Reply #184: So, you don't really have specific knowledge of Detroit charter schools

[LuckyTheDog]

All you know is that there are charter schools in the state that have management contracts with for-profit companies.

But even in those cases, you acknowledge that the schools themselves are nonprofits and could cancel the contracts. I have first-hand knowledge of a case in which that happened -- the school canceled the contract and now operates independently. The school never changed locations or lost its staff.

I will concede that, in some cases, charter schools probably have been operated basically as fronts for for-profit companies. But it is not true in most cases. In many cases, the very same management companies hired by the charters are also hired by regular, plain-vanilla public school systems. In some cases, the schools (charter and traditional public schools) have fired those companies.

But can we both agree that the idea that all charter schools are "for-profit entities" is not exactly true?

Can we also agree that the door to all this would never have been opened had the Detroit Public Schools not been amazingly corrupt and ineffective?

Other observations:

-- Some charter schools have failed and have closed down. Others are just plain crappy schools, but manage to muddle through. So, we both know that charter schools are not a panacea. But a lot of charters have shown amazing results and have improved the lives of families that previously were served by failing public schools. That is a good thing.

-- There are a few DPS public schools in Detroit that are as good or better than the better charter schools (we are considering moving our son to one of them). But far too many DPS schools are abysmal -- shockingly so. If you took away the charter schools, a lot of parents here would leave the city -- assuming they have the means. Others would be left with inadequate educational options.

-- Many attempts to reform the DPS over the decades have failed. The DPS did not start improving in a real way until charter schools came on the scene.

-- The DPS is not going to go away. If anything, seems poised to emerge stronger over the next few years.