"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
Our Mission
Preserve democratically-controlled public education by ending the expansion and opening of new charter schools in the City of St. Louis.
THE CHALLENGE
In 2021 the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen passed a resolution supporting the Board of Education's call for a moratorium on opening any new schools in the City of St. Louis until a Citywide Plan for Education could be developed to address the challenges facing the district and protect every families' right to access quality education for their children. Efforts to open new charter schools in St. Louis persist despite the moratorium on opening new schools, a declining student population, evidence of corruption, and a growing list of sudden charter closures. Why? Charter schools are part of a broader goal to privatize public education and profit from them. These efforts are backed by the Opportunity Trust, a St. Louis organization that funds the opening of new charters and nonprofits that advocate for "school choice." Though the Opportunity Trust is already well-funded by local and out-of-town millionaires, they recently won a $35 million grant from the federal government to open 16 new charter schools in St. Louis.
Over the past 20 years, charter schools have largely failed St. Louis families. They have failed to keep promises of higher test scores, literacy rates, innovation, and increased opportunities for our children. They have not helped St. Louis keep families in the city, where the population of school-age children has dropped by 40% since the first charter school opened in 2000. They are not held to the same standards of accountability and transparency as St. Louis Public Schools and are actually draining precious resources away from children who need it most. Opening new charter schools spreads resources even thinner, and these schools will not be held accountable for the public tax dollars they spend to open only to close in a few years due to low enrollment, mismanagement of funds, or failing to meet academic standards. Worse yet, the charter schools' founders and/or board members often walk away from a closing or failing school with a hefty payday from taxpayer dollars--dollars our existing public school district desperately needs. Public schools are at the heart of our communities and public education is the heartbeat of democracy. That is why we must act now to SAVE SLPS.
School Choice = Privatization
Charter Schools are not truly public schools
Charter schools receive public tax dollars, but they are privately-run entities that are not subject to the same rules and laws as public school districts. St. Louis Public Schools are governed by a Board of Education elected by residents of the City of St. Louis, while charters are governed by privately appointed boards that are not accountable to taxpayers or residents of the community in which they are located.
"SCHOOL CHOICE" is a myth
Proponents of charter schools and "money follows the child" education policy often argue that parents deserve access to alternatives to public schools and "school choice" encourages healthy competition that incentivizes public schoolperform better. In reality, this approach has spread resources thinner among more "choices" that are not accountable to the public, and fewer dollars are actually spent on teachers and students. While the population of school-age children is declining, SLPS is closing schools, and the Board of Aldermen has passed a resolution in favor of a moratorium on new schools, new charter schools are still scheduled to open, further stretching the resources available to all St. Louis students.
"School Choice" doesn't mean every family gets to choose. Charter schools are not required to accept every student who applies, and are not required to provide special education services to students who qualify. Families whose neighborhood public schools close because of charters are deprived of the choice to attend their neighborhood school.
SLPS, TAXPAYERS, and Families BEAR THE risks
St. Louis Public Schools are required to hold costly space for students who attend charter schools in St. Louis in case those schools close, and the track record of charters shows that risk is very real. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, more than half of the 37 charter schools that were opened in St. Louis have closed due to financial or academic failures. Families and taxpayers have no guarantees charters will achieve what they promise, or that they will even stay open more than a few years. When they close, often with little or no warning, families are disrupted and left scrambling to find schools for their children. The taxpayer dollars invested in that school are lost, and the individuals responsible for the closure are rarely held accountable.
SLPS protects every child's RIGHT to access education
Charters are not required to accept every student who applies based on residency, and are not required to provide special education services. Nearly a quarter of SLPS students meet the definition of homelessness under the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and SLPS serves as a safety net to these children and also often their families. Further, charter schools frequently benefit from tax incentives that siphon local tax dollars away from SLPS while our families are left without affordable housing options. Without SLPS, these children and families may be left with no "choice."
