Jim Stergios

Op-ed: Charters, Unions, And Public School Funding

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Read this full op-ed on WGBH News.

In the midst of the 2016 ballot initiative campaign about whether to raise the state cap on charter schools, opponents questioned whether charters even are public schools.  It now appears that the answer to the public school question turns on whether a school’s teachers are unionized.

When teachers at two City on a Hill charter schools in Boston chose to join the Boston Teachers Union, BTU President Jessica Tang said that creating successful learning experiences for students “means improving the working conditions of all educators, including those working at charter schools funded by taxpayer dollars.”

The City on a Hill story, quickly followed by Conservatory Lab Charter School’s announcement that it hopes to become part of the Boston school district, serves to highlight the glaring inequity between how district and charter public schools are funded: capital money.

Read this op-ed in its entirety on WGBH News.

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