Despite the Big Education bureaucracy’s opposition to public charter schools — you really have to wonder what the bureaucrats are afraid of — parents are demanding options and innovations in Washington D.C. So does this new move by the D.C. Mayor signal a crack in that opposition? Is there now a realization that parents will no longer put up with traditional schools that fail to perform?
Charter schools are not only accepted by the public, but they have in fact become the preferred educational option. Charter schools now educate 43 percent of D.C.’s public school students. It seems only a matter of time before charters exceed DCPS in total enrollment.
Perhaps anticipating that eventuality, Mayor Vincent Gray recently announced that the District has finally agreed to use $7 million in unspent funds from its 2012 operating budget to pay for charter school facilities that are currently covered by federal funds.
