Our Mission

To improve student achievement for military dependent children, we will create pilot Military Charter Schools that will use standards, curriculum and programs similar to those used in existing Department of Defense schools overseas and on the mainland. By replicating this pilot school, we hope to create a national network of independent charter schools that will provide a seamless education system for military children, replicating, enhancing and in some instances replacing the Department of Defense Dependent Schools system.

Our Vision

To create schools across the country where all military children have access to a uniform K-12 education system that embraces high expectations, utilizes rigorous curriculum, and recognizes the unique needs of the military family.  These schools will be owned by the community – parents, veterans and community members – who help to ensure that schools serve the needs of military children.

Background

Department of Defense installations throughout the US are struggling with the issue of dependent education for K-12 students.  Frequent moves by military families highlight the differences and inequities between various state public school systems.  An increasing number of families are opting for private or home schooling to compensate for lack of public education quality and to maintain continuity in their child’s progress. Many installations fortunate enough to have DoD schools may someday face converting them into state public schools.

One option not yet discussed is to take advantage of individual state charter school laws to create a national network of charter schools serving military children.  Charter schools are “public schools of choice”, created by communities through an agreement with a local school district.  They are run by locally elected school boards and have the option of setting curriculum, management practices and innovative programs to meet the specific needs of children.   There is no charge to attend a charter school; they are financed by the state.

A military spouse worked with the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to develop a pilot project and model that will eventually turn into a national network of publicly funded state charter schools serving military children.  Military Charter Schools can be formed under three scenarios:

1. New Charter School:  In light of the Resident Communities Initiative, base realignment, and increased housing expansion, many installations could build new charter schools to meet the needs of their communities.  The Marine Corps Commander at Belle Chasse in New Orleans opened a charter school in 2002 to serve military children in his area ( www.bellechasseacademy.com ).  This school serves as a model for this scenario.
2. Public School Conversion: Communities could opt to convert an existing state public school serving predominantly military children into a charter school.  We are currently working to pilot this scenario in Hawaii.
3. DoD School Conversion:  As the Department of Defense struggles with the decision to transfer DoD schools to local education agencies, military communities could convert existing DoD schools into charter schools, keeping curriculum and most faculty/staff (at a renegotiated salary and benefits rates), and the programs that best serve their students.  An added bonus in this case would be that the school is “owned” by a locally elected school board, giving parents even more say in education programs than under the current Department of Defense schools system.  We are in the process if finding a community interested in piloting this scenario on the mainland.

How schools are formed is different depending on the laws of each state.  Grassroot Institute will work with individual military communities to link them to local individuals, agencies and organizations that can help with the formation of a Charter School to serve military children.  Eventually, we will create a separate nonprofit organization, The Military Charter School Association, to help establish and maintain this network of independent schools dedicated to providing quality education to military children.

A website for the Military Charter School Project will be released soon (www.militarycharterschools.org).  If you would like additional information or to be added to our email list for news and events, please email us with your name and email address, and we will send you periodic updates on our progress.

Hawaii Pilot Project

In Hawaii, parents in the Schofield Barracks community have formed a committee to explore creating a new start-up charter school using Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School facility in Wahiawa which has been empty since 2004.  At the same time, they are circulating a petition to determine if enough parents in any one school community are interested in pursuing converting an existing public school into a military charter school.  If you are a parent from the Schofield Barracks/Helemano community and would like to sign this petition, send us an email with the following information:

Full Name

Address

Phone number and email address

Name of the school(s) your children attend – including homeschool or private school

We will add your information to our petition to help us determine which school communities to target.  The decision to pursue a conversion to a charter school is made by the school community, starting with the Community Council at each school.  If you live in another community in Hawaii and are interested in starting a discussion about this option at your school, please contact us by email or call 591-9193 for more information.

The important thing about the charter school option is that these are public schools of choice – any child may attend the school regardless of where they live.  That means children residing off base or anywhere on Oahu can attend the school if there are spaces available.

What about children who attend Homeschool?

Our plans for the Military Charter School include the development of programs to include services to families choosing to homeschool their children.  We are currently negotiating with K12 Virtual Curriculum to provide a framework for homeschool studies at our Military Charter School.  Regardless of what curriculum a family chooses to use, we want our military charter schools to work with homeschooling families to provide the best education possible for military children.

Who runs the charter school?

By definition, a charter school is “owned” by the community which elects a local school board to run the school – similar to how private schools are run.  This elected school board consists of parents and community members who have the skills and experience to administer the management and finances of the school.  The school board hires a Principal; the Principal in empowered to hire and mange teachers and staff.  Unlike regular public schools, charter schools do not have to follow all of the regulations and rules pertaining to management and how resources are allocated.  Because military communities face high turnover of families, our Military Charter School will rely heavily on the veterans and their family members in our community.  These individuals understand the unique needs of military families and often have the skills and expertise needed for board service.  Each school board determines its own exact make-up (how many members and from what background.)

Why doesn’t the Department of Defense take action on this?

The Department of Defense has no official role in our decision as parents and as a community to pursue a charter school.  Because education is a state function, we must comply with state laws and regulations regarding any changes made in the public education system.  The Charter School movement offers military parents and ALL parents in a state unprecedented opportunity to take ownership of local schools.

The Department of Defense is informed of our progress and will assist when it comes to coordinating for DoDDS curriculum and programs.  The Command at every level is interested in this process but plays no official role.  This is our chance as parents and a community to create the kind of schools we want for our children.  Education is a parent’s responsibility.  Let’s chart the course that DoD can follow.

When can a Military Charter School in Hawaii open?

If we act fast, we hope to have a school ready for the 2006-07 school year.  At this point, we are not sure if it will be a new start-up school for grades K-8 or the conversion of an existing elementary or middle school.  We encourage you to join our email list for the latest news and information on the pilot project.

What can I do to help?

EVERYONE can do something to help us make this vision a reality.

• Sign the petition or have us get one started for your community.
• Get folks together for a meeting - call us at 591-9193 to request someone to speak at a meeting or event.
• Make sure military leaders in your community know about the project and are willing to support parents in their community.
• Spread the word to friends throughout the world that this idea can be a reality.
• If you are scheduled to PCS soon, take the idea with you to your next duty station.
• Contact our local state lawmakers and Board of Education to ask them to lift the cap on Charter Schools and to support the Military Charter School Project.

You’ve defended Democracy – Now it’s time to practice it.