Virginia Parents Need Real School Choice
It’s a wonder Virginia parents have any hair left. No matter which way you turn, Virginia public schools are failing Virginia families. On the one hand, parents find themselves in an ideological war over the Marxist-influenced critical race theory or new transgender policies. On the other hand, the virtual schooling experiment has led to a dramatic increase in failing students. And just recently, we learned that the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is considering equitable math courses that could keep students from excelling.
Public schools serve as a proxy for Virginia parents, who are ultimately responsible for their children’s education. When public schools educate children in a manner that runs counter to parents’ directives and values, and when larger percentages of students are failing public schools, parents need other options, realistic options. For many Virginia parents, those options simply don’t exist.
Take Fairfax County, which has more than double the population of any other county in Virginia. If a family of four in Fairfax County making $79,501/year wanted to put their two children in private school, they would not be eligible for any financial assistance through the state’s scholarship program. And if their income was just a little bit less, the most they could receive is $4,037/child. The average cost of tuition in Virginia private schools is $10,910 for elementary school students and $17,145 for high school students. In northern Virginia, those averages are likely about 40% higher. Consider as well that the average annual rent in Fairfax County for a two-bedroom apartment (the kids are bunking) is $30,900. Unless parents are getting a generous scholarship from the school itself, the private school option simply isn’t viable.
Considering both parents likely need to work, thanks to the high cost of living in Fairfax County, homeschooling isn’t often a viable option either.
Virginia is long overdue for a robust charter school option, one that isn’t beholden to the approval of their potential competitors in the traditional public school system. Virginia currently has just eight charter schools, serving a total of 1,232 students. (There are 1,252,756 public school students in Virginia.) That pales in comparison to what our neighbors to the north are offering. The District of Columbia has 122 charter schools that serve 39,085 students, more than half of D.C. public school students. Maryland offers 51 charter schools that serve 25,194 students. Then there are our neighbors to the south. Tennessee has 115 charter schools with 42,678 students, and North Carolina has 188 charter schools serving 110,605 students.
Less than two months ago, West Virginia passed charter school legislation that will allow for 10 charter schools by 2023. Unlike its eastern cousin, West Virginia has established a state-wide professional charter school board that has the authority (and implicit mandate) to approve viable charter schools.
Virginia families need real educational choices for their children. They need public charter schools. In order to get them, they need more leaders brave enough to combat the Virginia Education Association and the politicians they’ve purchased. And they need them yesterday.
