There has been a lot of talk recently about the credentials of the principal of Northern Virginia’s first public charter school. Sadly missing from the discussion has been what would be in the best interest of students. They are the ones who stand to see their school year disrupted … because of the state’s arcane licensing requirements.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the credentials of the principal of Northern Virginia’s first public charter school. Sadly missing from the discussion has been what would be in the best interest of students. They are the ones who stand to see their school year disrupted … because of the state’s arcane licensing requirements.
Middleburg Community Charter School in Loudoun County was placed on probation last week by the county school board because its principal, Barbara Smith, hasn’t been able to get the required state license. Smith, who previously was principal of a charter school in the District of Columbia, has … encountered a series of delays and bureaucratic hurdles. … Richmond now has the paperwork, and a decision is expected soon. …
It is important to have qualified educators leading schools. But the possible loss of a principal who appears to be doing the job well, because of failure to take a course in graduate school, strikes us as foolish.
Shouldn’t the focus be on experience, the ability to do the job and the results produced? It is that results-oriented spirit that helped charter schools become their best to succeed and flourish.
Unfortunately, Virginia has not embraced that spirit.
The state is notoriously inhospitable to charter schools. It makes it difficult for charters to open … and then difficult for them to operate …
It is time for a little common sense, and for the state board to examine what purpose is served by a licensing regime more concerned with what’s on paper than what gets done in the schoolhouse.
— Washington Post