March 18 2003

By Alix Kerl

On Feb. 25 the San Francisco Board of Education approved – with surprising support from progressive board members – two new charter schools that will be part of a controversial national chain called the Knowledge Is Power Program.

KIPP schools are distinguished by their long hours and exacting standards, which supporters say help level the playing field for students from low-income communities. Opponents, who are wary of KIPP's extensive ties to conservative organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, argue charter schools threaten to weaken the public education system by drawing resources away from traditional public schools.

Similar criticisms have been made about Edison Schools, the for-profit charter-school chain that runs a Noe Valley school and has set off intense local debate. Scott Hamilton, a former Edison employee, is on the KIPP California Board, which will oversee the management of the new schools. Still, three school board members who are critical of Edison voted to give KIPP charters for two local middle schools.

The vote to approve the charters was 4-3, with Eddie Chin, Jill Wynns, and Dan Kelly voting against the proposal and Sarah Lipson, Mark Sanchez, Emilio Cruz, and Eric Mar voting for it.

The nonprofit KIPP operates 15 schools around the country, including KIPP Oak College Preparatory in Oakland. The company hopes to open eight new schools next year in California alone. Gap CEO and leading Edison supporter Don Fisher has given KIPP $23 million to help train educators.

Wynns, who has long opposed Edison and other charter chains, voted against the local charters, arguing the schools couldn't be successfully implemented, which is one of the only ways a charter can be denied under state law. "I don't think it's a sustainable model to have the success of the school dependent on teachers working 60-hour weeks," she said. KIPP schools hold classes from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., along with half-days on Saturdays, for almost 10 months of the year.

Lydia Glassie, future principal of the KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy, said she is planning on paying teachers 20 percent more than the San Francisco Unified School District to compensate for the extra teaching time. While she admits the salary doesn't entirely make up for the long hours, she said, "Part of the reason that folks decide to work where they do is the environment. We are offering something unique and amazing." KIPP numbers show teacher retention averages 77 percent in its five schools that have been open for more than a year. Retention in San Francisco public schools is typically around 90 percent. Edison's extended hours were one reason it had a 76 percent turnover rate during its first two years.

Sanchez, Mar, and Lipson, who have all criticized Edison, voted for the KIPP charters. Mar was swayed by KIPP's dedication and willingness to work with the SFUSD. "[District] staff said the charter was the strongest proposal our staff has seen," Mar said. "Their task is to educate a working-class, minority population, and I believe they will do it." Mar also said that as a school board member, he must consider what parents in the community want for their children: "I wouldn't want my daughter in a program like KIPP. But many parents in low-income communities want more educational options."

Even if the school board had rejected the charters, Lipson told us, the state Board of Education would likely grant them. "Knowing that it would be passed anyway, I would rather be involved and have some say in the components," Lipson said. She pressed for a verbal commitment from KIPP to find a way to enroll and educate the most marginalized students, including those who are immigrants, homeless, or have parents in prison. However, once a charter is passed, the SFUSD has little control over whom the schools admit.

While KIPP says its schools have open enrollment, it asks students and parents to sign a contract committing to its program. The contract establishes that KIPP may return students to SFUSD schools if they don't abide by its terms. Margaret Brodkin, who is executive director of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, said the hours of the school alone limit who will attend. "The hours make it difficult for kids with attention-span issues, kids with poor preparation up to fifth grade, kids with behavior issues, any kids who need a more flexible schedule," she told us.

KIPP spokesperson Steve Mancici told us that locally made curriculum decisions and teachers' enormous involvement with families create a high-achieving community.

Wynns acknowledges that KIPP demonstrated it has community support, but she felt it was manufactured rather than organic: "Good charters truly come from the grass roots."