If you’ve been following politics recently, I’m sure the controversy surrounding our new U.S. secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, isn’t at all new. As I’ve thought about DeVos’ record as a Michigan lobbyist for charter schools and our own public school issues here in Wake County, I’ve reached one conclusion: We cannot turn our back on Wake County’s Public School System, no matter how much work it needs. Now I know that during this time of political turmoil and divisiveness, it can be easy for liberals like myself to assume the worst before anything has even happened. At times, the fear and derision can seem premeditated and hyperbolic. This is not one of those times. Right now, more than ever, NC State students and North Carolinians, should be thinking about how to preserve our public schools, because one look at DeVos’ record makes it clear that she won’t.
According to an article published in The Detroit Free Press, DeVos and her husband have contributed millions of dollars to propping up the charter school industry in Michigan and insulating it from oversight, even as charter schools in the state fail to yield successful results. Charter schools can create their own rules and educational guidelines. This can mean success or failure for students. In Michigan, charter schools can legally operate as for-profit businesses, giving those who run it all the incentive they need to stay open, despite poor test scores and results. This lack of oversight, paired with the funneling of funds meant for public schools, into charter schools, has led to abysmal results.
Politico reports that Michigan’s lack of charter school regulation has, “… led to marginal and, in some cases, terrible schools in the state’s poorest communities.” So much of the funding that was meant for cities like Detroit’s already struggling public schools, with the help of DeVos, has been funneled into failed charter schools. These schools do not have appropriate educational standards, which has led to low test scores and low achievement. The charter schools in the state are ill-advised and ill-maintained. Their goal of giving parents “school choice” has led to the stifling of funding for public schools and an even poorer status quo for the state’s low-income and minority students. Test scores and achievement fall at the bottom of national averages.
This is DeVos’ legacy. She will now try to implement this on schools nationwide with school vouchers that will funnel public school money into charter schools, North Carolina included.
This is a sobering look at what our reality could soon be. North Carolina’s public schools, specifically Wake County Public Schools, could be drained of adequate funding and left to fail. Charter schools can be great, but they cannot and will not guarantee success for every student. It is worth noting that Wake County Public School System, or WCPSS, is far from perfect.
From 2000 until 2010, students enrolled in WCPSS were sent to schools based on an effort to integrate low-income and minority students into schools with middle-income students and high test scores. The theory was that if there were a mix of low-income students in a school with middle-income students, that test scores would increase and schools would diversify. Students from low-income neighborhoods were bussed to more affluent schools and vice-versa. For years, the process received mixed reactions, some parents were thrilled and others were angry. Regardless, the theory seemed to work as test scores did increase at low-income schools.
This all changed in 2010 when the newly elected conservative school board voted to overturn the 2000 measure and reinstated neighborhood schools. Since then, students have gone to schools closer to the neighborhood in which they live. This has led to convenience but obvious homogeneity: Middle-class students usually all go to school together, while poor students usually all go to school together. While well-intentioned, this measure works to segregate students by class and race. When it passed, the measure sparked outrage from parents and civil rights groups alike who claimed this undermined the effort of inclusivity and success for all students. In the end, nothing was done about it, and even though the board has since shifted to a Democratic majority, it is still in place.
In fact, The News & Observer reported last August that, “In the last seven years, the numbers of schools with high percentages of low-income students and schools where black and Hispanic students make up at least 70 percent of the enrollment have both doubled.” Since wealth and high test scores are empirically proven go hand in hand, it is no surprise that the scores for these schools continue to lag behind those of other schools in the county. The 2010 measure has clearly had an adverse effect on students at a socioeconomic disadvantage. Interestingly enough, The News & Observer also reported last fall that charter schools in Wake County earned better marks than traditional public schools. It reported that over half of Wake County’s charter schools received an A or B grade on their performance as a whole, while only half of WCPSS schools received a B or better.
Unsurprisingly, a key factor in how the schools measured was income. In Wake County, all 15 of the schools with a D or an F grade had a population of mostly low-income students. All of the schools, charter and traditional, with A and B grades had stunningly low percentages of low-income students. This is not a sign that low-income students are failing themselves, but that our school system is failing them. While it is great that charter schools in Wake County are doing well, it would be wrong to assume that funneling a disproportionate amount of money into them could help these low-income schools and students. In fact, as Michigan proves, it would only worsen the situation.
Low-income schools already receive less money from property taxes than their counterparts. Removing money from schools that need it would only increase the divide in the quality of education that low-income students receive in comparison to middle-income students. It is also important to realize that not every child can go to a charter school. Luckily in North Carolina, charter schools cannot be for-profit and they must meet stringent educational guidelines in order to stay open. This is heartening. But part of the reason for their success in Wake County is their proximity to affluent neighborhoods. The same thing goes for successful traditional counterparts.
Instead of trying to funnel the money that these students desperately need into charter schools, we should find ways to level the playing field. I am not suggesting that WCPSS go back to the pre-2010, bussing situation. That came with its own set of problems. I am, however, saying that our current measures are in need of a dire improvement to serve all WCPSS students equally. DeVos’ way of doing things has proven unsuccessful. As this new administration starts to create policy, we as State students and citizens must pay attention to this issue. We cannot let the quality of our public schools falter, especially for those most vulnerable without a fight. WCPSS needs work and has a long way to go, but with funding and improved measures it can get there. It is important we as State students vocalize our support for Wake County Public Schools and encourage change where needed. Secretary DeVos should know that she shouldn’t take public education for granted. I do not want what happened in Michigan to happen here. The WCPSS is imperfect, but vital for the success of every student.
