Teachers Union Kills Another Successful School of Choice

Published August 16, 2017

A failing traditional public school in Massachusetts was turned into a charter school a few years ago, and “within three years, it was one of the most successful schools in the district,” the74million.org reports. Now, the local teachers union is getting rid of the school, and parents are desperate for answers:

Earlier this year, a new union president from another school did something unprecedented — at least in Haverhill, a city of 61,000 in the northeastern-most corner of the state. After consulting with the union’s lawyer, Lisa Begley decided to extend the vote to teachers in Haverhill’s other schools. The union then circulated materials arguing — inaccurately, in the eyes of the school’s leadership — that Silver Hill’s success came at the expense of the other schools.

In June, the union voted against renewing the charter, sending the Silver Hill community into shock. Massachusetts requires schools that are closing to let parents know what happens next within 10 days, but [parent Devan] Ferreira and her neighbors had gone weeks without answers by the time they decided to raise their concerns at the July 27 district board meeting.

The silver lining here is that families in the Silver Hill community will realize the true stripes of the teachers unions. Let’s hope families in the rest of the country will sit up and listen, too.

SOURCE: the74million.org


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