Newspaper Letter to the Editor

Happy New Year. Hope you are finding the info on schools that you need for 2009-2010. Here's a recent Letter to the Editor. The newspaper article referenced is available on m-live. Thanks for reading!

Letter: Hypocritical on Grand Rapids schools
by William P. Knoester | Grand Rapids
Friday January 09, 2009, 9:00 AM

I found GR Board member Lisa Hinkel's recent comments in the Public Pulse to be rather hypocritical ("Level playing field," Dec. 29) She criticized a Press editorial for supporting Sen. Wayne Kuipers' legislation that would allow K-8 charter schools to extend their charters for high school grades, saying: "I question the legality and intent of allowing only students from certain schools the ability to attend a high school funded with public dollars." We should look, she said, "... to create a more level playing field in the area of school competition."

Interestingly, the following day we read about the GRPS's decision to link the 6th grade programs at Blandford, Zoo, and Southeast Academic Center to City High School in order to "attract students."

As a former principal at City, I can verify that applicants must meet admissions criteria based on grade-point averages and test scores. Thus, a select pool of applicants is created from which enrollees are drawn. Special education students need not apply. Does that sound like the "level playing field" that Ms. Hinkel is advocating?

She is right about one thing, however. The "playing field" should be more level. Perhaps the GRPS would be willing to share some of the "extra" dollars that traditional public schools get, for example, funds from school bond issues. She could also advocate that charter schools shouldn't have to pay local property taxes, which traditional schools don't. That might level the field a bit.