Are you satisfied with the public schools in the Lakes Region?
Are you satisfied with the way our public schools are being run into the ground by our elected school board members, members of the staff at the SAUs, and the teacher unions?
Are you satisfied with Political Correctness run amok in our public schools and the failure of our public schools to educate our children in traditional American values?
Have you considered the possibility of having a Lakes Region Charter School?
Charter schools are public and tuition-free schools authorized by the New Hampshire State Board of Education. Charter schools provide a choice for parents and students seeking an option to traditional public schools.
Public charter schools are created and governed by an independent board of trustees. Charter schools operate independently from many of the rules and regulations that apply to local school districts.
The focus of each public charter school is unique and based on the educational needs and interests of a particular community. Charter schools have the flexibility to choose innovative, educational strategies that will best help students meet their academic potential. Charter schools tend to offer a small class size.
Public charter schools are granted a “charter” for a term of five years. The school’s “charter” outlines the mission statement, educational program, student achievement goals and objectives, methods of assessment and measures of success. Charter schools are held accountable for meeting academic, financial, organizational and programmatic goals and objectives as outlined in its charter.
The initial requirement for seeking to establish a charter school in New Hampshire is to have core group of 10 or more parents.
Although application can be made to a local school board, since it is this writer’s view that it is unlikely that any local school board would wish to grant a charter for a new charter school, the better alternative is to apply to the State Department of Education, which has concurrent authority to grant a charter.
It is not an easy process to establish and maintain a charter school. And it typically may take as long as two or more years to get approval and open.
As of this writing (without somewhat out of date information from the NHDOE web site), there are 19 charters schools in operation in New Hampshire, one application denied in 2015, and 5 that were previously established but that folded because of insufficient enrollment and/or financial reasons.
If the prospect of having a charter school in the Lakes Region piques your interest, and especially if you have children now in any of the public schools in the Lakes Region as to which you might like alternatives, please contact this writer off line at njs@silbersnh.com and I will try to coordinate our efforts if there is sufficient strong interest.
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
