Clinton’s new position on charter schools raises questions; ceding to teachers unionWASHINGTON – During a South Carolina town hall meeting on Sunday, Hillary Clinton made critical remarks about charter schools, which serve millions of children across the country. Her remarks come after receiving the endorsement of the nation’s powerful teacher’s union.Clinton spoke at a town hall meeting hosted by the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and was asked directly about a new poll showing strong support of black families for public school options. The poll, from the Black Alliance for Educational Options, found that 70% of respondents support “providing parents with more educational choices…”Despite overwhelming support for more options in education, Clinton’s critical comments about charter schools causes concern for parents and students nationwide that benefit from public school options.PublicSchoolOptions.org urges Secretary Clinton, along with all presidential candidates, Republican and Democrat, to support an ESEA reauthorization that reduces the federal footprint in education decision-making and gives states and localities more flexibility. The House-passed ESEA reauthorization bill, for instance, creates greater access to school choice options. Both the House and Senate bills allow for more meaningful testing designs and help give parents the ability to make informed choices when selecting their schools.STATEMENT FROM TILLIE ELVRUM, PUBLICSCHOOLOPTIONS.ORG PRESIDENT, PARENT LEADER AND SCHOOL CHOICE ADVOCATE:“Hillary Clinton’s recent comments criticizing charter schools are cause for great concern to the millions of children and families who benefit from this school choice option. As parents and advocates, we hope that her comments were in error, and not a result of the teacher’s union endorsement. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss charter schools and school choice with Secretary Clinton and all candidates for president. Charters play a pivotal role in the lives of millions of children, and all presidential candidates need to hear their stories.”PublicSchoolOptions.org is a national alliance of parents that supports and defends parents’ rights to access the best public school options for their children. The Coalition supports the creation of public school options, including charter schools, online schools, magnet schools, open enrollment policies and other innovative education programs. Additionally, we advocate for equal access without restrictions to these public schools for all children.

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