Should lawmakers dictate school choice?
As political debates across our nation brew about permitting charter schools and which kid should be eligible, I would like to know—whose choice is school choice?
If you are confused about this question, let’s try this exercise:
Make a list of five parents you know.
Now imagine yourself dictating to these parents whether they should bottle feed or breast feed, use cloth versus disposable diapers, and which pediatrician gets their business.
If you can’t fathom telling parents what is best for their child in these areas of parenting, then dictating which school is the best fit for all kids is out of the question too.
What is school choice if we don’t have any options? Voters do not elect leaders to help parenting our kids. We elect leaders to write good laws and policies. Permitting charter schools to thrive and be offered to all families is an example of such practices.
Keep this in mind as nationwide debates are brewing in regards to permitting charter schools, which kid can attend them, and whether or not we should fund these schools fully.
10 states do not permit charter schools. These states are Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kentucky, Alabama, Vermont, West Virginia, and Maine.
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Thank you to all elected leaders who do support charter schools. You are making quality education and school options available for millions of children across our country.