I have thought a lot about it, and I have concerns about the charter school ballot question for several reasons.
It was my understanding that charter schools were to initiate ideas that would lead to innovation and improvements in the traditional public schools. The main difference I see in the two is the fact that charter schools have non-union teachers. I have not heard of any contributions they have made to improving schools overall. Further, they have, in many cases, provided options to children who would do well in any case.
I do not believe that the ballot is the best way to proceed with the question that should be thoroughly hashed out by the state Legislature. The fact that the legislature has not passed this seems to be that they have reservations that need to be addressed. These may include financial impacts on small districts that have high overhead and fixed costs.
Finally, I do not believe that parents should have the “right to choose” what is, essentially, private school at public expense. Of course, parents would like to be able to choose the best education for their children, but unless this “right” is available to all families, the state should not be discriminating among its children, and having a lottery to choose who gets to exercise this “right” simply presents the illusion that it is fair and equal.
I believe that charter schools can and should have a place in poorly performing districts, but this ballot proposal does not provide that option. It is in the public interest that all children should be educated, and there is an underclass of children that are bound to fail without intervention, whether because of homelessness, difficult family situation or other obstacles.
If the district were to target these children for the charter schools, they could work on making sure that those who have no other chance to succeed can turn their lives around and get the education they desperately need. It would also allow the schools from which they came to raise their average scores so that teachers could innovate more and not have to “teach to the test.”
I believe this was the real purpose of charter schools, to make sure that no child is left behind.
Judith Truesdell
Shelburne