Testimony on HB 4800 — Charter School Cap
Written Testimony of Michigan Catholic Conference
5 June 2001
House Bill 4800
House Education Committee
Good morning. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I am Brian D. Broderick Public Policy Associate with the Michigan Catholic Conference. The Michigan Catholic Conference is the public policy voice for the Catholic Church in our state. The MCC speaks on behalf of 2.5 million Catholics in Michigan. Approximately 80% of Catholic school age children attend public schools in Michigan. As such, the Bishops of Michigan have a deep and abiding interest in the performance of all students and all schools.
We thank you for the opportunity to offer this testimony on House Bill 4800.
The Michigan Catholic Conference strongly supports House Bill 4800 and the incremental approach to lifting the charter school cap, especially in those areas where education alternatives are so sorely needed. Lifting the cap on charter schools advances the socially just notion of educational choice for all students. It is recognition on the part of the legislature that one size or one delivery system does not fit all students. The Michigan Catholic Conference believes that the more options that are available to parents and their children, the more likely that the educational system, both public and private, will respond to the needs of students.
We share the concerns of others that have testified before this Committee regarding the increased regulation of charter schools. The irony of this Committee passing “ed-flex” bills a few weeks ago, and now considering putting additional regulations on charter schools under the guise of accountability, is not lost on the Conference. We believe the ultimate arbiters of accountability are the parents who send their children to school. These parents have the ability to remove their child from the school if it is not meeting his or her needs.
The Michigan Catholic Conference supports this bill with full realization that students may leave a Catholic school to enroll at a charter school. Some have, under the current charter scheme. The focus of all educational endeavors has to be the children, not the public, private or faith-based system. With that principle in mind, the MCC will continue to support educational innovation, enhanced opportunities and creative learning environments for all children so that true reform and educational choice can take root in this state.
We urge this Committee to pass House Bill 4800 because it furthers educational options for students and their parents. Our Catholic social teaching speaks to the fundamental right and obligation of parents to direct the education of their children. The removal of the charter school cap, in an incremental fashion, is a step in the right direction to allow parents and students the ability to seek out the best alternatives for their educational needs.
Thank you.
