BusinessReport.com

BATON ROUGE (AP) — The number of charter schools in Louisiana is on the rise as dozens of the state's public schools maintain the academically unacceptable label.

The state has 77 operating charter schools. Of those, 53 are in New Orleans, where many seek to turn around failed schools.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education recently approved another 11 charters to operate under the Recovery School District, which took over dozens of New Orleans schools after Hurricane Katrina.

Another 12 schools are expected to be acted on by BESE in December. Six are in New Orleans. The others are four proposed for Baton Rouge, one in Opelousas and one in Abbeville.

A dozen charter schools are operating in Baton Rouge, a pair in Caddo and Avoyelles parishes and single campuses in a number of cities, including Lafayette and Monroe.

"We've allowed generations of kids to be educated not to the highest standards. We have to do something. We want to be given the opportunity," said Caroline Roemer, executive director of the Louisiana Charter School Association.

Roemer said charter schools cannot solve all the problems in public education, but they can be part of the solution.

Charter schools are public schools that are supposed to offer innovative teaching methods without much of the red tape found in traditional public schools. Their boards are appointed by the nonprofit groups that charter the schools, Roemer said.

The state can shut a charter's doors if it's not well managed or achieving its goals, she said.

One of the main arguments against charters is money. Students who leave parish and city school systems to go to charters take both state and local funding with them.

Gary Jones, superintendent of schools in Rapides Parish and president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, said school leaders across the state are concerned about lost revenue.

But Roemer dismissed the concern.

"It's always about the money. Charters are public schools, too. Will traditional and charter schools tell you they need more money? Absolutely," she said.