Ever since they were first introduced in Massachusetts as part of education reform in the early 1990’s, charter schools have been seen as part of the education system. They’ve helped to raise test scores in some under-performing districts. They help students enter careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which is important to our overall economy. They support creativity and innovation. And they offer parents a choice in their child’s education.
At the same time, there has been a lot of resistance in our state to these schools, and it has resulted in an unwillingness to lift a restrictive cap on charter schools here.
Until recently, one of the people resisting lifting the cap on these schools was Governor Patrick. He changed his view abruptly this summer and announced legislation that would triple the number of charter school slots in our state. This happened not long after President Obama touted the importance of charter schools in what he calls a “race to the top.” President Obama has made $4 billion available to the top 10 or 15 states that are willing to lift their charter school caps. But as of today, states have only 2 weeks left to take advantage of this special opportunity.
Because it took state leaders here so long to come around to supporting charter schools, we now find ourselves scrambling, running out of time and with our backs to the wall. The Governor has filed a bill to lift the charter school cap, but it had a hearing before the Legislature only a month ago. And judging by the current work pace of the Legislature, it’s hard to believe that lawmakers will be able to pull together a debate and vote on this issue within the next 2 weeks, even though the taxpayers should be able to expect that.
State government’s procrastination on addressing the important issues of the day, including education, transportation and state finances, is starting to cost us real dollars, and unfortunately taxpayers are the ones who will ultimately lose out.
I hope there is still time for the Legislature to debate and consider charter schools in the next two weeks. But in the future, we need to stop trying to pull things together at the last minute to preserve important opportunities for our state. It doesn’t have to be this difficult to pass good policies.
What’s your view on charters schools? Do you support charter schools, and do you think the state should be one of the top ones to receive funding? I’d like to know your thoughts. Please feel free to post a comment below.
