The Great Debate
Charter Schools in West Virginia
CONTINUED
ON THE WEB
SAMANTHA CART
Over the past two years, charter schools have been among a handful of hot-button topics in the heated discussion on how to
reform education in West Virginia. While both sides of the aisle agree a quality education system is vital to a thriving economy,
there is much debate on what changes need to be made to get there. In June, Governor Jim Justice signed House Bill 206, an
omnibus education bill allowing charter schools to open in West Virginia for the first time in the state’s history.
In an effort to better understand the arguments for and against charter schools, West Virginia Executive magazine reached
out to Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association and a strong opponent of charter schools, and Garrett
Ballengee, executive director of the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and a fierce advocate, for their unique perspectives
on some of the statements that have been made during the debate.
Charter schools provide more options for educational freedom.
BALLENGEE: I think many people fail to under-
stand that we already have educational freedom in
this state and in this country—if you can afford
it. There is nothing preventing families with the
financial resources from choosing the school that best
fits their children’s needs, whether it is by paying for private
school, hiring tutors or moving to the neighborhood zoned for
the best schools. Unfortunately, those same neighborhoods
often have mortgage payments that reflect that reality and are
out of reach for most families in West Virginia. Reforms such as
charter schools, guaranteed open enrollment and education
savings accounts are intended to give the single mother the
same educational options families with more substantial
financial means already have. The current paradigm simply
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perpetuates the reality that poor families have limited access
to better educational options and thus the hurdles put in their
way are only made more significant.
LEE: Parents in West Virginia already have
educational freedom. They have the freedom
to homeschool their children, send them to
private school or send them to church-related
schools. They already have different ways of
providing that educational freedom to their children. We see
charter schools as another way of picking the haves over the
have-nots. If West Virginians are looking for ways of changing
the delivery of instruction, we also have that in West Virginia
with innovation zones, which have proven to be very successful.