Everybody knows the adage:  Beggers cannot be choosers.  But why should charter schools have to beg?  For small things?  Like access to Public School Buildings, equitable funding and timely payments are all written into the law.  Charter schools are still treated like grand experiments, shaky operations, ineffective educational institutions and outlaw regenade institutions.

Several things have happened in the past year though that have been good for us.  We are finally getting the respect we deserve for all the hard work we put in with the city's children.  Michelle Rhee, when she came to town, recognized that DCPS was wasting money by operating underenrolled buildings as though they were full of children.  She promptly put together a plan to close ineffective and underenrolled.  It would be one thing if these smaller learning communitites were having greater success with students, but many were not.  So, school buildings were closed and unsuccessful populations were merged into effectively run buildings under staffs that were higher performing.  That made for a major savings for DCPS.

But its funny how the most rational decision based in the best interest of chidlren and within the purview of her job was villified by anti-reform agitators.  People who claim to be "Pro-Public School" but want to preserve "regular" public schools at any cost even if the cost is to the overall district budget and at the expense of the entire city's children.  These are the same "pro-public school" agitators who hold a very narrow view of public education and think it is fine that children continue to be educated in their own neighborhoods regardless of the quality of school.  Implicit in that is also their acceptance that only "gifted" kids or "talented" kids or kids in the right neighborhood can get access to great programs. 

Rhee's decision to close those schools had additional positive effects for DC in that public school buildings finally became available to public charter schools as mandated by law.  Not in a perfect manner, but some schools became available and some charter schools did get access.  What that also means is that DCPS can recoup some of the school funding for charter schools when they pay rent on paid off buildings!  Wow!  Looks like everybody won that one!

One of the other things that happened in the past year or so is that charter schools finally got crossing guards?!?!?  Charter schools did not have any prior to that.   It was apparently ok that students choosing to attend charter schools didn't deserve to get there safely.  But that's ok now and the city has actually followed up to ensure that students choosing to attend charter schools get there safely and are protected from the cars in the city. 

The most recent victory is that public charter high schools have been assigned School Resource Officers (SRO).  You mean you didn't realize that students attending public charter schools didn't have access to officer friendly's like other public schools or that sometimes students attending public charter school were being victimized by non-attending kids in the city because they were wearing uniforms and take school seriously?  It was in the news paper.  And it was on the news.  Donald Hense, President and CEO of Friendship Public Charter Schools was the real warrior for all charter schools in that area.  So now resident children of the District of Columbia are safe as they cross the street and wait for public transportation and try to get a great education instead of the mediocre one they might have been gerrymandered into. 

Can you really be an anti-charter agitator even after this information?  Can you really agitate against schools that are working for safety, security and actually are willing to contribute city payments back to DCPS with rent?  Can't you just eat your sour grapes and let us be...

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