State Dems may remove opposition to charter schools from platform

Byadmin

The Education section of the current Democratic state platform for Washington State (adopted in 2012) includes language opposing charter schools:

We oppose:

  • Public funding for charter schools and vouchers;
  • The commercial exploitation of students;
  • Linking military recruitment to educational funding;
  • Organized prayer in public schools;
  • “No Child Left Behind”;
  • Basing teacher pay solely on student test scores;
  • All so-called “reforms” that are not based upon sound and objective information, that are disguised attempts to blame teachers for the problems in public education, to weaken teacher unions, or to privatize our public education system for profit;
  • The escalation of tuition at institutions of higher education.

The new, draft platform removes that language.

This is an outrageous betrayal of fundamental Democratic principles.

The charter school proponents blame public schools and teachers for failures that are the result of poverty and inadequate funding of public schools.    Attacks on public education are central to the Republican efforts to enrich private corporations at the expense of the Common Good.   Studies have shown that charter schools perform no better than public schools.     The countries that outperform America in education have strong public school systems.  Furthermore, charter schools are apparently unconstitutional in Washington State.

Please post your comment opposing this change on the state Dems’ website:  http://www.wa-democrats.org/content/comment-platform-or-resolutions.

As reported by Diane Ravitch:

The Florida League of Women Voters just released a bombshell study of charters across the state. The study shows that charter schools do not perform better than public schools; that charters are more segregated than public schools; that many charters funnel money to religious organizations; that a significant number of charters operate for profit; and that the charter industry has captured control of key seats in the legislature.

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