"A National pro-charter school group today released a study that suggests interest in charter schools is on the rise. The Center for Education Reform says there are enough students on charter school waiting lists to hope 5,000 new charter schools nationwide. But Maine is still one of 11 states that does not allow charter schools, and some in Maine say that could cost the state in a big way."
Charter schools are funded like public schools, but they're organized by a group of teachers, parents, or a community. They operate free of the rules and regulations that govern traditional public schools, but their "charters" serve as performance contracts, which they must abide by.
Maine does not have any charter schools because legislation to create them has never passed. But the Maine Association for Charter Schools is determined to keep bringing bills forward.
"People here, especially educators, particularly from the alternative education movement, have been trying to get public school options going for 15 years," says Judith Jones, chair of the board of the Maine Association for Charter Schools. "We basically support and promote public school options and public school choice of all kinds for Maine families."
Maine does not have any charter schools because legislation to create them has never passed. But the Maine Association for Charter Schools is determined to keep bringing bills forward.
"People here, especially educators, particularly from the alternative education movement, have been trying to get public school options going for 15 years," says Judith Jones, chair of the board of the Maine Association for Charter Schools. "We basically support and promote public school options and public school choice of all kinds for Maine families."