Coming to a Theater Near You: Misinformation About School Choice

Associated Press/Mike Groll

In case you've missed it, LPS is heavily promoting a free movie this week. This morning LPS's PR specialist sent out an email that said, "Nebraska Loves Public Schools is hosting a free screening of their latest one-hour documentary 'Consider the Alternative,' a conversation about charter schools, public schools and closing the achievement gap."

The email also said that a panel discussion would follow the screening, and LPS Supt. Steve Joel and LEA President Rita Bennett would be panel members.

Having Steve Joel and Rita Bennett conduct "a conversation about charter schools" is like asking PETA leaders to conduct "a conversation about eating meat." Charter schools are viewed as anathema by the educational establishment in Nebraska, as evidenced by LEA's communications with its members. The following question was included in a recent edition of LEA's LEARN Rapid News:

How do you feel about public charter schools and vouchers taking funding and resources from public schools?

Just so we're clear: charter schools ARE public schools. Why would a teacher's union misinform its members about something as basic as the nature of charter schools, which are legal and thriving in 43 states?

It's simple. Charter schools don't have to hire teachers who belong to teacher's unions, and they don't have to negotiate with teacher's unions. If they want to, charter schools can base teacher pay on performance. They can also ask teachers to work more than 7 1/2 hours a day, and only teachers who want to agree to the charter school's terms will work there. How's that working out in other states?

With the charter school movement coming of age in much of the country, charter school principals have developed non-union ways to support teachers in their careers. In KIPP charter schools, for instance, teachers are provided with weekly coaching and intensive training to help them in their careers.

When it comes down to it, though, school choice is about the future of our state and country. Educationally, children in Nebraska are suffering. Very few Nebraska families can afford private school tuition or homeschool, and the existing school districts are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in public relations to convince parents of the quality of their programs. In the meantime, even the AP Calculus students are not thriving. While the pass rate for the AP Calculus test nationwide is over 80%, during the 2012/2013 school year, less than 8% of the LPS students who took the AP Calculus class passed the test with a score of 3, 4, or 5.

As you listen to NElovesPS rave about Nebraska's schools, remember who's doing the talking. These are people with stakes in the existing educational establishment. Then think of the children who will have a difficult time competing with children from the rest of the country who have benefitted from educational savings accounts (ESAs), charter schools, tax credit scholarships, and voucher programs. When we understand who's doing the talking and what their motives are, then the real conversations can begin. 

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