As Utah’s children bound into a new school year, 12 percent of those children — nearly 80,000 students — will walk through the doors of a charter school. This month marks the 20th anniversary of charter schools operating in Utah, and the sacrifices made by Utah’s early charter school pioneers should not be forgotten. Every family attending one of Utah’s more than 140 charter schools today owes a debt of gratitude to people largely unknown: people like Sonia Woodbury, Julie Adamic, Eric and Michelle Smith, Roberta Hardy, Steve and Nancy Winitzky and so many others. The work of charter school founders and their advocates in the school districts and Legislature have enriched public education throughout the state.
Twenty years ago, the state requested proposal submissions for a new type of public school. At the time, several of the educators who would become the founders of the first charter schools were already imagining new school models. These innovators worried about the exclusivity that comes with charging private school tuition, so they jumped at the chance to reach more Utah families by opening free public charter schools.
Over the next few years, eight intrepid schools opened their doors: Pinnacle Canyon Academy, Soldier Hollow Charter School, Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, Uintah River High School, City Academy, John Hancock Academy, Thomas Edison Academy and Timpanogos Academy. Opening a new school is an exciting moment that represents years of hard work, but many bumps in the road lay ahead for these pilot schools.
During those first years, more than one school founder remembers anxiously waiting in state offices to receive the promised funds for teacher salaries. Charter schools were something entirely new in the Utah education system, and there was plenty of frustration as questions arose with no immediate answers — questions that required the continual creation of new guidelines.
Amidst policy and funding concerns, those associated with these new schools found themselves battling misunderstandings and unfounded stigmas. Banding together for support in the face of opposition, those early school founders created the first charter school association. They worked tirelessly with lawmakers and the State Board of Education to set educational standards and create best practices. Their efforts paved the way for further innovation.
Charter schools are meant to lift their neighboring district schools and raise the bar in meeting student needs. Only recently has one of the many hurdles facing the mission of charter schools been overcome. In 2016, Rep. Steve Eliason and Sen. Howard Stephenson worked closely with the School Boards Association and the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools to make Utah one of the first states to fund charter and district schools equitably.
As we celebrate 20 successful years of charter schools, it’s important to remember how far we’ve come and the people who have helped us get here. If you see one of those early founders today, you may notice they look a little worn out. They have given their all to a cause they believe in — Utah’s children. Thank you for your audacious vision and unflappable grit.