SEMO EVALUATES CHARTER REQUEST FROM ST. LOUIS

At long last, a request to charter a school in St. Louis has been received by Southeast Missouri State University. If approved, and if it fulfills its intentions, the proposed school could be the first charter school in St. Louis.

By state law, charter schools are allowed only in St. Louis and Kansas City. On the western side of the state, several charter schools have been holding classes for some time, some successfully and some not so successfully, according to a recent comprehensive review by The Kansas City Star. On our side of the state, however, a wall of opposition to the charter-school concept has precluded any successful applications -- so far.

Charter schools in the two urban areas must be sponsored by the local school district or one of Missouri's state universities. Central Missouri State University at Warrensburg has sponsored the schools in Kansas City. With charters, these special schools are permitted to operate without many of the state regulations imposed on public school districts. In addition, charter schools benefit from state funding. In the case of the proposed St. Louis charter school, the state would provide $6,500 a year for each of the school's 60 students anticipated the first year.

The superintendent of the St. Louis School District has expressed his support for the proposed charter school, because it doesn't "steal" any students from the public schools, thereby keeping all of the district's state funding intact.

The proposed Lift for Life Academy would target at-risk students through its program based on weightlifting. Already, the Lift for Life Gym in downtown St. Louis attracts many school-age students who commit to the athletic program and would, more than likely, bear down on academic studies in order to stay in the program.

Southeast has agreed to consider the charter request carefully. The university has a seven-member review team made up of current and former school superintendents and faculty members in the College of Education.

The point of charter schools, particularly in urban areas with high dropout rates and poor academic achievement, is to experiment with innovations that will both keep youngsters in school and provide them with a high-quality education.

No one knows if the Lift for Life Academy is the answer. What is a certainty is that no one will ever know unless the charter school gets the opportunity it seeks. That decision now rests in the hands of Southeast's evaluation committee. If the charter decision rests on meeting the existing standards of public schools throughout the state, it is doomed from the start. But if the evaluators put any stock in taking risks in order to give some students a decent education, they will look for ways to make this charter plan a reality.