The Fuss Over Franklin
Dominating Corvallis school news recently has been the topic of what to do with Franklin School.
Franklin School is a K-8 charter school, the only charter school in the Corvallis School District, that focuses on a Core Knowledge curriculum. The school also happens to be in the way of the new and improved Corvallis High School's master development plan, which means the building is scheduled to be demolished sometime in the next three years.
The looming question is: What to do with the Franklin students?
There are three options currently on the table. The first is to split the program and have students attend either Wilson Elementary or Cheldelin Middle School, depending on grade level. Another option would be to move the program in entirety to the former Harding Elementary School, which was closed due to declining enrollment several years ago. It would cost approximately $1.7 million to bring the building up to current earthquake code before Franklin students could be moved there.
The third option, the one that nobody seems to want, is to disband the charter school and have kids attend according to district boundaries.
So really, why is that third option being ignored? Franklin is costing the district $309,000 per year in operating costs, and for what? A recent study by the National Education Association has shown that charter schools offer no educational benefit over regular public schools. Indeed, looking at a district snapshot summary of local schools, Franklin fares no better than several other schools in Corvallis. It's a good school, but all Corvallis schools are decent schools according to national standards.
Parents and kids alike become attached to the schools the children attend. But sometimes school closures are simply better for the school district, which seems to be the case here. Corvallis school enrollment continues to decline, a trend that will lead to further school closures and consolidations down the road. At some point, parents will have to accept these decisions, rather than raise a stink and threaten recalls of school board members as they did with the recent decision to close Inavale.
Franklin School is a K-8 charter school, the only charter school in the Corvallis School District, that focuses on a Core Knowledge curriculum. The school also happens to be in the way of the new and improved Corvallis High School's master development plan, which means the building is scheduled to be demolished sometime in the next three years.
The looming question is: What to do with the Franklin students?
There are three options currently on the table. The first is to split the program and have students attend either Wilson Elementary or Cheldelin Middle School, depending on grade level. Another option would be to move the program in entirety to the former Harding Elementary School, which was closed due to declining enrollment several years ago. It would cost approximately $1.7 million to bring the building up to current earthquake code before Franklin students could be moved there.
The third option, the one that nobody seems to want, is to disband the charter school and have kids attend according to district boundaries.
So really, why is that third option being ignored? Franklin is costing the district $309,000 per year in operating costs, and for what? A recent study by the National Education Association has shown that charter schools offer no educational benefit over regular public schools. Indeed, looking at a district snapshot summary of local schools, Franklin fares no better than several other schools in Corvallis. It's a good school, but all Corvallis schools are decent schools according to national standards.
Parents and kids alike become attached to the schools the children attend. But sometimes school closures are simply better for the school district, which seems to be the case here. Corvallis school enrollment continues to decline, a trend that will lead to further school closures and consolidations down the road. At some point, parents will have to accept these decisions, rather than raise a stink and threaten recalls of school board members as they did with the recent decision to close Inavale.
posted by Corvallist at
10:04 PM
7 Comments:
What’s the real reason that they don’t consider closing Franklin’s charter school? They’ll never admit it, but it boils down to a group who’d be home-schooling if it weren’t for the perceived benefits at Franklin. Specifically, many conservative/religious parents use Franklin to shelter their youngsters from the corrupting influences of 6-8th grades at Linus Pauling or Cheldelin. There’s an undercurrent among the parents and many of the staff that fosters not only academic fundamentalism. The school board won’t stand up to the backlash from these parents.
By
Anonymous, at 5:55 AM
I would choose options 3. Our children were attending Jefferson when Harding closed its doors. Many students from Harding joined Jefferson and it was a wonderful experience to prepare for the new population.
I didn't realize that Franklin was a charter school, rather I thought it was a "school of choice."
I am concerned that parents/ students have placed their school above the needs of the whole. I will refer to Star Trek (I think) on this one by saying "the good of the many outweigh the good of the one."
I have strong opinions on the Franklin topic, but choose not to air more of them in this form.
Thanks for writing this Corvallist,
~ch
By
Unknown, at 7:01 AM
Thanks for the interesting insight, Anon. I suspect most charter schools are borne out of similar fears of the public school system, in which case parents should really just find a private school that suits them instead of demanding that public money fund the sectarianism.
We were a Jefferson family too, CH. Great school, certainly not a downhill slide for the Harding kids. And really, the Corvallis system is quite good overall, so I don't understand the whining.
By
Corvallist, at 7:24 AM
As a resident of the area around Franklin school, I find it wasteful that they will flatten the building to build tennis courts. But then, I thought it was short-sighted and wasteful to tear down CHS and I voted against the $87 million construction bond issue. I tend to support operating levys, but 509J tends to ignore the larger public undercurrents . . . . . which could be problematic in the fall.
By
Anonymous, at 10:04 AM
Franklin School is NOT a charter school, it is a public school in the Corvallis School District. The fact is, not all children thrive in every school setting and need a different setting. Franklin is academically rigorous and very structured. It's also a K-8, which cannot be ignored as a major draw. Though Franklin does not suit my children, the very long waiting list it has maintained for years attests to the fact that it suits many many children. Education is not one size fits all and should not ever be considered so. Many people seek a small school setting for their children in middle school because they feel it's what will work best for their children and their choice should be respected. Like any school, many of the children there are religious, but many more are not.
Either way, definately not a Charter School. It is public.
By
Angie, at 10:34 AM
Angie, charter schools ARE public schools. The simple fact is that there has been no proven education benefit from these charter schools.
By
Corvallist, at 7:35 PM
Angie, charter schools ARE public schools. The simple fact is that there has been no proven education benefit from these charter schools.
By
Corvallist, at 7:35 PM
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