SCHOOL WARS: Reform Nemesis Opens Attack On 10,000 Charter Schools Kids In DougCo

Last year The Colorado Observer reported on Randi Weingarten, big, bad union boss, and her disdain of school reform in Douglas County.

The teachers union president came to Colorado to threaten the Douglas County School Board. State Senator Ted Harvey likened her to Jimmy Hoffa.

Just another day in Douglas County’s school wars.

Yesterday we came across something interesting…none other than Randi Weingarten, the master-mind of the attacks on the Douglas County School Board, declared war on something else.

Charter Schools.

From Weingarten’s email (emphasis hers):

[T]oday, in front of nearly 3,000 educators at our union’s TEACH conference in Washington, D.C., I laid out a vision to reclaim the promise of public education and unite parents and community with us as one unstoppable force… We know it is not only educators who are for this; parents and community members have our backs. A recent poll, we released today, found that parents want strong neighborhood public schools as opposed to more charter schools or voucher programs, and overwhelmingly believe public schools should provide a well-rounded education, offer social services for students and reduce the emphasis on testing, among other findings. This is not a campaign. This is our core. And it must be the focus of our work going forward. Ours is a vision that works. It’s a vision of what parents want for their kids. And it’s a movement that can stop the privatizers, profiteers and austerity hawks in their tracks.

This is noteworthy mostly for timing reasons. The Colorado Observer has an interesting story about Doug Co’s robust charter school program. The eye-grabber… Douglas County has more than 10,000 kids in charter schools.

Today, the Douglas County school district boasts 12 charter schools, with two more slated to open during the 2013-2014 school year. “Douglas County School District’s flexibility and cooperation was vital to the opening of Academy Charter School and its successors during the first few years of charter school existence in Colorado,” said Nora E. Flood, President of Colorado League of Charter Schools. “DCSD continues to be a leader in charter school authorizing today.” According to the school district, over 10,000 Douglas County students attend one of a dozen charter schools. Statewide, nearly 100,000 students attend charter schools.

Does Weingarten not care about the 10,000 kids in Douglas County who go to charter schools? Or has Weingarten simply written off Douglas County?

We are not sure what the explanation is, but we are quite sure whatever it is the thousands upon thousands of families who have turned to charter schools in Douglas County to educate their children won’t care for it at all.