Around The Region

Weather adds to higher yields for area farmers\nWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Ideal weather and early planting have helped push Indiana corn yields into record territory.\nIndiana's farmers are expected to harvest an average of 160 bushels an acre of corn yield, which would be the most ever among Midwestern states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\nA yield of that average would pass the Midwest record of 156 bushels an acre set in Illinois in 1994 and pass the previous Indiana record of 147 bushels an acre set in 1992 and 2000.\nIndiana's soybean yield is also leading the nation. The expected 49 bushels an acre for soybeans would be second to the U.S. record of 50.5 bushels an acre set in Iowa seven years ago.\nHoosier farmers were able to finish planting by early May, about a week earlier than average, Ralph Gann, state statistician for the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service.\n"That makes a difference, but it has to be combined with moisture patterns after that," Gann said. "Fortunately, we had a uniform rain pattern, especially in the important months of July and August."\nThe bountiful harvest should boost farm incomes because livestock markets are strong and producers will need additional feed, Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt said\nThe large harvest might also generate record crop revenues of about $3.5 billion across the state, Hurt said.\nFor-profit companies propose running 9 city charter schools\nINDIANAPOLIS -- Of the 18 charter school proposals before Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, nine are schools that would be operated by for-profit companies.\nThe proposals have come under criticism from those who worry what will happen if the schools do not make money.\nThese for-profit education companies have targeted the charter school movement with ready-made curriculums, promises of improved classroom achievement and the resources to get it all started.\n"There's precious little research. It's unproven," said Alex Molnar, director of the Education Policy Studies Center at Arizona State University.\nMolnar, a critic of charters and private management, said these companies were more interested in profit and the bottom line for shareholders than educating children.\nA review of proposals by The Indianapolis Star of six companies asked to run the nine schools shows most charge management fees to collect a percentage of the proposed school's budget.\nFor example, New York City-based Edison Schools would earn $921,153 of the $4.3 million in revenue from the proposed Kuumba House Academy in its first year of operation. That jumps to $1.3 million of $4.8 million the following year and continues to increase next year.\nEdison also is involved with two proposals that originated from Indianapolis churches.\nThose proposals have identical business plans and a subheading called "a partnership with families," the Star reported. Several passages match word-for-word, except for the name of the applicant.\nCritics say that cookie-cutter approach to education is ill-suited for the classroom.\n"What you are doing is buying the Edison model. Where is the innovation in that if hundreds of other schools are doing what you do?" said David N. Plank, director of Michigan State University's Education Policy Center.\nIndiana law requires those who receive charters to be nonprofit corporations. But they can hire for-profit organizations to run all school operations, including hiring staff and providing meals and transportation for students.\nCharter schools are autonomous public schools not under the control of a traditional school board. They must meet many of the same state and federal requirements as public schools but have more control over spending, the school year and curriculum.\nProponents say those freedoms allow charter schools to create innovative approaches to education.\nBill French, president of Arizona-based ABS School Services, said for-profit companies would do a good job of managing charter schools.\nABS manages more than 150 charter schools across the country, and two Indianapolis applicants have listed the company as a partner.\nFrench said he understood why people have raised concerns about for-profit management. But in the end, he said, it comes down to who can run a school best.\n"Are we making a tons of money? The answer is absolutely not," French said. "Are we hopefully providing a better program? We think we are"