Bridging the school divide

DENVER - As Rep. Mike Merrifield was getting flogged last year for saying some charter school supporters deserved a special place in hell, The Classical Academy President Mark Hyatt extended an olive branch.

He invited Merrifield to drop by the Colorado Springs charter school to show him around and explain how it works.

Merrifield, despite misgivings that Hyatt would be a combative zealot, grabbed the only peace offering at the time from the schoolchoice community.

In six months of phone conversations and meetings, the two men talked about the uneasy relationship between standard public schools and public charter schools. Though staring at each other across an ideological chasm, they built a friendship that resulted in Merrifield nominating Hyatt to serve on a major educational panel over the summer.

There are no misconceptions that Merrifield will be sponsoring or even backing charter school bills in the newly under way legislative session. The men did not come to specific areas of agreement on issues.

But Hyatt says he thinks he conveyed to Merrifield that charter school backers want the same thing as many traditional - school parents: to educate their kids properly in an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. And, maybe, he says, the Colorado Springs Democrat will keep that in mind when bills come up.

“I think that Representative Merrifield is a little more open to at least considering some of the challenges charter schools have since I’ve gotten to know him,” Hyatt said recently. “He just needs to understand the parents at The Classical Academy, and the people who work here don’t feel like we have a special place in hell. I feel like we’re trying to help children.”

Merrifield, chairman of the House Education Committee, remains concerned about the resources that charter schools take from other public schools and about charters that he says are serving the same purpose as regular schools rather than targeting needy students. But he’s seen the best of at least one school and has changed some notions about the people who run and send their children to the schools, he said.

“I think I certainly will approach conversations and discussions with a more open mind and with a willingness to listen and discuss,” the retired schoolteacher said.

Rewind to March, when a conservative Web site got hold of an e-mail that Merrifield had sent to Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Sue Windels in which he said: “There must be a special place in Hell for these Privatizers, (Charterizers) and Voucherizers!” Merrifield said he was referring to two Colorado Springs school board members rather than all charter school backers, but he was demonized by that community, and he stepped down for the second half of the 2007 session from his committee chairmanship.

Hyatt saw the situation as an opportunity to get to know Merrifield and clear up what he said were his misconceptions. On their first meeting, he shuttled the legislator to the school’s six buildings; the next time they met, they had smoothies and chatted.

Merrifield said that though he is leery of pre-scheduled school visits where students and teachers are on their best behavior, he quickly saw the rapport Hyatt had built with the staff. And he grew to admire the way the school keeps its parents more involved than many traditional public schools do.

He successfully nominated Hyatt for the P-20 Education Coordinating Council because he felt he would be able to understand the issues between charter and traditional schools without being dogmatic in his support for charters. Other P-20 Council members reported to Merrifield that Hyatt was exactly the kind of advocate that he expected him to be.

Merrifield and Windels, D-Arvada, traveled to New Mexico for the National Charter Schools Conference, though that did little to advance his appreciation of the schools. Where Hyatt has the ability to see both sides of the charter school debate, some attendees at the conference were “bigoted” in their opinions of public schools, he said.

Such statements leave charter school supporters in the Legislature mixed in their opinions about whether they will see anything but obstructionism from Merrifield on schoolchoice issues this year. Only one significant charter school bill is expected to be introduced — a rerun of an unsuccessful bill from last year that would give more power to local school boards in the creation of charters — but funding issues seem to arise annually.

Rep. Terrence Carroll, a Denver Democrat who is one of the most prominent charter school supporters in his party, said he is satisfied that Merrifield is more open-minded on the subject.

But Rep. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican and co-founder of the Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy, said Merrifield’s talks with Hyatt are encouraging, but he does not believe he is in a position to work with the pro-charter camp on anything.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to see certain people just become huge advocates of the charter school movement in the way I am and in the way others are,” Gardner said.

Hyatt and Merrifield don’t expect that either, but both say they see the discussion a little differently than they did 10 months ago.

For Merrifield, that means a new perspective and a hope that he gets invitations from more charter school directors to sit down and talk. He has asked to be placed on a governor’s committee to look at relations between charter schools and traditional public schools.

For Hyatt, that means appreciating where Merrifield is coming from and knowing that the man he calls the most powerful legislator in Denver is willing to listen to his concerns. He hopes to resume their meetings.

“I may not be the smartest guy in the world, but I am a bridge builder,” Hyatt said. “I have an old saying that if you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com.