“I don’t know how much longer we can talk about the high-performing charter sector if there’s an asterisk next to some of them” because of the preferences, she (Jennifer Nagourney) says.
Jaques says the House Education Committee may consider legislation this spring to remove preferences from the admissions process.”
According to this article from Larry Nagengast on WDDE, the 148th General Assembly may see a bill introduced to get rid of charter school enrollment preferences in Delaware. Discussion in the article was around the whole charter school environment in Delaware, but this shocker towards the end caused my jaw to drop.
I think it’s great that Jennifer Nagourney with the Charter School Office at the Delaware Department of Education is taking a hard look at the reality of charters in Delaware, specifically Wilmington. With a pending ACLU complaint being looked at by the US DOE’s Office of Civil Rights, as well as clarification from a leading national charter school organization, the writing is on the wall.
At the last meeting of the Enrollment Preference Task Force, which stemmed out of House Bill 90, Alex Medler with the National Association of Charter School Authorizers told the task force any specific interest enrollment preference should only be used if it would allow needed students into the school, i.e. low-income, minority, special needs, etc.
Finally, Delaware State Rep. Earl Jaques says something that makes sense! One thing is for sure, this would change the conversation about choice in Delaware.
To read the full article, please go here:
The Season Of Myths 