November 5, 1993
Dear Editor,
We, the students of Toivola-Meadowlands Charter School, would like to respond to the interview given by Daniel Mobilia concerning our school. Mr. Mobilia was not updated on the events occurring within TMCS at the time of the interview, and we would like to take this opportunity to make some corrections. It is true that Charter Schools are exempted from some requirements to allow them to be innovative, but the examples given in that article are not true. Mr. Mobilia stated that charters are exempt from hiring certified teachers. That is not the case in Minnesota. The Minnesota law requires charters to have certified teachers, and that includes the Toivola-Meadowlands Charter. Also expressed in the interview was the exemption of having principals. Charters have that exemption, but so do all other independent school districts in Minnesota. Under the Laws of Minnesota for 1993 amended from the Minnesota [Statutes of] 1992 under Sec. 15 it states that each public school building in an independent school district may be under the supervision of a principal who is assigned to that responsibility by the board of education for that school district upon recommendation of the superintendent of that school district. The word "may" gives the choice to the TMCS to take an alternative plan of a board of directors and a site base management team instead of a traditional principal. These options make the school run more smoothly and efficiently. As a matter of fact, TMCS recently elected a new board of directors on October 27, 1993. We had an excellent turn out of 65% of all parents/guardians and staff members of the voting membership.
Many people do not understand charters, and it's hard to explain how one works without inviting a person to see one in operation. Charters allow students to be creative and to have more responsibility in their education. Students here have the chance to explore interests in a style that makes it very educational and fun. Charters also give the students actual experiences of dealing with the business world. Right now we have students who have started their own businesses within the school, such as piano lessons and wood crafts. By starting their own business the students learn a number of things. Communication skills, organization, problem solving, budgeting, and responsibility are just a few. Other students are involved in the coordination of activities for the school. Organizing a rock climbing trip to UMD or skiing at Giants Ridge are some examples. And unlike many other schools, we encourage our students to do community service. This can involve the examples above plus anything from janitorial to working in a day care center to doing projects in the community.
Charter schools are definitely a jump from traditional schools, but if not given the chance to succeed, we will never know what they can accomplish.
The TMCS Speech Drama Class
Posted on March 3, 1995
URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/94-2ltr.htm