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Luckie wants moratorium on new charter schools
Monday, April 07, 2008
DAYTON — State Rep. Clayton Luckie, D-Dayton, said Monday that Dayton already has too many charter schools and that he is proposing legislation to put a moratorium on the establishment of new for-profit charter schools.
Luckie said Monday, April 7, at a press conference that a school charter school to be located on Klepinger Road is being opened by an organization with two failed schools in the state, and is being placed in an unsafe area near a bowling alley, bar and a store that sells liquor.
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But Roy Swanson, the man who will be the school's principal, said Imagine Schools have a good record in running charter schools and wants to "help parents educate their children" by opening the new school.
Luckie said he feels charter school put an unfair burden on taxpayers and existing school districts by siphoning away money that would otherwise go to public schools.
He was especially critical of what he feels are "fly-by-night operations" that come into districts to make a profit by luring parents to register their children by giving misleading promises.
"I can open a school in my backyard. That doesn't mean it will be a good competitive school," he said. "Anybody can open a charter school. And when you give a dollar to a charter school, you're taking that dollar away from another school."
The kindergarten-to-third grade Imagine school is scheduled to open this fall. Swanson said Imagine has six schools in Ohio and is opening five more, including the site on Klepinger Road.
He said the site received full approval from Dayton's zoning board on the condition that safety improvements including sidewalks are added.
Swanson said Imagine is investing nearly $4 million for the purchase of the site, a former nursing home, and for renovations.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2395 or jcummings@DaytonDailyNews.com.
