LOMOND, Alta. (Staff) – With changes to the Alberta school act, some parents are looking at opening charter schools.
A charter school is an autonomous public school where innovative programs are offered to improve student learning. Such schools will be allowed under new legislation to be tabled this spring by the province.
Charter schools are run by a parent-teacher committee offering specific programs within the provincially approved curriculum. An agreement or “charter” is signed by the parents, teachers and school board or minister of education. It may not charge tuition and can’t impose religious instruction or other observances on students.
The charter school concept is not intended to save schools, but to offer alternative types of programs.
Parents in the Lomond community have applied to Alberta Education to convert their school to a charter one. Since a charter school has a specific educational approach, Lom-ond has proposed that its school teach with the latest in computer networks, fibre optics and distance education. Its mandate would emphasize the concepts of rural initiatives, technology and stewards of the land.
