Rewind back about 20-25 years. National Heritage Academies (NHA) opened a charter school on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro. In fact, it still operates Greensboro Academy. NHA also operates six other charter schools throughout the Piedmont Triad.
Parents who sought to escape the public schools competed for limited slots at Greensboro Academy. Those who were shut out were often reduced to tears.
Fast forward many years later. National Heritage Academies is now running television advertisements to attract students to its schools. I was astonished when I saw that on TV over the last several days.
But it makes sense– because these charter schools are now competing for declining numbers of children. And of that lower number of children, some are being sent to private schools under the relatively new voucher programs enacted in the state of North Carolina. The competition is fierce for this limited pool of families who want alternatives to public schools but cannot pay for private or Christian schools on their own.
Carolina Journal reports that an analysis found charter schools were losing students in three states that enacted voucher-like programs– Arizona, Florida and Utah.
More competition for fewer students. Charter schools have a problem, perhaps.
More choice is positive. The schools they are choosing over charter schools are probably more autonomous (to wit, less bureaucratic, thus more accountable) than the charter schools.
You are right that they are more autonomous, J. Sobran. But if they keep taking the government money, ultimately they will not be. It’s just a matter of time.
I expect you are right about that, Triad. That has certainly plaid a major role in poisoning colleges (aka, indoctrination camps).
Sad, but true, J. Sobran. Government money inevitably comes with strings attached, sooner or later.