I have had more than a few Questions about Charter Schools as I walk the Ward.

While I believe in a market economy, I do not believe in a market society. Thus, I generally oppose charter schools. I believe that public money should remain in our public institutions. Parents who want their kids in different schools always have the option to pay for private schools, which is why I believe charter schools, too, should be privatized. Additionally, the financial oversight of public funds going to privately run charter schools is often lacking. Until we can improve financial accountability and transparency, I will continue to oppose charter schools. Although comparing performance at similarly situated charter vs. traditional schools typically demonstrates increased student performance in the charter schools. Moreover, I think diverting resources away from the public schools harms the overall system, resulting in schools that are under capacity (reducing economies of scale) and at risk of closure. If there are issues with a particular school that warrants parents sending their children elsewhere, we should be allocating more resources into the school to address the problem, not funneling resources away. Lastly, I strongly believe in the political statement, “no taxation without representation.” The fact that charter schools use public money while operating independently of (elected) school board policy and teacher unions runs counter to that philosophy.

Additionally, if there is a particular principal at a charter school who is doing exceptionally well, I would recommend hiring him or her into a traditional school to make a similar impact. Similarly, if there is a particular district policy that is preventing a traditional school from being successful, then that policy should be addressed so that all the traditional schools benefit. Thus, I support looking at successful charter schools around the nation and asking what we can do at the traditional school level to mirror that success, without having to resort to funding charter schools with our own Tax dollars, that can be used for making Manchester Schools better.