Do you think charter schools are good or bad?

I have always chosen public schools for my children’s education. Parents make choices about the best fit for their child’s education based on multiple reasons: where special needs will be met, what courses are offered, what a school’s leadership is like, where their friends want to go, even what a school looks like. Ultimately, these choices are personal and are often in direct response to the need to do better for their child. I think it is important to have this choice, even here in Alameda. And especially now while we are in COVID-19 when education no longer looks or feels like it historically has. The reason I am running for AUSD school board is to create better educational outcomes for ALL students - and if that means those gains happen at a charter school during a student’s education journey, I can’t be upset with that.

For me, it isn’t a matter of should we or should we not have charters, they are here and the current number is manageable and it is important we work with them and maintain healthy relationships. Alameda’s charters are different than charters in other districts – there is a great deal of oversight and community involvement. Our high schools are filled with students who attended Alameda’s charters and we need to preserve good communication and relationships.

The district makes it possible for parents to send their children to district schools outside of their zone, often for the very same reasons that parents will choose a charter. So, the question is not about whether I think charters are good or bad, it is about looking at our school system and asking ourselves why do parents opt for them instead, and then trying to address the issue.