Smith urges more schools to join in legal challenge of $1 charter school law

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Vernon G. Smith (D-Gary), ranking Democrat on the Indiana House Education Committee, today issued the following statement on the lawsuit that has been filed by the West Lafayette Community School Corp. and Monroe County Community Schools against an Indiana law that allows charter schools to buy or lease unused public school buildings for $1:

“When I first heard of the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of this law, I was delighted to see that our public schools have the courage to challenge the unchecked favoritism of the charter school industry. It is obvious that the law allowing traditional public school buildings to be given to charter schools for a dollar is unfair.

“Such courage certainly could not have been expected from the Republicans who control the governor’s office and the Indiana General Assembly, since they have done everything in their power to siphon taxpayer funds and local control away from our public schools toward these privately-controlled, unaccountable entities that place a greater priority on making a profit than educating children.

“The $1 charter school law aptly demonstrates the Republican mindset. Rather than having control over facilities originally built to benefit the education of children, the state is forcing school districts to sell or lease these buildings to charter schools for $1. The charters then can use these facilities however they see fit, a goal that often runs contrary to the interests of local schoolchildren.

“This law is just one part of the ongoing effort to take critical funds away from our public schools and give them to entities that are not being held accountable for how they spend tax dollars, and are often forgiven for their mistakes by seeing their misspending forgiven by the state.

“I applaud West Lafayette for filing this lawsuit, and Monroe County Schools for signing on. I strongly encourage every public school corporation in the state to join this fight. If the Republicans who control state government will not protect our public schools, it’s up to the schools to protect students, teachers and families.”