by James A. Bacon
Virginia has long been one of the most difficult states in the country in which to form charter schools — publicly funded schools independent of school board control. There are only seven such schools in the state, and they enroll only 1,300 students. But the odds of change look better than ever.
N0t only has Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin vowed to create at least 20 new charter schools in Virginia’s public school system — the first time a Virginia governor has made charter school reform a top priority — but two key Democrats in the state Senate are open to easing the restrictions.
Virginia Democrats are nearly monolithic in their opposition to charters, which they regard as a threat to educational equity. With a 21- to 19-seat majority in the state Senate, they are in a position to block any legislative initiative proposed by Youngkin. But Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, are dissatisfied with the educational status quo and have signaled a willingness to work with Republicans on the issue.
Also critical to the political calculus, public opinion in Virginia may be more receptive to charter schools than ever in the past. A parents’ revolt against “progressive” policies that water down educational standards in the name of racial “equity” helped elect Youngkin. At the same time, the Northam administration has presided over the greatest collapse in public school learning since the implementation of Standards of Learning (SOL) testing, and, arguably, in the state’s history.
Between the undermining of standards and the challenges of the COVID epidemic, learning wilted. Pass rates for every racial/ethnic group hit record lows, but the decline was most disastrous for Blacks — the very group singled out by “progressive” educators for special attention. Statewide, barely half (54%) passed their SOL reading exams in the 2o20/21 school year. Barely a third (34%) passed their math exams. Under current policies, half the Black kids coming through the educational pipeline will be functionally illiterate, innumerate, and incapable of fully participating in a modern-day knowledge economy. Never has the failure of a top-down educational system run by “progressive” ideologues been so plain for all to see.
Critics of charter schools have painted them as modern-day segregation academies reminiscent of 60s-era massive resistance to integration. Such charges could not be farther from the truth. Schools have failed most spectacularly in predominantly Black school districts. The need for charter schools — independent of school board control — is most pressing in those districts, not predominantly White districts. A change in legislation would make it possible to recruit Charter Management Organizations such as New York’s Success Academy, with proven track records in educating disadvantaged youth. (See Jim Sherlock’s columns here and here.)
Current law requires local school districts to approve new charter schools. Needless to say, school boards have been reluctant to vote yes on proposals that would dilute their budgets and control over curricula and other policies. There is no appeals process. School board decisions are final.
Petersen, however, seems willing to break from the majority Democratic view. The Virginia Mercury quotes him as follows.
Petersen said he was at a Chamber of Commerce event recently, and as he heard speakers praise Virginia’s educational system, the disconnect between frustrated families and some state officials was striking.
“I was thinking, does anyone know that schools were closed for a year, that we had 50,000 students drop out of the system?” Petersen said.
Petersen said a growing number of Democratic legislators are uncomfortable with defending the status quo.
“I can only speak for myself, but you can group the Democrats into two groups: One is (saying) ‘Nothing to see here, move along,’” Petersen said. “The other says what we’ve seen in the last two years is a little unsettling and that we need to reestablish trust in our public schools. We’ve had too many people quitting, too many families leaving the school system.”
Morrissey also has distanced himself from Democratic orthodoxy.
“Most of the Democrats, they just line up behind public schools. What public schools want, boom, they get,” Morrissey said. “I’m very much a supporter of public schools. But that doesn’t mean, though, there isn’t a place for charter schools. … Competition makes individuals, companies, school boards, school districts and schools themselves better.”
The Virginia Education Association, the primary beneficiary of the educational status quo, will be a key player in the debate. The VEA is tightly aligned with Virginia’s Democratic Party. Over the past four years, VEA donations to Democratic candidates for office have totaled $201,000 compared to $7,500 for GOP candidates.
Traditionally, VEA has been a foe of charters. Basically, VEA spokesperson Shane Riddle’s argument amounts to “don’t mess with success.”
“Right now, Virginia is ranked number four for educational outcomes in U.S. News & World-Report,” he says. “Our public schools are doing a very good job,” he says. “Why do you want competition when a state is fourth in the country for educational outcomes?”
Yeah. Tell that to the Black kids of the City of Richmond public school system, where 30% passed their English reading SOLs last year, 16% passed their math SOLs, and 1.6% achieved advanced pass scores in science.
If the VEA and the majority of Democrats want to protect that legacy of abject failure, let them own it. Youngkin, Petersen and Morrissey have a winning issue.
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