Letter to the Editor
The Tennessean
October 31, 2015
RE: “Charter school fiscal impact in Nashville: It’s real,” by Will Pinkston, Sept. 13.
It’s no surprise a Metro Board of Public Education member is writing that the district needs more money.
The big education bureaucracy has been arguing this for years. But over the years, districts across the nation have increased spending, yet have little to show when it comes to improved student outcomes, as less than 40 percent of our nation’s kids can read and do math at grade level, according to the Nation’s Report Card.
Charter schools are more efficient by nature because money follows the child to the education that best fits his needs.
The average cost return-on-investment advantage for charters is an almost 3 percent higher return per dollar invested if a student spends one year in a public charter school and a 19 percent higher return per dollar invested if a student spends half of his or her K-12 education (6.5 years) in a charter school.
It’s important parents have a variety of excellent options that include traditional public schools and public charter schools, in addition to a variety of others, including online and blended learning, private, home school, and innovative education options we have yet to discover.
Denying parents opportunities because it affects business as usual, which isn’t producing the best results for our kids, puts Tennessee and our nation’s future — our children — in danger.
Kara Kerwin, president, The Center for Education Reform, Washington, DC, 20036