Education Commissioner calls for charter school legislation: Admits situation in some Persistently Low-Achieving Schools couldn’t get worse

“What we’ve done for the last three years has not worked. So, I think it may be time to try something else. I don’t think it could get any worse.” Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday commenting on the lack of progress in some of Kentucky’s Persistently Low-Achieving Schools

The Kentucky Senate’s Education Committee had a first hearing on Senate Bill 176, which will create a new turn-around option to form charter schools in some of the state’s poorest performing Persistently Low-Achieving Schools. At present, Kentucky is one of only seven states that cannot use such an option in its lowest performing schools due to the lack of necessary legal authority.

For sure, such an option now is badly needed. During his testimony in favor of SB 176, Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday provided the stunning admission above that work to date in a number of the Persistently Low-Achieving Schools isn’t coming anywhere close to accomplishing the goal.

The education committee failed to obtain a quorum for its short-notice meeting. Senator Mike Wilson, the committee’s chair, promised to call another meeting later for that critical vote.