Support grows for vouchers and charter schools, but they can't fix what ails us

Editorial by Fayetteville Observer, March 2, 2017.

At first glance, you do a double-take: African-American lawmakers — Democrats — supporting school vouchers and charter schools? Aren't those measures that have played a big role in the resegregation of America's schools? Aren't they a Republican initiative that has won widespread scorn from Democrats? Don't they divert money from already-struggling public school systems?

All true. But if you stop and think about the concerns of many African-American parents, the growing support for vouchers and charter schools by black legislators makes sense. The African-American families who would benefit from these programs are mostly living in poverty, either in inner cities or rural areas. In both cases, the public school available to them is largely impoverished, too. School systems struggle to find and assign excellent teachers and administrators to them. The school buildings themselves are likely to be old and not in good shape.

For those families, a voucher to a private school or attendance at a charter — quite likely a school with a more rigorous curriculum and teachers able to help disadvantaged students — is a ticket out of a bad situation.

And that's what brought eight Democratic, African-American state legislators to a press conference in Raleigh on Tuesday, where they argued that parents should be able to choose the schools that work best for their children. "In the spirit of Black History Month," said Rep. Rodney Moore of Charlotte, "this coalition understands that in North Carolina you cannot talk about education and education reform without talking about race and politics." Moore talked about backing all educational models in order to "bridge the gaps that have far too often hindered us — black versus white students, Democrat versus Republican, traditional schools versus non-traditional schools."

While it's true that non-traditional schools often can better meet the needs of some struggling students, there is a danger here of concentrating on applying Band-Aids when what the system really needs is general surgery. Too many of our public schools in crumbling inner cities and impoverished rural areas are reflective of their environment. They are failing to educate our children and keep them competitive with their peers at schools in wealthier neighborhoods. In a sense, it's as if the old "separate but equal" school concept is still with us, complete with a return to segregation. Giving a few of the children in those schools a ticket out isn't curing the core cancer.

We have long supported a voucher system and charter schools, because we know that public schools can't possibly meet the needs of every child. And we support, as well, what Rep. Moore and his colleagues are trying to accomplish. But we have also long doubted that the voucher and charter programs in North Carolina include sufficient oversight of the schools and how the public's money is being spent in them. And we know that for at least some of our lawmakers, those programs are simply a way to turn our state's public education system over to the private sector, which is a terrible idea that's completely at odds with the North Carolina Constitution.

Our public education system needs a lot of change, starting with schools in our most impoverished neighborhoods. And what goes on in every classroom that's supported by tax dollars needs dramatically improved oversight and accountability. We owe that to all of our kids.

http://www.fayobserver.com/opinion/20170302/our-view-support-grows-for-vouchers-and-charter-schools-but-they-cant-fix-what-ails