Charter schools are “laboratories of innovation,” according to the Obama Administration. And with the president set to lift limits on charter schools across the country — as part of a necessary overhaul of the national education system — we support the State University of New York Charter School Institute’s decision to grant a charter to the New Roots School here in Ithaca.

The school will open its doors in the fall with a mission to bring sustainable development into the classroom. With a focus on the community and local initiatives, students will be exposed to what is one of the most pertinent issues at the forefront of the nation's future. New Roots will combat problems of overcrowding and limited resources, while aiming to attract “at-risk” students who are falling between the cracks at Ithaca High School.

The birth of New Roots has certainly stirred controversy in Ithaca where the public school system is being forced to face up to $7 million in cuts. The school has been criticized for expanding a school system that some say should be consolidating and streamlining its efforts in the wake of a national fiscal crisis. It has been said that New Roots’ innovative curriculum is something that can simply be integrated into other schools in the district.

Charter schools undoubtedly run a risk. They concentrate valuable — and limited — resources within the hands of a few educators. It is thus vital to ensure that charters come with a believable mission and solid support. But Ithaca has seen tremendous success with school charters in the past as exhibited by Ithaca High School, Ithaca Academy and the Lehman Alternative Community School, all of which began as charter schools. We see potential in New Roots to take on some of the most pressing problems that currently face schools in Ithaca and the nation at large.

Obama has allotted tens of billions of dollars of the economic stimulus package to support education. But money in itself will not eradicate the complex problems embedded in the national education system. Under the Bush Administration, educational inequities were approached solely at a national level, allowing the micro-level problems fester.

New Roots has the ability to grapple with these educational problems on a local level. The school will serve as an alternative to the public schools in the area, which continue to marginalize groups of students. The New Roots charter will additionally expose students to a curriculum that extends beyond levels of competency dictated on a national level. It is not a curriculum that can simply be swallowed up by the current school system. Moreover, New Roots has the potential to be a necessary breath of fresh air and a model for success locally and nationally.

What New Roots needs now is unified support from the local community. The future of New Roots rides on the ability for educators in the area to come together to provide the oversight that is needed to ensure that its charter is fulfilled. Children across the country suffer every day in underperforming schools that are overlooked on a national level. It is up to educators on a local level to ensure a brighter future for the nation’s youth, and that is exactly what New Roots seeks to provide.