Make case for charter schools

The road for charter schools in Charleston County has been unfortunately, and unnecessarily, rocky. Monday's S.C. Supreme Court ruling added some more bumps in the way.

The court said Act 189, which would entitle public charter schools here to more support from the public school district, might not be constitutional. The case now goes back to a circuit court.

The legal questions are sticky. But the larger picture shouldn't be so hazy. Charter schools are public schools, and as such should receive the same support and services provided for neighborhood schools.

For example, if the district has a building it isn't using, it should be made available to a charter school, free of rent. Finding and paying for school facilities are two of the biggest obstacles for charter schools.

The lone dissenting opinion in Monday's ruling came from Chief Justice Jean Toal, who noted that South Carolina courts have traditionally sustained local laws relating to the state's public education system -- as long as the local law does not conflict with state law. Mrs. Toal said that Act 189 works within the framework of the state law and therefore would be constitutional.

The most unfortunate thing about the entire case is that it exists.

Attorney Peter Wilborn, representing the Charleston County School District, said, "We're not celebrating a victory over charter schools; this has little to do with school choice."

But if the district had not been averse to charter schools -- public schools that are established by citizens who want a different choice for students -- it might have been spared the expense of a court fight. It could have looked for ways to support such schools, like the successful Charleston Charter School for Math and Science, instead of looking for legal loopholes in an effort to stifle them.

Charleston schools are far from where they should be academically, with a few notable exceptions. Improving results in those schools -- be they neighborhood, charter or magnet schools -- is an essential goal. So is increasing parental involvement.

The district should encourage parents who want to invest their time and energy in public education.

It should not go to court to discourage such badly needed community involvement in the county's school system.