Some of Corbett's neighbors are, according to the Oregonian, irked. Irked at Corbett School District. Irked about Corbett Charter School. I suspect that it is only a few people and that the Oregonian is making more of it than it really warrants. How could they be irked?
First of all, Corbett School District did nothing but to agree to sponsor a charter school, an action that has been taken by both of Corbett's neighbors to the West. There are some 80 charter schools in Oregon, and they all are sponsored by either school districts or the state. Corbett's 'irked' neighbors each sponsor multiple charters, making any suggestion that they might have been surprised by the charter law's provisions or scandalized by its consequences somewhat puzzling.
Corbett Charter School was developed and proposed by the Corbett Charter School Association, a private non-profit corporation. And yes, the founders (I am one of them) stand guilty of sharing multiple degrees, certificates, endorsement and decades of experience in the operation of public schools, including Corbett School. We are not mavericks. We know public schools. From the inside. We believe that we have a right, as private citizens, to bring our experience and education to the table in the form of a charter proposal. The Corbett Charter School Association, and not Corbett School District, is the appropriate object of ire.
And on the subject of ire, what's so special about the case of Corbett Charter School? I believe (know, if you want to press the issue) that students have crossed several district boundaries to attend the various charter schools in East County and that the local districts have never made a move to prevent this from occurring. I know that Corbett students have attended charter schools outside of the district and have been allowed to enroll in spite of their Corbett residency. Not once did a neighboring district ask Corbett's permission, and I would have been surprised if they had. That's not what the 10-year-old law says! So how is it that Corbett students leaving to attend schools in neighboring districts didn't raise any red flags, but anyone crossing the Sandy River from west to east set off sensors? Something about geese and ganders comes to mind here, but I'm sure that it must be beside the point.
Charter Schools are controversial. They are a political issue. The guardians of what I take to be a less-than-ideal status quo oppose any charters other than the ones that they, themselves, operate. And isn't that just how politics sometimes works?
My goals for Corbett Charter School are not political. I want more children to have the opportunities that my daughter, a transfer student who crossed the Sandy River every day for nine years, enjoyed at Corbett School. And I wish that offering those opportunities to more children was neither irksome nor political. But ire is something that a person can learn to live with.
My wife was on the phone with my daughter today. Lara is just settling into Willamette University. I asked Sheri see whether Lara had any words of wisdom for the new members of the Corbett Academic Decathlon team. Lara is a lovely girl, and she has a gentle side that sometimes eludes the casual observer. Her advice is a good example of just how elusive her gentle side can be.
"Suck it up and read." That was it. She takes care of her business and expects the same of others. No frills. No politics. To the job.
So say we all.
