Charter schools are not an education cure-all
To the editor: The Times' support for a large expansion of charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District is misguided. (“A charter school expansion,” Editorial, Sept. 13)I spent four years with the district and three years working for many charter schools. What I saw as a charter school employee was sobering, including a culture of fear among teachers without union protection.
I am now, thankfully, teaching in a school district with a union. The lesson was simple and profound: Strong teachers unions make for happier teachers and happier classrooms.
The editorial assumes that the needs of teachers can be separated from those of students. It mentions that charters have a higher rate of teacher turnover while offering no explanation for why that is the case.
If The Times is truly concerned with the state of public education, it needs to talk with the people who take part in the system every day, including teachers, students and administrators. Otherwise, it wouldn't have the gall to chalk up concerns about charter expansion as merely a fear of losing state revenue.
Dov Rudnick, VeniceCharter schools are not an education cure-all - LA Times: