LETTER: 'We Should Vote NO on Question 2'

To the editor:

Stoneham returns to school this week! As a graduate of Stoneham High, a childcare provider, and a future teacher, this time of year always fills me with excitement. This fall, though, Massachusetts voters have to make an important decision for the future of education in the state: should the Commonwealth raise the cap on the number of charter schools?

I think the answer is clear: we should vote NO on Question 2. I’m a product of public schools and I can’t wait to return to make my career in public schools. I love how our schools are full of unique students, brilliant and dynamic teachers, and rich and vibrant communities. Public schools are vital incubators for young talent and focal points for local culture and lifestyle. A charter school, on the other hand, is just a license (or charter) between the state and a private entity. All they need to do to maintain their accreditation is keep enrollment up and keep test scores high. The state doesn’t hold charter teachers to the same standards as it does public teachers, charter schools have no mandatory responsibility to incorporate parent-teacher organizations, and most disturbingly, public funds allocated for charter schools have no accountability to democratically-elected institutions like our extremely capable school committee.

The topic of funding for charter schools is perhaps the most frightening. Every student costs around $12,000 a year to educate, and currently, Stoneham spends $750,000 EACH YEAR on charter school costs. Ballot Question 2 would allow the addition of twelve charter schools in the state every year, putting Stoneham at risk of losing even more money and more students from our public system. Our students need all of our best efforts focused on consolidating our resources and serving their education as best as we are able. Our students need investments in school facilities, educator training, and extracurricular funding.

Vote NO on Question 2 to send a clear message on behalf of our town: we want to enrich our schools, enhance our children’s career prospects, and foster a lively and innovative public school system in our town. Luckily, our State Representative Michael Day understands the need to oppose the expansion of the charter school cap and to focus on improving our schools through democratically-accountable channels. He serves on the House Committee on Education, making policy that improves and protects public education in the Commonwealth, and his sons currently attend Stoneham Public Schools just like I did, so we can rest assured that his heart is in the fight.

Kathryn Murphy

Fairview Road

Stoneham

Editor's Note: The views expressed above are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stoneham Patch.