Don’t Be Fooled: Charter Schools Are Not About Choice
In a moral society, “Single Payer” is the singular, optimal solution.
Steve Lopez says: “…There’s a place for both [innovative, popular charters and regular district schools], and a need for greater support of all public schools”.
These are separate, and non-touching, concepts. The latter is a question of funding, more funding, being sent down the Education pipeline. That is well, good and necessary. Learn more and sign the petition here.
But whatever you send down the chute, is what’s there in that chute. When you set up a school system with that public money, what you’ve got is a “fixed margin” of monies: that’s all you’ve got. The apportionment of monies within the system is “zero sum”: giving to Paul takes away from Peter. Period.
What is being asked by the charter school system, is a pass for allowing some to have more than others by pretending there is “Choice” involved. By privileging some at the expense of others.
What is being asked by the charter school system, is a pass for allowing some to have more than others by pretending there is “Choice” involved. By privileging some at the expense of others.
There may be a place for both “types” of schools, but an innovative, popular school is what any and every child wants, nay deserves. There is no moral justification for isolating the offering. What is being asked by the charter school system, is a pass for allowing some to have more than others by pretending there is “Choice” involved. By privileging some at the expense of others.
This is why the conversation about charters is not and never can be about “excellence”. Never mind the uncomfortable truth that “excellence” will always be a subjective term no matter how much you paint it in quantitative metrics. Never mind the structural aspect to charters that is an inherent driver of segregation.
What Lopez is referring to in invoking funding in a democratic educational system, is Sharing Risk.
If you’re not willing to sanction better for some, or more funds for others; separate-but-equal doctrines or an inherent acceptance of structural disparity, then public education must be understood as shared, pooled risk. Just like health care.
The cheapest, most efficient way to share the risk of the high expense of health care is for CONTINUE READING: Don't Be Fooled: Charter Schools Are Not About Choice - LA Progressive
