Overview

Hundreds of thousands of parents and students are leaving district operated public schools each year, of their own free will, to choose public charter schools largely because most districts are outright refusing to change their education system and programs to meet the needs and interests of 21^st century learners. Many district administrators and their schools remain largely beholden to the obsolete, century old, industrial age, one-size-fits-all, factory assembly line-like model developed in the late 19^th and early 20^th century. This model, even with its predominantly overcrowded classrooms and rigid approach to learning, works well for some students. But this outmoded approach to learning continues to either fail outright or underprepare way too many students for the challenges and needs of the 21^st century. Parents and students, in response to this chronically failing system, are instead choosing public charter schools largely because public charter schools are proving flexible, adaptable, innovative, and responsive to the needs of 21^st century students. Public charter schools view public education as a service and their students as their customers!

Enter the charter school hater groups. The charter school hater groups pretend to represent the public education interest at large. But these groups are not interested in supporting parent and student public school choices that are beyond their absolute control. To undermine and sabotage alternative choices, they have launched a sinister, coordinated, wide-spread, negative propaganda campaign to demonize and villainize public charter schools across the country. However, this attack is not just an attack on public charter schools. This is a direct attack against you, the people, and your fundamental right to choose which public school is best for your children’s success. This is a direct attack against your freedom and liberty, and is, in reality, a veiled attempt to reinstate a pre-charter school, monolithic, monopolistic, and oppressive public education system that forces your children to attend their district operated public schools with no other options that may be better suited for your children’s educational success.

Parents and students, don’t be fooled. A public education system without choices beyond district operated schools is not in the best interests of you or your children! Look at the chronically failing results of the district-operated public school system. Those results are real! It is estimated that district-operated public schools have been outright failing, underserving or underpreparing from 1/3 to 1/2 of all public education students for decades. Why else would hundreds of thousands of parents and students annually be seeking, of their own free will, the public charter school choice instead?

These facts are alarming enough. Don’t believe the propaganda lies about public charter schools. This false and misleading narrative’s primary purpose is to instill public doubt and fear, and to undermine parent and student public school choice.

This battle truly comes down to you, as parents and students, standing up for your fundamental rights to public school choice and to seek the best opportunities for a successful, high quality education. Demand your right to public school choice, equal access, and equal opportunity to quality public education in your communities. Stand up for your freedom! Stand up for choice! Equal access and equal opportunities to quality education in all communities is best achieved through parent and student choice, and must include public charter school choices that are independent of absolute district control. Stand up for public charter school choice! Stand up for quality education that puts your children first! Stand up for quality education that personalizes learning for your children! The alternative is unacceptable. The absence of choice is oppression!

As part of their negative propaganda campaign, these charter school hater groups representing the status quo have created a website called “kidsnotprofits.com”. This website contains outrageous false claims, status quo propaganda talking points, and blown out of proportion allegations claiming that the charter school movement is predominantly motivated by profit seekers. It is simply not true. The fact is that only 2% (about 25 of 1200 public charter schools in California) are operated by for-profit companies.

On behalf of the thousands of sincere, dedicated public charter school administrators, staff, teachers, parents, and volunteers that are dedicating their lives to putting the needs of students first in action every day through public charter schools and guiding hundreds of thousands of students to education success annually, a majority of students whom have either been failed outright or underserved by district operated public schools, we say bulloney to these false allegations! This petty propaganda campaign thrust upon the public by the charter school hater groups is offensive and a personal affront to the thousands of hardworking professional educators whose lives are dedicated to doing what is best for students.  Treating students as products and pawns rather than as respected customers does not serve the needs and best interests of parents and children. Therefore, we say kidsnotproducts!