ABBEVILLE, KATC — ABBEVILLE, KATC - Throughout the years, the hot button debate over school choice has generated a multitude of conversations.
With the rise in charter schools in Louisiana, parents are left wondering what education-based approach is the best option for their child. According to The Advocate, Louisiana has 147 charter schools.
For the upcoming school year, Vermilion School Board projects 500-700 students from Vermilion Parish may attend the new charter school, Vermilion Charter Academy located in Maurice.
While that number may seem striking, Superintendent Byler is focused on one thing, the students.
“It’s not my job to worry about who’s leaving to go to a charter, my job is to continue to have the best education system that Vermilion Parish can have,” he said.
Proponents of charter schools say they were created to close the achievement gap for lower socio-economic students. Vermilion Parish is considered an “A” school district by the state department. The state evaluation of the charter school application says it can address overcoming.
“We have students who already attend charter schools and we’re paying for students to go to virtual academies. We do have students in Lafayette charter schools but obviously this is going to be the one with the largest impact on us because it is here in Vermilion Parish,” he said.
How will this financially impact the Vermilion school district?
The number of students transferring to the nearby charter school could cost the district a minimum of $5 million, or $9,600 per student - money that the school would lose from state and local funding. State law provides that any state or local funding that would normally be spent by the system on a student follows the child to the charter.
Impact on teachers
For the upcoming school year, 20 to 25 Vermilion Parish teachers are leaving the district to seek job opportunities at charter schools.
USA Charter Schools across Acadiana
Vermilion Charter Academy is operated by Charter Schools USA. The corporation already has two sister schools in Lafayette - Acadiana Renaissance with an average academic letter grade of “A” and Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy with a letter grade of “C.”
According to BESE, Louisiana Department of Education, 70% of “Traditional School” teachers are certified; whereas, 39% of teachers in charter schools are certified in the courses they are teaching.
While there’s a lot of uncertainty, Superintendent Byler is a firm believer that parents know what’s best for their child.
“School choice is school choice. I think the students there are going to get a good education. They have some great teachers, they have some great administrators, a lot of people are our friends but I still got to put a product for those who chose to stay in the public school system,” Superintendent Byler said.
KATC reached out to Charter School USA and a spokesperson said,
“We are very excited to serve the families of Vermilion Parish at Vermilion Charter Academy which will open in the fall 2024. We offer a high-quality school choice option and have currently enrolled around 940 students with about 600 from Vermilion Parish. Our anticipated teacher to student ratio is 20:1 in kindergarten and 25:1 in grades 1-8. Our school plans to offer a STEAMS model, which stands for Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math and Spanish. What sets us apart is our mission and promise. Our mission is a relentless commitment to student greatness in school and in life and our entire team is dedicated to the promise of "Strong Minds. Good Hearts." We don't only educate children, we instill in them the values of purpose, passion, integrity and grit to foster a lifelong love of learning. We encourage meaningful parent participation and provide differentiated instruction to be sure each student is on the road to greatness - not only in the classroom, but in the community as a whole.”
Vermilion Academy Charter School is expected to open in fall 2024.
