INDIANAPOLIS STAR EDITORIAL:
Let's celebrate charter success

When Abby Lynn receives her high school diploma today from Fall Creek Academy, she already will have put her freshman year of college behind her.

That's because Abby, valedictorian of the charter school's first graduating class, has earned 33 college credits, enabling her to enter the University of Southern Indiana in the fall as a sophomore. Several of her classmates, according to Kevin Teasley, president of the GEO Foundation, the school's sponsor, have earned more than 25 college credits.

Students' early exposure to college-level work is a part of the vision for Fall Creek. The charter pays for students' college tuition and textbooks.

All of this takes place at a school where nearly two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced price lunches because of their families' low incomes.

Members of the General Assembly should strongly consider such success stories when debating the state budget during a special legislative session in June. House Democrats pushed a moratorium on new charters during this year's regular session. A compromise proposal -- a cap of one new charter per district per year -- is expected to be revived next month. It's a position based on a misguided view that charters somehow weaken traditional public schools.

Let's be clear: Strong traditional schools are vital to this city and every other community in the state. Even at their peak, charters are likely to serve only a small percentage of the state's students.

Charters aren't foolproof either. Abby's school, Fall Creek Academy, ran into academic problems a few years ago, which led Mayor Greg Ballard's administration in March to give it a two-year deadline for improvement. Even that fact, however, speaks well of the charter movement; schools are held strictly accountable for performance.

Beyond individual success stories, charters also provide a critical alternative to families who for whatever reason aren't satisfied with traditional schools. It's a fact of special importance to cities such as Indianapolis. Without such alternatives, young families will continue to flee in large numbers to the suburbs.

It's time to end the tired debate about public charter schools versus traditional public schools. Both are needed, and both must be provided with the tools needed to succeed.

Today, Abby Lynn, her classmates and their families will mark an important achievement. It's not just their victory, however. It's one the entire community should celebrate.

View more success stories