There is a consensus that parents want the best education for their children. Where they are educated and how they are educated is a whole other story.
Recently there has been debate over using funding to improve public schools versus supporting school choice and voucher programs allowing families to choose the school they want their child to attend. Delana Ivey, a community activist, says there has been too much focus on charter schools, which take precious resources away from public schools. She also believes public education is becoming privatized and that the charter/choice model is systematically destroying public education.
“I have skin in the game, because I have children and I live in the Indianapolis Public Schools district. I shouldn’t have to go find some other, brand new something for my kids to be educated. I want (education administrators) to do their job,” said Ivey.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, under the direction of President Barack Obama, recently visited Indianapolis. During Duncan’s visit, Ivey, who is connected to organizations Parent Power and Moral Mondays, disrupted the program and demanded answers on why the government is tampering with public school funding. She said the Obama administration is too pro-charter school and schools are becoming privatized.
“The public should have something to say. It shouldn’t be CEOs or educational management operators getting public funds,” said Ivey. “When you privatize schools, local people aren’t able to have a voice. When things happen, you have public officials you can hold accountable. They can’t tell you ‘find another school.’”
She argues that various schools are able to select who they want as students, whereas public schools are obligated to educate every child. When asked about a local charter that has students who consistently excel academically, her stance remains — if schools choose the best and brightest or can weed out weak students, the results are obviously going to be positive.
Ivey also said charters, private and parochial schools aren’t obligated to provide special education, feed kids for free, transport kids to and from school or provide certified teachers. Public schools are neighborhood schools, therefore charter school students aren’t always able to study along with kids from their neighborhood.
“This is a sound business model for charters. There’s always going to be kids to educate, so they are able to benefit financially,” said Ivey.
The activist said equity on all levels, including funding and courses such as art and gym, and an educationally stimulating curriculum (versus students simply studying to pass a test) are some answers to the debate.
“Parents need to question the system and policies,” said Ivey. “Study. What makes this charter so good and why can’t this be implemented in a public school?”
A recent report said Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) Supt. Lewis Ferebee said he’s had “preliminary” conversations with city officials about creating a common enrollment process to be shared by IPS and Mayor Greg Ballard’s roster of charter schools.
According to Chalkbeat Indiana, Ferebee said sharing enrollment would allow district and charter schools to more efficiently plan their staffing by reducing unknowns about how many children might enroll. It would also be easier for parents who are trying to decide whether to send their children to IPS or a charter.
“Enrollment needs to be very user-friendly, and I don’t think it’s very easy for parents to understand in terms of all the different offerings available to them,” Ferebee said. “The better connected we are, the better the community will benefit from what we have to offer.”
Erin Sweitzer, communications director for the Institute for Quality Education, said the organization is a nonprofit that works to advance K-12 education policies so all Hoosier kids can benefit from an unparalleled education system and have opportunities to succeed in life. Their goal is to support policies that move kids out of low-performing schools into top-quality, high-performing schools.
The organization actively works to aid poor and disenfranchised families, and they believe this population has a right to quality education, no matter where they live.
“Parents should have the right to choose where their children go to school. We want to empower parents and provide them with the information they need to make the best decision possible for their child,” Sweitzer said. “We want all options to be quality options, whether it’s a traditional public school, a public charter school, a private school or even home school.”
Sweitzer, who attended a traditional public school, said today’s parents are looking for options such as proximity, academic environment, extracurricular activities, accommodations for special needs or safety.
She does want the public to clearly understand that there are many misconceptions regarding school choice. When it comes to vouchers, they are simply a way for parents to take the money that is designated for their child’s education and use it at a school that better meets their child’s needs.
“While yes, that money is technically not going to a traditional public school, neither is the child. (The public school) doesn’t get the money, but they also don’t have to serve and educate that child,” said Sweitzer.
She added that school vouchers cost the state less than what it would take to send the same child to the traditional public school — vouchers issued are always a lesser amount.
Another misconception: Voucher schools are not being held accountable by the state like public schools. The Institute says those schools are subject to the same A-F grading scale as public schools and are actually held to higher accountability standards than their public counterparts.
Sweitzer said people also wrongly think that private voucher schools don’t serve students with special needs. The Institute says 85 percent of voucher schools do serve special needs children. In many cases, the schools that don’t serve special needs students made that choice because they don’t feel their school is properly equipped to serve those students.
“(School choice) helps level the playing field a little bit. It gives parents the freedom to not be confined by their ZIP code. If parents are sending their kids to a neighborhood school and it’s meeting their needs, that’s great. But not all parents have that,” said Sweitzer.
By law, all parents in Indiana have the option to choose their child’s school, but Sweitzer doesn’t think the Institute for Quality Education, or other pro-school choice groups like it, are finished with their goals.
For more information on school choice, visit the Institute for Quality Education at i4qed.org; MySchoolOptions.org or VoicesForSchoolChoices.org. For info on preserving public schools visit IndianaMoralMondays.org and Facebook.com/Parent-Power-Indianapolis.
