Friday, February 26, 2010

What was Measure 66 & 67 About Again?

I recently went to a meeting to get started on a new kind of schooling. AllPrep Early College will pay for your schooling and books of up to about $1400 for school fees and books. What this means is that any student in Oregon could go to a community college and get some college done and paid for and they could also finish high school. Washington and California also do this, in Washington it is known as 'Running Start.' I went to apply as a new student at AllPrep Charter school just yesterday, when the meeting started we were sadly told by one of the councilors at Early College that AllPrep has no money to pay for new students to go to school, and no money to pay for students who are attending colleges around Oregon. I was told that this is because an inquiry was brought to ODE, or Oregon Department of Education, by Sisters School District saying that this charter school is not working and is ruining public education. Money from the state government level was frozen for the duration of the assessment of the accusations brought from this school district and a parent. Charter schools are public schools just like any other public school in Oregon. The difference is that a charter school specializes in certain areas, like AllPrep Early College specializes in 'Early College' as the name states. This charter school is for kids pursuing an education and wanting to excel and proceed in life faster than other students. Legally you can do this because you are a student and are still of the age to go to public school but the government has frozen money for this school because of 'accusations.' The sad part is that 2,000 students already attending AllPrep and students wanting to be accepted into it will not be able to for Spring term because there is no money.
What I cannot fathom is that measure 66 & 67 was voted on and put into action because education needed more money, and they are getting their tax money, but why can't a charter school be paid for students to attend 'public school?' Another thing that bothers me is that men and women at PCC who have graduated are easily able to get money to help pay for school even though they have gone through public education and have gotten what everyone else has gotten. Thinking about that, why can't students like me and many like me get the education everyone else has gotten and that we rightfully deserve?