This Week at Pioneer › A Test for the legislature

Pioneer thanks the Senate for its work in delivering the strongest reform package since 1998, the last time the Commonwealth charter school cap was lifted and when Horace Mann charter schools were created. Members showed courage and strength of purpose in seeking to provide great educational opportunities to 27,000 more inner city children.

The bill required a lot of compromises by all. If the House can muster similar courage in the face of what will surely be a lobbying blitz by the unions, then a large segment of the 100,000 children in failing urban schools will have something to celebrate.

That is worth more than the hundreds of millions of dollars that district schools, and to a lesser extent charter schools, will likely receive from the Race To The Top, if a strong legislative package is passed.

Let us once again pick up the mantle of previous generations of legislative reformers. Let us pick it up with courage and strength of purpose. Let us focus on the tragedy of children whose talents have been lost as the adults in the system fight to control dollars and jobs.

We wish the Speaker of the House, the House Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, and all of the members the very best in their work.

To view Pioneer's open letter to the Legislature, click here.

Please take a few moments to follow this link and tell your legislator that you want them to support raising the cap on charter schools.