Letter to the Editor
Lowell Sun
September 2, 2016
When it comes to public charter schools and funding, it’s time to set the record straight.
The Bay State provides one of the most generous reimbursement plans in the nation when students choose to leave conventional schools for public charter schools. In the last five years, Massachusetts districts have been reimbursed $350 million for students they are no longer educating — students who have decided a public charter school is a better fit for their unique learning needs.
The fact that people are claiming public charter schools drain resources from traditional public schools is “absurd” and an “outright lie,” as many nonpartisan research organizations and editorial boards, including The Sun, have acknowledged.
The beauty of charter schools is that they seek to acknowledge that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to educating our children. Public charter schools are held accountable for results, while they’re given the freedom and flexibility to vary their methods, structure, curriculum, based on students’ learning needs.
Just as a traditional public school isn’t a fit for a good student, a charter school is not a good fit for every student; however, given that there are more than 30,000 students yearning for a charter school opportunity, it’s time to give them access a public charter school education and allow charter schools to expand to meet demand.
JEANNE ALLEN
The Center for Education Reform
Washington, D.C.
You may not be aware — in this year of grotesque, daily, pathological lying at the highest levels of our political discourse — how your report is being used as a cudgel against thousands of courageous, mission-driven educators dedicated to improving the lives and outcomes of our most disadvantaged children. Their work is hard enough. It doesn’t have to be disparaged further in such a ham-handed, easily-manipulated fashion.
Yass to Oliver: Your Show Hurt Poor Children!!!
A Letter to John Oliver from Boys’ Latin Charter School Co-Founder Janine Yass:
I have been an avid fan of yours for quite some time now and have come close to laughing so hard during your program that I start to cry. But last night I watched your rant about charter schools and found myself crying, not because of your humor, but for the thousands of families who will have to pay for your ignorance and insensitivity toward the education of their children.
I have been involved in education reform for over 15 years in the poor city of Philadelphia where over 40,000 children are on charter school waiting lists to escape the horrendous public school system. In Philly, if you do not have the means to either pay for private school, test into a magnet school, or be accepted at a charter school, the chance of graduating high school in four years on grade level is less than 40 percent. Unfortunately, the vast majority of kids cannot afford private schools or test into magnet schools.
As a founder of Boys’ Latin Charter School, I have seen the desperation of parents and their tearful gratitude for giving their boys the kind of education that I believe is a civil right. We are proud of our results and are proud supporters of many high quality charters. Yes, bad ones should close, but what about the bad public schools that continue to operate half full with no teaching going on?!
No one is forcing parents to go to charters! Charter operators are responding to the demand of dissatisfied parents who have been underserved by the public system for decades. They are not the evil corporate devils you made them out to be. I live for the day that public schools work and there is no demand to escape, but in the meantime, all families deserve the chance at a good education.
If you care about apologizing or at least being informed on the reality of what is happening in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington, DC, I would drop everything to take you around so you can see what is really happening and why your show harmed so many poor families and our education reform efforts to help them.
Being funny is cool, but being funny and mean is just nerdy.
Janine Yass is the founder of Boys’ Latin Charter School in West Philadelphia, and was the Vice Chair of the school’s board through 2010. During that year, Ms. Yass joined with other local business and philanthropic leaders to co-found the Philadelphia School Partnership. Both she and her husband, Jeff Yass, continue to be supporters of several outstanding charter organizations in Philadelphia.
Please join those who are taking time to share their views with John Oliver by writing him at management@avalonuk.com.