In leading Heritage Classical Charter Schools and Temecula Preparatory School over the last six to seven years, I am often asked two questions: “What is a charter school?” And, then, the follow-up, “Why a charter school?”
First, a charter school is a public school most often founded by a group of parents or teachers seeking an alternative form of public education.
They must form a non-profit organization to operate the school. Then the organization must get permission from a school district to open the alternative school. Permission is granted in the form of a “charter” or contract establishing the parameters of the school, thus the name “charter school.”
Therefore, the charter school is a public school, not a private school. It is tuition-free and open to all students. In California there are no boundaries for admission to charters, thus a student who lives in Corona can choose to attend a charter school located in Temecula.
So, if a charter school is just another public school, why open one?
First, know that charters are held to the same level of accountability, if not more, for academic success and fiscal solvency as regular public schools. However, charters are given leeway to design a unique program. For Temecula Preparatory School it is a virtue-based, classical education that has a very distinct pedagogy and culture.
In short, this gives parents a choice in public education, and that is the real “why” for a charter school.
Parents often forget that it is their tax dollars paying for public education. But, more importantly, most parents are not aware of the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has regularly held that parents have the right to choose the type of education they want for their children.
So, whether out of dissatisfaction or mere curiosity, parents should and do have the right to choose a public education model for which they are already paying, and that is what a charter school offers.
Scott Phillips, J.D. is the CEO and Headmaster for Heritage Classical Charter Schools/Temecula Preparatory School. Twitter: @ https://twitter.com/Scott_HCCS