Charters lose a fan in Booker

Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate included six candidates. Among those missing the cut was New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, whose departure from the race this week is a blow for charter school advocates.

Booker had failed to meet the requirements for the past two debates, which he said hurt fundraising — critical to any campaign. “It was a difficult decision to make, but I got in this race to win, and I've always said I wouldn't continue if there was no longer a path to victory,” Booker said.

Turns out there never was much of a path for him. He polled in the single digits from the outset of his campaign. Booker's message, which wasn't as ideologically driven as many candidates, didn't take hold. One piece of that message included his support for public charter schools, which he championed as mayor of Newark.

In an op-ed in The New York Times in November, Booker recounted that Newark “invested in both traditional public schools and high-performing public charter schools” while he was mayor.

“Following our efforts, the citywide graduation rate rose to 77 percent in 2018 from just above 50 percent a decade ago,” he wrote.

Booker said Republicans in Washington and in state legislatures were “undermining public education and attacking public school teachers.” Thus, he argued, it was largely up to Democrats “to have a better discussion about practical K-12 solutions ...” one that includes “high-achieving public charter schools when the local communities call for them.”

Good luck with that. Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to end federal funding for charter schools and seeks a ban on for-profit charters. Sen. Elizabeth Warren would end federal funding to expand charter schools and allow only school districts to serve as charter authorizers.

Former Vice President Joe Biden was part of an administration that made charter school support a requirement to tap federal grant funding. Yet at an American Federation of Teachers forum last year, he said of charters, “The bottom line is it siphons off money for our public schools, which are already in enough trouble.” (Note: Charter schools are public schools.)

Pete Buttigieg isn't as strident; he would ban for-profit charter schools and wants stronger accountability. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has said she supports charter schools “but not at the expense of funding public schools.”

The candidates' antipathy doesn't jibe with the views of many traditional Democratic constituencies. A 2019 survey by Education Next showed 55% of blacks and 51% of Hispanics supported charter schools. A survey by EdChoice put black support at 66% and Hispanic support at 74%.

It's easy to understand why. As Booker wrote in the Times, “Many public charter schools have proved to be an effective, targeted tool to give children with few other options a chance to succeed.”

He's right. But don't expect to hear that point being made by the remaining candidates in the Democratic field.