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Are Charter Schools Public?

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In a word, yes. Charter schools, Ross Valley Charter School included, are indeed public schools. The California Education Code Section 47615 defines charter schools as public schools. Charter schools get their funding in the same manner as the Ross Valley district schools do - primarily through per-pupil funding allocated from the state based on enrollment. Additionally, they are held to the same standards of accountability, the same anti-discrimination laws, and the students take the same annual state tests, as district schools. Charters are free and open to all students with no admissions requirements.

Charter schools do, however, differ in some key ways.
  • Charters are often run by a non-profit organization instead of a government agency. This autonomy enables different styles of leadership and new ways of doing things, thereby offering an alternative environment for families. Some charter schools are managed by private companies or with backing from wealthy individuals. Ross Valley Charter (RVC) is not one of those. RVC was formed by six lifelong Ross Valley School District public school teachers in cooperation with many local families who supported their vision for choice in public education in our community.
  • Charters are free from many regulations and district-level practices that govern how schools are run. This allows them more flexibility and autonomy than district schools typically have. Examples include: control over hiring and firing, spending decisions at the school level (district principals do not typically have this control, believe it or not), curriculum, school schedule, class offerings, school culture, and the ability to adopt innovative teaching methods.
To quote the California Department of Education:

The specific goals and operating procedures for a charter school are detailed in the agreement (the charter) between the authorizing entity and the school’s organizers. Charter status frees the school from many of the state statutes and regulations that apply to school districts. It is the intent of the California Legislature under state law that charter schools operate independently from the existing school district structure as a method to accomplish all of the following:
  • Improve pupil learning. 
  • Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving. 
  • Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods. 
  • Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the schoolsite. 
  • Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system. 
  • Hold the schools established under this part accountable for meeting measurable pupil outcomes, and provide the schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems. 
  • Provide vigorous competition within the public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public schools. [reference]
Signs posted around our community are misleading in that they suggest that charter schools are not public. We want to dispel this rumor. Ross Valley Charter School is a public school open to all. Learn more at www.rossvalleycharter.org.
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