Charter Schools Deserve a Chance

I want to discuss Jake Moser’s blog titled,  "Charter Schools Being Put Under the Spotlight." Jake’s blog talks about private charter school s receiving public funding and how the standards for these schools have recently been raised.  If the school cannot meet academic and financial accountability ratings within three years of operation, they will be closed.  Jake also talks about the limited appeal process of closing a school and whether the process is fair or not.  I would like to focus my rebuttal on the specific issue of shutting the schools down if they do not achieve suitable ratings.

I view charter schools as an option to public school.  I really do not care if they are private, public, etc.  They give kids a second chance at school when their jurisdictional public school fails them.  When I say “fails” them, I mean in academic and social ways.  A lot of charter school children might be there because of bullying at a public school that was never addressed properly or maybe because they just don’t feel they fit in but do not want to drop out of school.  I like the idea that kids have choices.  Charter schools are an alternate choice to dropping out for a lot of kids. Considering Texas has one of the highest rates of high school dropouts, it seems a second educational option would be quite the priority.

My step-son attended a charter school when public school just was not working out for him.  He suffers from anxiety and depression so a large school with 3,000 students was overwhelming.  He decided to attend a charter school and was very successful.  He received his diploma in 2010.  I am certain he would have dropped out of public school had he not had this option.   

That being said, is three years long enough to evaluate the success of a school?  It can take longer than that for the average start-up business to show profitability, so why are these schools any different?  Also, should we be holding public schools to the same standard?  I live in the Hutto School District and I see the schools consistently deliver less-than-average STAAR test scores.  There are teachers on payroll who just are not into doing their jobs.  Do we shut down these schools?  No, we just keep going and accepting these averages as the best that can be done.  I do not understand why a charter school should be held to different standards.  The Texas school expectations should be the same across the board for any and all schools receiving public funding.  

Revealing the True Meaning Behind the Confederate License Plate Debate

I agree that Texas should allow the Confederate flag license plate design.  There is quite the controversy over this and the message that is being sent by allowing this license plate designed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  Some refer to it as an embarrassing time in Texas history that is better left alone.  Others say it signifies a sad time in Texas history.  African-Americans feel betrayed and violated by the plates, as one of the biggest reasons for the Civil War was that the southern states believed that holding slaves as personal property was acceptable.  The northern states believed slavery should be abolished.

Putting all this aside, the Civil War is part of our history.  We cannot change that.  It is what it is, and we have all come together as the great 50 states of the United States of America.  We clearly have seen through our northern and southern differences of the past and come together as one.  Why should any veteran or son of a veteran be denied their right to display their support for their loved ones because the reasoning for the war was ugly?  These sons were not there nor did they have any control over the reasoning for a war that happened over 100 year ago. All veterans who fight for a cause on behalf of the majority deserve a display of respect.  Denying these individuals the right to display their support of veterans who fought for a justified cause of the day would be a violation of their 1^st Amendment right of freedom of speech and expression.

It seems that everyone is always looking for a prejudice, even when it’s not there.  If we look at the license plate as a display of respect for those who lost their lives fighting for a cause that helped form US history to make it the great place that it is today, maybe its symbolism wouldn't be so grim.  Everything happens for a reason, and had it not been for the strong statement made by the Confederacy causing the war that changed it all, who knows where we would be today.  Let’s not think so heavily.  Keep things in their intended perspective.