Why I'm Opposed to Charter Schools in Nebraska

There are a small number of organizations in our great state that are really working hard to discredit the important work of our public schools. These small organizations are trying to "create a problem" so they can swoop in with "a solution" and further push their agendas. They seemed to take delight in sharing a "study" yesterday that ranked Nebraska's schools as the worst in the nation. A 3-minute google search allowed me to find a more recent study that ranked Nebraska's schools as the 17th best in the nation. It's interesting to see the different perspectives.

For now, these small organizations are fixated on trying to convince as many Nebraskans as possible that public schools spend too much money and don't do a good job of educating our children. I've been like a broken record for a few years that these two claims are simply not true but I won't dwell on that, yet again, in this certain blog.

Here are some reasons I am opposed to charter schools in the Cornhusker State.

** I'm opposed to taking funds away from public schools. Nebraska already ranks 49th in the nation for the percentage of its state budget that gets allocated to K-12 education. We already have way too much of an over-reliance on local property taxes.

** Charter schools lack the same kind of accountability and transparent leadership that public schools have. I thoroughly enjoy working with publicly elected officials that are accountable to their patrons. I love it that any patron can attend any of our board meetings and that all of our agendas and meeting minutes are published for everyone to see.

** Charter schools get to be very selective of the students they choose to work with while public education is for everyone. I am sure there are some really competitive charter schools across the nation that are full of lots and lots of students from well-to-do families with lots of resources at their disposal. Good for them. I love it that public schools take everyone and still perform at a very high level.

** Public schools are getting better each and every year. When I look at the dual credit programming, work certification offerings, art academies, high ability learner institutes, extended day and extended year programming, and the thousands of other things that public schools offer, it amazes me! Come out to visit York Public Schools and we will take you around and show you an exemplary PreK-12th grade district in every facet. From innovative birth-to-five programming that includes home visitations to an abundance of career academies for our high schoolers, we offer something for everyone, every day.

"Choice" doesn't necessarily mean better.

I encourage you to support your public schools. Get to know the teachers, staff, and administrators. Visit the facilities. See for yourself all of the great things they do each and every day.

For me, the "choice" is easy. Nebraska public schools do a great job and will get even better. I personally love the jabs and put-downs from a few small organizations that want nothing more than to see Nebraska public schools fail. It isn't going to happen.