/Charter parents want to join charter school fight

Charter parents want to join charter school fight

A group of Jackson parents are attempting to defend state charter schools from a lawsuit that claims their funding is illegal. Gladys Overton is one of three parents who are seeking to be named as defendants in this lawsuit. She is the parent of two Jackson Public Schools children and a child at ReImagine Prep. While her daughter was doing well in school academically, she suffered from bullying and needed medication to deal with it. She was able to wean herself off the medication a month after she attended ReImagine in 5th grade. “Today, I’m here to support my child. Overton stated Wednesday that the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center), has placed a direct threat on our school and my family, challenging how public charter schools are funded. “If public charter schools cannot use state or local tax dollars to operate, then they will close,” Overton said at a Wednesday press conference. The Southern Poverty Law Center represented a group parents with children in Jackson Public Schools District. It filed a lawsuit challenging the funding of charter schools in the state. Two sections of the Mississippi constitution state that a school district’s local funding (or ad valorem taxes) may only be used to maintain schools under its control. Another section states that the Legislature cannot appropriate money for a school that isn’t a “free school”, a category that the lawsuit claims does not include charter schools. The lawsuit named Gov. The lawsuit named Phil Bryant, the state education division and Jackson Public Schools District as defendants. In its Wednesday filing, the Mississippi Justice Institute requested that charter school parents be named as defendants in the suit because they are “directly affected and inordinately adversely affected by any outcome of the lawsuit.” Overton, Ella Mae James, and Tiffany Minor are listed as intervenors in the motion. James is the father of two Jackson public school graduates and two ReImagine Prep students. Minor currently has two children in Jackson public schools, and one at Smilow Prep. According to Mike Hurst (an attorney representing the group) and the Mississippi Justice Institute: “Despite what Minor says, their lawsuit is about closing down charter schools, stopping parents’ choice for the best education opportunities for their kids.” Mississippi’s charter schools operate by non-profit organizations that appoint a school board. The state’s two first charter schools, Smilow Prep and Jackson, were opened last year. Each charter school is run by its own board. The state’s charter school authorizer board, consisting of seven members, approves all applications. The state funds public charter schools on a per pupil basis based on the school’s average daily attendance or the number students who attend 63 percent of a school day. Local dollars are also available from ad valorem taxes. A charter school allows students to enroll in the district’s public schools. The money would then be sent to the charter school.