Adopted 2001

I. The LWVMI supports the concept of educational choices for parents and students within the public school system. Choices can be achieved within a school building or within a school system and should include input from parents, students and educators. Public School Academies (PSAs) may be one of the choices.

II. The LWVMI supports a moratorium on new PSAs until the State of Michigan can provide adequate oversight. The number of new PSAs should be limited for a period of five (5) years (until 2004) to allow time to assess the effectiveness of existing PSAs. There should be a cumulative assessment as to whether or not children are benefiting.

III. The LWVMI supports well-developed oversight of PSAs by qualified staff at the chartering institutions. Oversight should include academic, legal, and economic aspects including those PSAs managed by non-profit and for-profit corporations.
A. Academic: Curriculum that promotes educational achievement of students and that enables students to adjust if a transfer to another school becomes necessary.
B. Legal: Compliance with all laws including conflict of interest, bidding contracts, services to special needs students.
C. Economic: Managing, auditing, and reporting financial performance as do other public schools.

IV. The LWVMI supports oversight by the State Board of Education to ensure that the chartering institutions are performing their oversight and accountability functions.

V. The LWVMI supports the principle of accountability for PSAs and chartering institutions. PSAs and chartering institutions must provide required data to the State Board of Education in a timely fashion. In turn, the State Board of Education should promptly provide information to the public. PSA Boards of directors must provide parents, students and the public with assurance and evidence of adequate supervision of the school.

VI. The LWVMI supports the compliance of all PSAs with state laws to ensure that student selection (de facto segregation) by mental or physical disability, athletic ability, economic status, race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, level of parental involvement, is not practiced in fact or by innuendo or pressure.

VII. The LWVMI supports the development of effective procedures to identify, evaluate, replicate and disseminate innovations that may be tested or practiced by PSAs.

VIII. The LWVMI supports using additional criteria for evaluating PSAs. Although the law requires that the MEAP test be administered, this is not sufficient. Additional criteria are needed, particularly for K-3. All public schools, including PSAs, should use testing programs based on the same standards. Evaluation should include whether or not PSAs are meeting their mission statement and goals.

IX. The LWVMI supports the oversight of management companies or services by the chartering institutions.
A. PSAs operated by management companies need legal safeguards preventing the exclusion of board, parent and staff input by management companies.
B. Oversight should include ethical matters, conflicts of interest and expenditures of public monies..
C. Student achievement should be the focus of management companies, not profit.
D. The goal of site-based decision-making should be preserved when a management company controls the school .
E. The costs of management company services should be compared with costs in other public schools. Information regarding management service expenditures should be available to the public.