Legislators and education bureaucrats who have refused adamantly to consider increasing or removing the 100-school cap on charter schools have pressure from a new charter school advocate to deal with: President Barack Obama.
Yes, it’s true. The candidate who got the backing of all the anti-charter teacher unions says their success needs to be replicated across the country.
Obama recently told a group of second-graders at the Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., that they are part of a bold experiment.
“We’re very proud of what’s been accomplished at this school, and we want to make sure that we’re duplicating that success all across the country,” he said.
The news of Obama’s unabashed support for charters has caused some Democrats to rethink their position. “My staunch opposition to charter schools early in my legislative career has recently evolved,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford.
This has charter school supporters crossing their fingers.
“I’m hopeful wth President Obama, because he’s pro-solid options on education for children,” said Jane Ellis, director of charter school lending at the Center for Community Self-Help in Durham. “There’s no one-size-fits-all. I think we need to see some Democrats that see this as an opportunity. In the past, school choice has been a divisive issue in Raleigh. It’s still an uphill road for many. There’s not been any broad bipartisan support.”
Ellis said charter schools are unique because they are public schools that offer smaller classrooms and more personalized teaching styles at no cost to families.
One of the main obstacles they face is the stringent cap in the state allowing only 100 charter schools at a time. Ellis said that’s simply not enough, and the cap either needs to be raised or removed altogether. Only 52 of 100 counties have at least one charter school up and running.
Ellis said the idea to repeal the limit also has the president’s full support.
“President Obama said to lift the caps because they inhibit education choices,” she said. “In North Carolina, Republicans want to lift the cap. There are no Democrats in support. It has to go beyond the partisan issue. Parents need a choice. The goal is to have kids who are learning and thriving.”
John Betterton, chairman of the North Carolina Alliance for Charter Schools, said he doesn’t have a good feel for what’s on the minds of state legislators, but he said he is cautiously optimistic that Obama’s professed support will cause some to change their minds about accepting charters.
“Having a choice is a powerful thing for parents,” he said. “It’s going to take a combination of parents and Democrats coming together to make it happen. My main hope is that President Obama’s support will allow our legislators to approach charter schools with an open mind. I’m hoping, with the president’s influence, that charter schools will be treated fairly and equitably. Whatever happens, we would like to see the support coming from both parties.”
Rep. Ric Killian, R-Mecklenburg, said Obama’s support is a wake-up call for state officials to stop avoiding the issue of education reform and create opportunities for all children to have choices for a better education.
He said legislators need to be held accountable for their answers. “We’ve yet to see any change, and I don’t know if the president’s support on the issue is going to sway anyone against charter schools, but our leadership in North Carolina needs to heed President Obama’s support,” he said. “Traditionally those opposed have not even been willing to hear the arguments for charter schools. Will they be heard now?”
Rep. Jim Gulley, R-Mecklenburg, said policymakers are not the only ones who need to rethink their position on charter schools. “The Department of Public Instruction has a stranglehold on charter schools right now,” he said. “That’s why I’m glad our president came out to support it. There’s some shift in the way the wind blows.”
Although most Democrats are currently against raising the cap, Rep. Earline Parmon, D- Forsyth, a retired charter school administrator, said not all in her party are against increasing the number of this style of learning institution.
“I feel we should be allowed more charter schools, but it has to be done in an orderly, purposeful, and geographical manner,” she said. “They need to be accessible in every county throughout the state.”
Parmon said she thinks charter schools have not branded themselves well.
“It’s a great invention, but nobody has known how to market it,” she said. “Now Obama is marketing it. Once people understand a charter school can be a resource and it’s not in competition with public schools, but an avenue and excellent resource to provide excellence and choice in education, then we will begin to move forward.”
Parmon said the North Carolina General Assembly needs to invest time to learn more about them.
“Legislators are not educated enough to be good advocates for charter schools,” she said. “It’s a fight to educate them that charter schools need to be treated equally. … There needs to be a broader awareness in North Carolina on how charter schools have been treated like a stepchild. They are public schools, and they need to be funded equitably.”
Even the Democratic president thinks so.
Karen Welsh is a contributor to Carolina Journal.