School choice: Charter schools provide options for families who aren’t rich

Many parents, like me, felt a mix of emotions about the recent news regarding the educational choice — to send her son to private school — made by Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates.

Those emotions include sympathy for her family’s search for the best school option and frustration that after our collective efforts spanning decades, we still have a dearth of high-quality school options across our great city.

While many recent commentators have pilloried this choice as hypocritical, given Ms. Davis Gates’ long opposition to school choice programs, I think there is a much more important lesson to learn. Now, she and I have squared off on educational policy battles over the years, but I believe we share a common goal: high-quality schools broadly distributed across the city, even if we strongly disagree on how to accomplish that lofty goal.

The simple fact is that all parents, regardless of political party affiliation, geography, income, or race, want what is best for their children and work to find the best school to meet their children’s unique needs.

In Chicago, the stark reality is that school choice has always existed for privileged and wealthier families. It’s simply looked like this: 1) buying a more expensive home in a neighborhood with a high-performing district-run school; or 2) providing your child with extra tutoring support in hopes of securing a coveted seat at a selective enrollment school; or 3) paying private school tuition.

This system gives parents with resources many educational options for their children, but unfortunately leaves behind far too many low-income and students of color from families with limited high-quality school choices. 

Serving students in long-neglected neighborhoods

That is exactly the gap charter schools were designed to fill. Today, charter public schools educate nearly 55,000 Chicago students, with 99% of students identified as students of color and 86% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. These numbers are precisely why I have always been puzzled by CTU’s opposition to charter public schools. The same communities they highlight for investment and support are the communities that we have always been in.

I understand their general opposition to public schools that are not unionized, but that seems like a strange line to draw when charter schools are serving students very effectively in Garfield Park, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Austin, South Shore, Roseland, North Lawndale and Back of the Yards, among many other long-neglected neighborhoods.

Chicago’s charter success was recently recognized by the Biden administration. With a $25 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education, our organization, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, is providing millions of dollars over the next five years for high-quality public charter schools in challenged neighborhoods. The most recent grant award recipients include Art in Motion in South Shore, Chicago Collegiate in West Pullman, and Horizon Science Academy in Belmont Cragin.

Like other public schools, charter schools have experienced challenges over the years with issues such as student discipline and teacher turnover. But also like other public schools, charter schools are open to all students regardless of neighborhood or household income. Charters are also tuition-free. And in contrast to district-run selective enrollment schools, there is no testing, previous academic requirements, or auditions to attend. 

Parents know there is no “one-size-fits-all” model to meet all students’ needs. That is why urban education policy decisions can’t be a zero-sum game. It’s not either school choice or district-run schools only.

Elected ­leaders and decision-makers must understand both high-quality charter schools and district-run schools can co-exist to stabilize enrollment and ensure all Chicago families, no matter their neighborhood or household income, have equitable school choices and access to high-quality academics, extracurricular activities, sports, music, art, languages and wrap-around services. The need for high-quality public school choices is too urgent.

Stacy Davis Gates’ school choice decision reinforces this point. And we work every day to make it a reality.

Andrew Broy is the president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and a former civil rights attorney and public school teacher.

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