Who are these people that hate charter schools so much?
It’s a question that charter school parents and students often find themselves asking. These parents and students have found the perfect educational fit – a school that’s innovative, successful, safe and welcoming – only to turn around and see people bashing charter schools as though they’re the worst idea since New Coke.
So, who are these people that dislike charter schools so much, and why do they dislike charter schools so much?The simple answer: Teachers union bosses are the ones who bash charter schools, and they dislike them because most charter schools aren't unionized. Yes, it’s that simple.
Union bosses get their money from union members. Fewer union teachers means less money for the union bosses, which is why they don’t like charter schools.
Dr. Steve Perry explains this much better than I ever could – and he’s been on the front lines of this battle. Dr. Perry is the founding principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School, a high-performing charter school in Hartford, Conn., and he’s seen firsthand the tactics and motivations of teachers unions when it comes to charter schools.
Dr. Perry was the keynote speaker at this year’s National School Choice Week event in Detroit, and he didn't mince words:
The chasm that exists between us is where the teachers union runs its foul, disgusting, mean-spirited lies, and what separates us is really where our children fall down and get hurt.
I need you to understand that this is a war. If you see it as anything other than that - if you come up here starting to slap-box, you’re going to get hurt. This is a war. The teachers union wants to destroy any person who is standing in the way of that ransom that they’re able to pull from teachers (union dues).
You have to understand that if you sign up for this thing, as soon as you answer this call, they aren’t just going to talk about you. They aren’t just going to tweet about you. If you hold some public position, they’re going to call for you to be investigated.
The only thing that’s ever moved us forward is when a child has a chance to choose a better school. That’s it. That's the only thing that works. And need to be ready, because the unions are more desperate than ever to stop that.
If you believe in school choice, you’re on the right side of history. Stop apologizing, because you’re on the right side of history. Every single person and body that has stood up for more rights, more opportunities throughout history - not just in this country, but throughout the world - that person is on the right side of history. It’s those individuals that look to restrict the growth of a community – they’re on the wrong side. The teachers unions and their minions – they’re on the wrong side.
This is the only social cause I’ve seen that brings people together who otherwise wouldn’t be in the same room. We’re like fans in the stands watching our sons and daughters. We’re just at the right game together.
The unions don’t want to co-exist with charter schools. They want charter schools eliminated. Period. They want your child’s school to be closed, and they want your child to be forced to attend a school that has unionized teachers.
And if your child is enrolled in a charter school, they don’t want your child to succeed. They want your child to fail at that school – because if your child experiences any degree of success, it will be evidence that a charter school works. And the union bosses can’t have that.
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