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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's charter schools increasingly serve wealthy, white students and enroll fewer poor or ethnic minority students, a review of enrollment data shows.
Charter schools are public schools typically founded by private organizations or parent groups. The schools get state per-pupil funding, but not tax dollars, and contract with the State Office of Education to operate without governance from local schools boards.
Utah has more than 50 charter schools.
Of 13 planning to open this fall along the Wasatch Front, 11 are in communities where the median income exceeds the state average by as much as 58 percent. Also enrollment at schools in communities with diverse demographics frequently don't reflect that diversity.
During the 2005-06 school year, for example, the Salt Lake City School District had an overall ethnic minority population of 52 percent, but charter schools within its boundaries and minority enrollments of only 21 percent and 18 percent.
State and federal officials know about the homogenous nature of many charter schools.
"The Office for Civil Rights is becoming more concerned about schools that have a special mission like charters, like magnet schools, like international baccalaureate programs," said Richard Gomez, Utah State Office of Education coordinator of educational equity. "Those are all pretty exclusive unless they make an effort to reach out to a population that normally wouldn't be part of it."
But Gomez doesn't accuse schools of deliberate exclusivity.
"But when you don't do certain things to be what I would call proactive . . . does it make it any less desirable, any (more) acceptable?"
Even if they are aware of charter schools, minority parents may see multiple barriers to enrollment, including the lack of free transportation to schools. It may also be difficult to secure an enrollment slot.
Many charter schools have limited open enrollment slots each year -- and some of those preferentially go to the children of school founders or the siblings of other enrolled students. The law also allows charter students to award up to 10 percent of slots for other preferential reasons.
"It's hard for us to enforce the 10 percent rule, but we certainly try," Utah Charter Schools Director said John Broberg said. "It comes down to what is the spirit of this law. It's all about getting people involved, not excluding other people."
State Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who backed legislation creating charter schools, said he doesn't know how to increase diversity in charter schools and isn't sure it is necessary.
"It may be that ethnic populations are being served well and may feel satisfied with their neighborhood schools," he said.
Like Stephenson, Scott Smith, Charter School Board chairman, believes parental choice should remain the paramount consideration.
"It comes down to the philosophy that we need to leave this open for parents to decide and not have a bureaucracy decide," Smith said.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
