Why we need to fight against charter school growth
ll of us — parents, educators, students and community members — need to fight against the growth of charter schools and insist that all students have access to adequate resources and skilled professionals through a truly public education system. We need a system that is paid for by taxpayers and governed by elected representatives who can be held accountable.
The MTA supports a bill filed by Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) that places a moratorium on any new charter schools. The MTA is also working with the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance against proposed law changes, a ballot initiative for 2016 and a lawsuit that would lift or entirely obliterate charter school caps over time, leading to massive privatization of Massachusetts’ very successful public schools.
Be part of the effort to educate your community about charter schools. Talk to neighbors, write letters to the editor and post messages on your social media sites. Here are points to consider when sharing your stories:
- FUNDING. Charter schools siphon hundreds of millions of dollars a year from public schools.
- ACCOUNTABILITY: Charter schools are not accountable to their local communities, and are often approved over the objections of the taxpayers and elected officials who have to pay for them.
- EQUITY: Charter schools create a two-tiered system of public schools described by the national NAACP as “separate and unequal.” They typically serve far fewer special needs students, English language learners and economically disadvantaged students than their sending districts. Their hyper-discipline policies push out students they don’t want to serve.
- QUALITY: Rather than innovate, most charters focus on test prep and drill. In addition, charter schools have very high teacher turnover rates as a result of poor working conditions, long hours and lack of autonomy. This undermines school stability and students’ learning conditions.
Looking for additional information? Visit the MTA's toolkit on charter schools.