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The Sheboygan Area School District launched several new charter schools this fall, bringing the number it offers to nine.
The teachers’ union will carefully monitor each school during the 2007-08 school year, said Tony Johannes, president of the Sheboygan Education Association.
“The big question is, if we have all these charter schools, what will be the impact on our other schools,” Johannes said.
The planning process for Sheboygan’s newest charter schools began about two years ago, and most were teacher-inspired or driven, Johannes said. One was a private school that converted into a public charter school.
All of Sheboygan’s charter schools are instrumentalities of the district, which means that they are operated by the local school board, said Clyde Clauson, director of the Kettle Moraine UniServ Council. “We’ve been involved in the planning and in the development of the language that allows them to be instrumentalities,” Clauson said. “We’ve had a great deal of involvement.”
Johannes said issues of special concern to teachers and support staff have been dealt with up front between the SEA and the school board since discussions on charter schools first began.
Clauson said some staff members are excited about the changes and others are watching to see how the new charter schools develop. He said the ample study and planning timeline increased understanding of the charter school’s role in providing greater flexibility and educational creativity.
Some students who had previously left the Sheboygan district through open enrollment have returned. Other students are leaving the traditional classroom, opting for the new programming. The district is monitoring how many students are being drawn from nearby districts.
“It’s a mixed group of emotions. Any time you are facing the unknown, you are going to see that,” Johannes said. “That’s why we’re evaluating it year by year.”
Resource Page on Charter Schools
Posted October 15, 2007