COLUMN: The great debate over public education

Today the "Great Debate" over charter schools is scheduled to take place in the South Carolina House of Representatives. I label it the Great Debate because it is about far more than the fair funding of our public charter schools; it is inherently a debate about the success of our public schools in South Carolina and alternative approaches to educating our children.

Here's a reality check - if we were handing out report cards, few could objectively contest that South Carolina public schools would get a failing grade. Of course, there are specific successes in programs and we all recognize and celebrate the many hard-working, dedicated teacher's and staff making a difference every day; I've seen that first-hand in my school visits.

It's unnecessary to recite the regularly publicized statistics regarding our high drop-out rate, poor graduation rate and standardized testing scores that confirm South Carolina's public schools aren't achieving success. Instead, allow me to cite a few fresh statistics that I've discovered in our own Aiken County schools that you won't read elsewhere.

At one high school, the ninth graders were called to an assembly with the principal a couple of weeks ago; he informed them that 25 percent of their class is failing English and math.

At another high school in Aiken County, incoming ninth graders were tested this school year and found to be reading on average at the sixth grade level. Their language skills scores were only slightly better.

This is not a condemnation of the good people who work in our public schools. Teacher after teacher has complained to me about the bureaucracy and obstacles they face daily in truly educating our children. It isn't just the administration, a web of federal and state requirements are part of the problem. There's plenty of blame to go around.

Our challenges are not as simple as the amount of money we spend on public education. On average, South Carolina public schools receive funding in excess of $11,000 a year per child. Those are your tax dollars cut three ways; federal, state and local. Contrary to what is repeatedly stated by those who protect the status quo - total school funding is more than we have ever spent per child in South Carolina public school defenders would have you believe that school funding has been significantly cut in recent years. It's important to keep in perspective that while the state's base student cost fluctuates, overall funding to public schools from more than 200 funding sources, including the federal government, has increased.

Here's a critical question: How much money would it take to create successful public schools? $15,000 per year per child? $20,000? $30,000? There never seems to be enough money, yet private, parochial and charter schools successfully educate for far less money than public schools.

Today's debate in the House will likely center on funding for school districts, school buildings, school administrators, threatened layoff's of teachers and whose money is it, rather than what's best for our school children.

School districts protest that we're taking "their" money. It's not "their" money. It's your hard-earned tax dollars used to educate the children of our state. Put the numbers in perspective - the additional amount being sought to fund the state-chartered public charter schools is $20 million of the $8.3 billion spent in South Carolina to fund public schools each year. In the past few days a compromise has been worked out where the funding won't come from local dollars, but from state funding. I predict the next round of objections will sound something like this: "That could have been our funding; give it to the public schools."

Charter schools are public schools; three are sponsored by the Aiken School District. I was pleased to hear Superintendent Beth Everitt tell the Aiken Legislative Delegation a couple of weeks ago that she supports charter schools. Charter school students are subject to the same requirements as schools run by school districts. Charter schools face the same accountability hurdles as traditional public schools. The State newspaper recently referred to charter schools as "laboratories of innovation."

The traditional brick and mortar school has changed little in the past 50 years - that observation was shared with me while visiting then-State School Superintendent Jim Rex last summer. No wonder our public schools are failing to keep pace with our rapidly changing world and its demands.

When it comes to education our focus must be on our children and we must recognize that one size does not fit all. Public school students, whether in district-run schools or charter schools, deserve an education system that maximizes the return on taxpayer dollars in terms of student achievement.

As State School Superintendent Mick Zais states: "These charter schools represent a good investment by taxpayers and provide students with additional options to meet their unique needs. They have been denied fair funding in the past. It is time to end this inequity."

I will listen intently to today's debate in the House, but barring any revelation I will vote to support fair funding for our public charter schools.

Rep. Bill Taylor (R) represents South Carolina House District 86 in the General Assembly.