Removing the mask of chartered schools

The city’s charter schools are continuing to show their true colors…or lack thereof.

Last week, families of color at Ben Franklin protested the school’s refusal to provide bus transportation for students who live long distances from the school. The issue is critical because a large number of Franklin’s student population is Black and Vietnamese. About 25 percent live in New Orleans East alone. Many of these are low-income families who need the transportation assistance to get their children to the school. Families are reporting spending $200 per month just getting their children to school. Some have even withdrawn their children due to the financial hardship.

School busses are considered a basic service in most of the schools in Orleans Parish. This lack of transportation eliminates access for many to the school considered a bright spot in Louisiana’s horrendous educational system. This is not supposed to be possible for any “public” school or school receiving public funding.

Last month the school’s board of directors told 75 parents and concerned citizens that it would look into diverting funds from tokens toward providing bus service. This would be a far more realistic option for students who live long distances from the school for obvious reasons. However the board did not keep its word and removed the bus issue from this week’s agenda. This meeting is the last for this school year. According to protesters this is only the latest in a string of broken promises from the board that started when the issue was raised earlier. Is this the model character or integrity that we want our children to emulate?

So about 100 parents, students and supporters, seeing no other options, have resorted to public protest. One would think the RSD or even the BESE board would have stepped in by now to assure equal access before someone sues or takes the matter to a higher level. But the lack of access may be part of the plan.

What’s telling is that Principal Timothy Rusnak does not even pretend to want to provide transportation or access for low-income students and students of color. He told the parents and students that Franklin is not required to provide bus transportation because of its charter and advised them to hire a private bus. In other words, the school can practice blatant race and class discrimination and still receive state funding because it is a charter school. In theory charter sch­ools that receive state funding are supposed to provide equal access and other services that a public school would. As many have predicted, this is not turning out to be the case.

Last week the Recovery School District “bragged” that of the students who went through their recent application pro­cess, 84 percent got into one of their TOP THREE CHOICES, not the actual school they wanted. Yet they claim these are still considered “public” schools (although the proponents of these “public” schools have mounted a campaign changing the true meaning of “public” to “traditional”).

This is precisely the concern that opponents of the charter school movement have ex­pressed from the beginning: The charter schools would create a system of racist and elitist schools that the taxpayers would foot the bill for. It was clear to many that the concept of chartered open enrollments is an oxymoron, at best.

The conservative goal of eliminating public education for the masses seems to be marching forward.

Those well-meaning people who supported this move must now take note of the real agenda and step forward to demand a system that will provide access to all students regardless of race or income.

Next time, be careful what you wish for/ask for or in this case, support.

This article was originally published in the May 21, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper