much of the curriculum makes use of outdoor park activities and science laboratory experiments using lake and stream samples from the park.

In addition to a science-based curriculum, PHSSA will offer four major differences from traditional Richmond Public Schools: a year-round calendar, required family/guardian involvement, an integrated curriculum, and an outdoor classroom.

As most parents know, not every school is a good fit for every student. While PHSSA may be right for some students in Richmond, others may excel in a more traditional school environment. The school is a complement to the other opportunities offered by Richmond Public Schools.

A 2007 survey from the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) ranked the U.S. 29th out of 57 countries when it came to science literacy. In short, U.S. students are entering the work force unprepared for a global technology-based economy. This problem is compounded in urban and high-poverty districts. By the time students are in high school, it is too late to create the foundation in which these core subjects are rooted. A foundation for science education must be laid in elementary school.

A complicating factor in a school district's academic success is its level of poverty.

Richmond Public Schools' 74 percent poverty rate is the second-highest in Virginia, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The difference in science and math SOL test scores between Richmond and the outlying counties of Henrico and Chesterfield clearly illustrates this achievement gap. In 200607, while both Henrico and Chesterfield made adequate yearly progress in the areas of math and reading, Richmond schools continued to work diligently to meet these achievement goals.

In particular, SOL science and math scores within Richmond city schools have virtually stagnated among students labeled "disadvantaged" since 2004, according to the U.S. Department of Education. With more than half of the city school system's students qualifying for reduced-price or free lunches -- and more than 10 percent of its students in special education programs -- it is clear that more effective measures need to be taken if we are to see real improvement.

The journey that the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts took to become accepted as a charter in the state of Virginia was challenging and remains an uphill battle. The charter was barely approved in October 2008 by the Richmond School Board.

Virginia state law is unusual in that the local school boards are responsible for approving and overseeing charters. When your local authorizing board is the same as the body that approves the charter of the school, the issue of passing a charter becomes intrinsically controversial, because the charter is often viewed as competition -- rather than as a complement -- to the school system.

This is one of the many reasons why Virginia earned an "F" from The Center for Education Reform and why its charter-school law is the second-weakest in the nation, according to a report published by this group earlier this month.

For charter schools to be successful in Virginia, there must be a bipartisan initiative. Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell toured Patrick Henry School during his campaign and has made improving our state's charter school law and increasing charter schools in Virginia a top priority during his service as our commonwealth's 71st governor.

President Barack Obama is a staunch advocate of charter schools as a part of his education reform agenda and is currently offering states a piece of a $4 billion pie to improve school quality under the "Race to the Top" program.

There are nearly 4,500 charter schools in the United States, but only four in the state of Virginia. Patrick Henry will be one of only two charter schools in the state that was community-driven. The other two charter schools were created by their own school systems.

One of the first changes that should be made in state law is for a state advisory group to be developed to oversee and recommend charter approvals, instead of the local school board. This would help to ease animosity and would give the charter school board a built-in, state-level support system to turn to if the local education authority (LEA) were uncooperative.

For charter schools to be successful in Virginia, states must standardize the charter school applica tion and the financial funding processes. One of the key benefits of operating a charter school is having financial autonomy from the LEA so that funds can be directed where the school deems them necessary at the time.

Patrick Henry school board officials and RPS staff have spent countless hours trying to sort out the details of the finances. Since there is no standard per-pupil funding for charter schools in Richmond, officials have spent nearly a year trying work out an agreement and are finally close to resolution.

State and local laws need to clearly define the funding that charter schools should receive and make it comparable to that of other local elementary schools -- but should allow charter schools autonomy about how to spend those funds.

State officials should also consider giving charter school founders and staff pre-lottery status, per the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education. Founders take on the incredible task of creating the charter school application, getting it approved, assessing the school building, overseeing renovations, hiring staff, creating curriculum, and teacher training in addition to promoting the school, processing applications, and on and on.

These are not small tasks and in the case of PHSSA, these responsibilities are being carried out by a board of directors of 12 people who have given up time from their careers, their families, and their personal lives to dedicate themselves to opening the first charter school in Richmond.

These volunteers, myself included, receive no salary and no perks in return -- just the knowledge of knowing we are creating a viable and highly salient alternative for better education for children in Richmond. As we are continuing this effort, we feel fortunate to have the incredible support of local community leaders and our team of dedicated volunteers.

It is amazing to think that Hurricane Ernesto planted the seed of an idea for a school that will bring 130 smiling young faces to the doors of Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts in July 2010 -- students who will experience a rigorous yet engaging educational opportunity that will stimulate their natural curiosity about the world around them and lay a foundation for academic achievement in succeeding school years.

Such positive efforts and actions do not often result from unintended and unexpected tragedy. It behooves state and local officials to address and amend the broken charter-school system in Virginia to welcome more educational opportunities like this one to our state.

Antione Green is director of government affairs for the Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts in Richmond and is a member of the school's board of directors. Green is also president of the Richmond Crusade for Voters. Contact him at antione.green@patrickhenrycharter.org.