DaytonDailyNews.com

Gov. Ted Strickland got gasps of approval from Democrats when he recently called for a moratorium on new charter schools. Then he added — to more applause — that he wants to stop giving "vouchers" to students in troubled public schools (except in Cleveland) so they can transfer to private schools.

Many Republican lawmakers support charter schools and vouchers as a statement that they will not sit by when public schools do a poor job. Many Democrats, on the other hand, oppose this government- supported competition, arguing that Ohio's school-choice policies are creating financial havoc for precisely the schools that have the hardest job.

So we've got a war, or at least a stark line in the sand, about an issue that impacts thousands of children and families — most of them poor.

Gov. Strickland is right that Ohio's charter school law has failed in important ways. But his solution — a moratorium — is wrong.

Ohio has a ton of charter schools, but the problem is not the number per se. The problem is that bad ones have not been shut down. Charter schools are, by definition, supposed to be free of some regulations, but that doesn't mean the state should let anything go.

Last year the charter school law was changed to make it more difficult to open a school. For example, those groups that are already operating charters won't be allowed to start more if they aren't doing a good job with what they have.

New rules also cracked down on online schools, which were becoming a scandal.

Maybe most important, the state adopted a requirement that charter schools with low test scores have three years to show improvement (as judged by nationally normed tests) or they must close.

These sorts of changes are better than a moratorium that would punish promising charter start-ups.

Columbus, for instance, hopes to open a KIPP Academy in 2008. Cities all across the country are studying the KIPP model, which requires students to attend school year-round, on Saturdays and for 9 to 10 hours Monday through Friday.

Some KIPP programs in Texas and elsewhere have had impressive results, and the schools are attracting tremendous philanthropic support. (Dayton almost got a KIPP school several years ago; the community needs to make a second run at bringing the group to town.)

Does Ohio really want to close the door to do-gooders like KIPP?

And that wouldn't be the only loss from a moratorium.

Dayton's experience with charter schools has been decidedly mixed, but now there are so many charter students coming through the pipeline that some people are thinking about starting a charter high school. (Students who attend a charter school in the early grades aren't likely to suddenly choose Dayton Public Schools as freshmen; families move or they find the money for private school.)

If he knew about this well-intentioned interest, would Gov. Strickland still support a moratorium?

Another wrinkle is that some school districts are concluding that if you can't beat them, join them — and they're starting their own charter schools. A moratorium would stop these efforts, too.

Finally, some charter school operators — Dayton's ISUS schools, for example — are targeting dropouts. These people are working with young adults who no one believes will succeed in traditional schools, and public schools only belatedly have reached out to help them graduate.

Does the governor really think these alternative schools are a threat to public schools' success — or that communities can turn their backs on 17-year-olds who aren't going to get a high school diploma?

Republicans need to hear the governor's complaints about charter schools and to negotiate about how large the voucher program can realistically grow. But the clock can't — shouldn't — be turned back.

Ohio's public schools are better today because of the competition charter schools and vouchers have created. The governor and public school advocates need to deal with that.