Please Join Me in Albany for Advocacy Day!

In the December newsletter, I wrote about the local climate surrounding charter schools which turned colder with the Buffalo Board of Education's vote to request a moratorium on new charters in the city and region. We need our parents and community members to become our partners in advocacy!

Here are additional facts that support our message that charter schools are doing good work here in the city of Buffalo and will continue to provide important choice for the city's families:

• Currently, there are 16 charter schools in Western New York serving over 6000 students.
• Nearly 20% of Buffalo's students are enrolled in charter schools.
• All of Buffalo's charter schools have waiting lists. These waiting lists represent hundreds of the city's students whose parents are seeking choice in education.
• Charter schools in New York state receive approximately 70% of the funding allocated to district schools. For example, in 2007-08, the Buffalo district received $16,120 in per-pupil funding whereas the Buffalo charter schools received $9,567 per pupil.
• In 2009, the aggregate performance of all charter schools in the Buffalo area was significantly stronger than our traditional district peers.

As you can see from the chart on the right, Oracle's Regents exam performance significantly outpaced the district's. We outperformed some of Buffalo's top high schools and outpaced the state average for student performance on the English and Math Regents exams.

Already, our second graduating class is on track to meet or exceed the high bar established by the class of 2009. We are proud of our students' accomplishments, and we would like your help in spreading the good word!

Each year, powerful lobby interests and the state legislature propose bills that would negatively impact charter schools, especially our funding. Ultimately, these bills challenge our very existence. As parents of students in charter schools or as charter school supporters in the broader community, it is important that we speak up and work to educate the community and our legislators about the value of charter school choice.

As I have written in both the November and December newsletters, February 2 is Charter School Advocacy Day in Albany. Each year, parents, teachers and students from charter schools throughout New York State join together to make the one day journey to our state capitol to learn about both positive and negative legislation that could affect charter schools and meet with our elected officials.

It is very important that those in Albany hear from our Buffalo charter schools. I invite you to join me and some of our staff and students on the one day trip to Albany this year. If you can't make the trip but want to help us with local advocacy efforts, please let me know. With parent support, we can organize a letter writing campaign or help to set up meetings with local politicians.