Holly Cooper

I do not want to see all public schools become charter schools, so I don't want the state to spend taxpayer dollars on a commission to study doing that. Supposedly charter schools are about choice. Parents should still have the choice to send their kids to public schools, which are overseen by the state and have to meet the state's requirements for credentialing of teachers and other matters. Also, our public schools bring all different types of kids together to learn, rather than having kids learn with kids whose parents are similar to theirs. We need that so kids learn to understand and get along with people who are different from them. If public schools are not appropriate for a specific district, there already is a process for them to switch to charter schools, if that position is supported by the school board and 2/3 of the voters. Weakening those requirements does not make sense, given how fundamental the right to a public education is.