Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/20388
4A – Daily News – Saturday, November 27, 2010 Church-charter school partnerships a growing trend in education DALLAS (MCT) — Students at Dun- canville's Advantage Academy follow biblical principles, talk openly about faith and receive guidance from a gregari- ous former pastor who still preaches when he speaks. But his congregation is a swath of low- income students. And his sermon is an educa- tor's mantra about the opportunities of charter schools. Advantage's state- funded campuses show- case the latest breed of charter schools, born from faith-based princi- ples and taxpayer funds. More than 20 percent of Texas' charter schools have some kind of reli- gious ties. That's the case for six of the seven approved this year. Church-charter part- nerships are springing up across the country as private institutions lose funding and nontradi- tional education models grow in popularity. Their emergence prompts questions about the role religious groups should play in the devel- opment of publicly funded schools. "The church-state line is beginning to blur," said Bruce Coop- er, a professor at Ford- ham University's Gradu- ate School of Education, who has studied reli- gious charter schools. "We may be coming to a midpoint between the best of what is private and the best of what is public." Critics fear the fuzzy division means taxpay- ers are footing the bill for religious instruction. "You have to wonder what the impetus is," said Dan Quinn, a spokesman for Texas Freedom Network, an Austin watchdog group focused on church-state issues. "What is the cat- alyst for becoming a charter because at that point they've abandoned the mission of being a religious institution?" Charter schools are public schools run by private groups and approved by the State Board of Education. They are freed of many state rules. But they must adhere to the state's accountability tests and maintain a sep- aration of church and state. Religious groups may apply to open a charter school if they establish a separate non- profit to receive state funds. Even with a middle- man, heavy overlap exists between the school and the religious group that supports it. Dozens of Texas charter school leaders or board members hold promi- nent positions in the church, where the schooling sometimes takes place. Parochial schools reinvent them- selves as charters, often with little guidance on running a public school. And the mission of the school itself typically stems from the values of the religious group. These close ties stir concern that churches will use state funds to bolster their coffers. In Houston, the Rev. Harold Wilcox and sev- eral church members were indicted six years ago for embezzling fed- eral and state funds through Prepared Table Charter School. Wilcox paid himself a $210,000 annual salary to run the school and received $68,000 in rent for classes held in his Bap- "A lot of community action is happening in our churches," Miner said. "It seems like a natural alignment." The school will emphasize leadership, one of Elevate Life's key principles. But pastors won't work there, and no religious classes will take place during school hours, Miner said. Religious boundaries appear even hazier for former parochial schools, whose dwin- dling resources make charters an ideal option. "It's a large learning MCT photo Frisco, Texas's Elevate Life Church, seen on Nov.16, will open a charter school next fall. tist church sanctuary. A decade ago, the state launched an inves- tigation into Dallas' Rylie Faith Family Academy and discov- ered dozens of family and church members on the founders' payroll. The group installed pro- fessional educators and cleaned up its books. Rylie Faith still runs two Dallas charter schools. Advantage Academy sits in two nondescript one-story buildings on the edge of Duncanville, next to a bank and a guarded office complex. Poster board covers the walls inside with sten- ciled letters that read "Character Counts." Reminders of the acade- my's seven pillars, including integrity, humility and authority, hang in classrooms next to pie charts and pic- tures of President Barack Obama. Advantage markets its teaching of creation- ism and intelligent design. It offers a Bible class as an elective and encourages personal growth through hard work and "faith in God and country." On a recent morning, a dozen uniformed seventh- graders hunched over worksheets, turning fractions into decimals. Allen Beck, the acad- emy's founder and a for- mer Assemblies of God pastor, hopes to instill morals and ethics in stu- dents as they learn to count and read. "Ameri- ca is in a battle between secularity and biblical thinking," he said. "I want to fuse the two together in a legal way." Religiously affiliated charters like Beck's tend to emphasize similar themes of developing character and shaping values. His office is filled with books about Abraham Lincoln, semi- nary degrees and a whiteboard that details a path from victim to vic- tory. "Education" appears as the middle link, right before "acting in faith." he said. "It's a balancing act," The ties extend beyond Christian organi- zations. Houston's high- ly regarded Harmony Public Schools are run by Turkish Muslims who embody the philosophies of a popular imam. Islamic Relief sponsors Minnesota's Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, whose curriculum emphasizes Muslim culture and Ara- bic language. Students at Ben Gamla Charter School in Florida eat kosher food in the cafe- teria and learn Hebrew. These charter schools may operate because they say they don't endorse religion — they accommodate it. They also provide space. Charter schools don't receive local prop- erty taxes or state funds for construction, mean- ing they must scout their own locations. Leadership Prep School found its home at Frisco's Elevate Life Church. Steve Miner, the church's business administrator, calls the relationship a tenant- renter one. Frisco's first charter school will open there next fall. Members of Elevate Life approached church officials a year ago and asked if they'd help establish an alternative schooling option in Collin County. curve," said David Ray, who took over South Dallas' St. Anthony School a year after it switched to a charter campus. "When I came in, they were still doing Catholic curriculum. Everything totally changed, with the exception of the build- ing." St. Anthony Church's white crosses peek over the school's thick iron gate. Words like "risk- taker" and "confidence" are scrawled on cafete- ria walls, part of an out- side program Ray imple- mented that promotes culture and self-reflec- tion. Only two of the Catholic teaching staff remain. Ray gets intercepted regularly for hugs when he walks down the school's tiny hallways. About half of the gradu- ating middle school stu- dents go on to Dallas magnet schools. Dallas Diocese members make up much of the board, but Ray insists the school's operations are separate from those of the church next door. Lawrence Weinberg, who wrote one of the first books on religious charters, sees these con- nections as an inevitable part of public-private relationships. As long as they don't force faith on students, he also sees them as hope. "Urban education is in crisis," he said. "If public schools are not doing their job and reli- gious organizations are willing to make a part- nership and educate these kids, be happy. That's the starting point." A Special Thank You To Raleys! Raley’s is offering the “Food for Families” program from Nov. 10th thru Dec. 31, 2010. Customers will be able to purchase a $20.00 bag of groceries for the Salvation Army for only $10.00. Raley’s will make up the difference. The Salvation Army will give these bags of groceries to local families! Contributions may be sent to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 935, Red Bluff, CA. 96080 www.redbluffsalarmy.org