Washington, D.C. – Amy Wilkins, senior vice president of advocacy at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, issued the following statement in response to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 campaign proposal on public charter schools:
“Elizabeth Warren’s unfortunate rejection of the Obama legacy on public charter schools is fundamentally at odds with her party. President Obama increased funding for the federal Charter Schools Program more than any other president, and the majority of rank and file Democrats understand this funding is critical to support the education of underserved students.
“According to a 2019 poll by the Benenson Strategy Group, 61 percent of Democratic primary voters favor continuing President Obama’s education policies designed to ‘promote innovation and choice in public schools and raise standards for every student.’ Black and Hispanic Democrats are the strongest supporters of charter schools, because charter schools are finally making a free, high-quality education available in neighborhoods that were shamefully neglected by the education establishment.
“More than 3.2 million students already attend charter schools and 5 million more would choose a charter school if one could open near them. Elizabeth Warren’s plan to starve charter schools of funding would destroy the dreams of a quality education for the families who need it most.”
