Today The Seattle Times editorial board published this important editorial in support of innovative public charter schools. The editorial board urges the Seattle School Board to work with, not fight, public charter schools, saying:

“Seattle School Board members should focus their energy looking for ways to keep improving Seattle schools, rather than blocking charter schools that some parents would like their children to try.

Parents have a right to vote with their feet and send their children to whatever school best meets their needs, from the public school down the block, to a private school miles away or a new charter alternative nearby.

  The school district should not limit those choices just to protect its budget.”

I describe the events surrounding this controversy here.  In short, the Seattle School Board recently voted to prevent parents from having access to Green Dot Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, a new public charter school opening this fall in South Seattle. The Seattle Times has come down squarely on the side of parents who only want the best schools for their children.

Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is committed to offering families the following:

• A public middle school that’s free and open to all students
• Personalized learning for all students
• A teacher mentor for every child
• A college-going culture
• Technology to enhance learning
• Family partnerships and programming
• Free after-school enrichment program

This list is revealing. Charter schools give teachers and school leaders the freedom to offer students more from public schools, but only if their parents are offered a choice. The Seattle Times’ editorial in favor of charter schools will go a long way towards protecting this choice.