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A federal stimulus program called “Race to the Top” could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for North Carolina's cash-strapped public schools.
But the state may be hobbled at the starting gate.
That's because North Carolina's cap on the number of charter schools could work against it.
“Charters (are) a high priority for President Obama,” said Justin Hamilton, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education. “States that limit them put themselves at a strategic disadvantage in applying.”
Under the federal stimulus program, the education department has nearly $4.4 billion in “Race to the Top” money for states that show innovation in education. Education officials call it the federal government's “largest one-time investment in K-12 public school reform.”
States will be invited to submit proposals this fall. A handful will win grants early next year. North Carolina plans to be in the hunt.
“You can bet your bottom dollar I have a team trying to get the money for North Carolina,” Gov. Bev Perdue told a Charlotte workshop on stimulus money this month.
Though detailed grant requirements aren't yet available, the governor has a “Race to the Top working group” pulling together material. Perdue administration officials tout innovation efforts such as the state's “virtual public schools,” which, among other things, allows students to earn college credits online.
“We're very encouraged by the fact that North Carolina stands above many states by being very strong in innovation,” said Myra Best, Perdue's education adviser. “We've done a great deal to move education forward, and this is just an opportunity for us to… continue to make progress.”
But in a conference call with reporters this month, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, “States that do not have public charter laws or put artificial caps on the growth of charter schools will jeopardize their applications under the Race to the Top Fund.”
North Carolina is one of 40 states that allow charters, and one of 26 that cap the number.
The current cap is 100, though at least two bills in the General Assembly would raise it. One measure that passed the House would put it at 106; the bill is in a Senate committee.
Tax-funded charters, designed to encourage innovations, are free of many rules that govern traditional public schools. Around 36,000 N.C. students are enrolled in them. There are about a dozen charter schools in Mecklenburg County.
In the name of innovation, Obama and Duncan have called on states to lift their caps. However, Duncan has warned charter advocates that low-performing charter schools give all such schools a bad name. “Your goal should be quality, not quantity,” he told the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Last week, a Washington-based group questioned the effectiveness of N.C. charters. The Center for Education Reform ranked “the winners in the Race to the Top for charter school growth.” It ranked states on criteria that included the fiscal equity and operational independence of their charters. North Carolina earned a “D” as the 15th weakest in state charter laws.
Center president Jeanne Allen said N.C. charters suffer from “death by a thousand regulations” and the lack of strong partners such as universities.
She called “Race to the Top” a chance for states to take another look at their charter schools.
“The carrot-and-stick with this fund can be an exciting thing for states or it can be a wake-up call,” Allen said.
