Sen. Sanders' open letter: Charter Schools
Posted: Mar 30, 2012 5:21 PM PDTUpdated: Mar 31, 2012 10:14 AM PDT
File Photo: Senator Hank SandersAlabama State Senator Hank Sanders (D-Selma) penned the following open letter to Alabama Governor Robert Bentley regarding charter schools. An open letter invites comment, so share your views on the matter in the commenting section.
Sen. Sander's letter reads:
An Open Letter to Governor Robert Bentley
From Senator Hank Sanders (D-Selma)
Governor Bentley, I heard you talking about the charter school bill last week. I sensed your sincere desire to improve public education in Alabama. Therefore, I am urging you to reconsider your support of the charter school bill. The following are reasons for this earnest and urgent request.
First, by most rating systems, Alabama Public Education is ranked very low among the 50 states. Alabama's goal must be to become number one not only among states but among nations because our students compete globally, not just locally. The charter school bill not only does not address this larger issue but diverts focus from it.
Second, the charter school bill fails to address the broad issue of excellence in education. It focuses on so called "failing schools." Even if the charter school bill was perfectly applied in practice, it would only impact some of the 1,499 schools in Alabama. We need an initiative that impacts all our schools. Even in perfection, and perfection is extremely unlikely, the positive impact of charter schools will be limited. However, the negative impact of the bill will be far reaching.
Third, I know that every child we fail to educate is a terrible travesty. I also know