I read with interest the opinion piece headlined “The truth on charter schools,” published Oct. 15.
Using the word “truth” gives a sense of being real, fundamental, accurate, in accordance with facts, a standard of true; however, after reading I realized this was just another hit piece by those wanting to stop educational freedom for families.
The writer mentioned an event this past weekend hosted by a special interest group that undeniably wants only one educational provider — district schools. They used “tables, charts and real world anecdotes” showing how charters and vouchers are “undermining our already threadbare and neglected public school system.”
Excuse me, charter schools are part of the public school system and vouchers only assist lower income families to have education equity in attending private schools. I don’t see how annually spending well over $10 billion on North Carolina’s K-12 schools is “neglecting” and causing them to be “threadbare.” Really? I know money is important but how you spend money is more important. Could this statement have more to do with “how” money is spent?
Here’s a list of facts on North Carolina’s school choice options are helping every citizen in our state:
— Charter schools are growing at a fast rate because families have asked the General Assembly to allow more choice. Last count over 55,000 children on waiting lists.
— Charter schools have not drained money from district schools. Look at your district’s local government audit and check the per pupil expenditure trends. The data is there.
— Charter schools operate on about 75% of what district schools spend per student. County taxpayers do not spend one penny on charter school buildings.
— Lower income families eligible for Opportunity Scholarships save the state’s taxpayer millions, as the scholarship is only $4,200 a year, while the average spent on a district student is over $9,000.
— Charter schools are closed when they don’t perform, saving the taxpayer from funding failure. Serving on the Mecklenburg School Board in the 1990s I witnessed low-performing schools then, which are still low performing after 25 years or more. No excuse. Poorly performing businesses go out of business, poorly performing district schools continue forever.
— Charter schools are accountable by way of the local government audit, state statute, State Board of Education policy, the Charter Agreement, State Board of Education, Charter School Advisory Board, and the annual Performance Framework. Four areas are constantly monitored: Governance, Operations, Finance and Achievement Performance. The ultimate accountability comes from the family who makes the choice to attend.
— Blaming charter schools for “segregating” schools is simply a scare tactic to remind folks of the Jim Crow era. Segregation is when someone blocks a door, not when you simply don’t like the doors that are freely chosen.
— In 2017-18 charter schools academically performed higher than district schools with each student subgroup in 3 to 8th grade reading: White, Black, Hispanic, Economically Disadvantaged; English Second Language; Students With Disabilities.
I could go on but will stop to make a bigger point.
Remember when there was only chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream? Now there are hundreds of kinds. Even vanilla has several different kinds — French, natural, extra creamy, etc.
Remember when there were only ABC, CBS, and NBC TV channels? Now there are hundreds on cable and can be seen on all types of devices.
The “originals” have not gone away, but they have had to reinvent themselves and become better. Same will be for schools. All kinds of schools.
The “truth” question to ask: Is the child more important than the system or is the system more important than the child? I say the child is of ultimate importance! Empowering families to make the educational choice best for their child is priceless. Let families decide what is best. Give them more freedom not less.
