North Carolinians are demanding education options as more and more parents realize the traditional public school classroom is not the best learning situation for their kids, even though that choice works for others. Public charter schools are just one option, but they rightly were given a big boost when the legislature voted to lift the arbitrary 100-school cap. While new charters are in the pipeline, demand grows for seats. Right now, according to this Carolina Journal story by Dan Way, more than 30,000 North Carolina families are on waiting lists. Next year, we are likely to see more movement by the legislature to expand choices further. And that is excellent news.
More than 100 districts now have at least 10 percent of public school students in charter schools, including Durham Public Schools, which enrolls 3,450 students in its nine charter schools and 32,654 in noncharter schools.
The report “is a reminder of what is happening in North Carolina — that families are demanding high quality educational options,” Darrell Allison, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, said in a written statement.
There will be 132 charter schools in North Carolina in 2013.
“The fact that these schools can individualize their curriculum to a student’s particular needs while producing results is why the demand for public charters is growing across North Carolina,” Allison said. He hopes to see the number grow, particularly in rural areas.
According to the report, there are more than 610,000 students nationwide on waiting lists to attend charter schools. In North Carolina, more than 30,000 families are on charter school waiting lists.
