We have been waiting for a member of the media to ask the Democratic and Republican candidates. Finally it happened, though not on national television. Journalist Roland Martin in South Carolina asked Hillary Clinton about her views on charter schools. Her answer suggests that she realizes the issues surrounding private management of public dollars.
“The original idea, Roland, behind charter schools was to learn what worked and then apply them in the public schools. And here’s a couple of problems. Most charter schools — I don’t want to say every one — but most charter schools, they don’t take the hardest-to-teach kids, or, if they do, they don’t keep them. And so the public schools are often in a no-win situation, because they do, thankfully, take everybody, and then they don’t get the resources or the help and support that they need to be able to take care of every child’s education.
“So I want parents to be able to exercise choice within the public school system — not outside of it — but within it because I am still a firm believer that the public school system is one of the real pillars of our democracy and it is a path for opportunity.”
The Clinton administration supported charters. We know a lot more about them now than we did in the 1990s. I would like to see the federal government cut funding completely for for-profit charters and for virtual charters. I hope the Feds set standards for all charters regarding financial transparency and accountability, discipline, suspension, and teacher qualifications, as well as their responsibility to enroll students with disabilities and English language learners that at least as high as the surrounding public schools. Public money requires public accountability.
What really matters is whether HRC considers charters to be public schools.
Hillary’s comments show understanding of the no win situation public schools find themselves in when resources are reduced and they are still required to take all children, even the “hardest to teach”. Too bad it wasn’t on national television. If this is the pay back for early endorsement from NEA and AFT, the unions were short changed.
Nowhere in any of her stump speeches Iowa, NH or any where else for that matter has she addressed privitazation or standardization. I am somewhat surprised that with all the buzz in NY about the opt out movement she had nothing to say.
President Clinton was responsible for passing the “New Markets Tax Credit” law, and this law encouraged the corporate interest in speculating in charter schools as a for profit investment.
Let’s not forget her team of donors are Gates, Broad, Silicon Valley & Wall St. crowd. She served on the Board of Directors for WalMart. Her long time friendship with Eli Broad speak louder than words.
Either she wants to be president and will say anything to achieve that goal or she is brave enough to open the door for all candidates to address privatization of our public schools and sincerely intends to be the leader in reversing the current course.