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By Rhonda Dillingham

“It’s just maddening.”

It’s not often that a politician can so succinctly represent what voters of all stripes agree with. But that’s exactly what Congresswoman Virginia Foxx accomplished in using those three words at a recent hearing to describe the opposition that some policymakers have to giving families more public school options. In opposing public charter schools, which are free and open to all students, elected officials are starving children of the opportunity to receive an education that better fits their needs.

Here in North Carolina, charter schools have been serving children since 1996, and there are currently more than 145,000 students enrolled in 210 charter schools throughout the state. Demand for charter schools here is also increasing at a high rate and enrollment went up 19 percent during COVID, which was the fifth highest growth rate across the country. During this same period in North Carolina, among Black students there was a more than 14 percent increase in enrollment and a 23 percent increase among Hispanic students.

There is good reason why families seek out public charter school education. According to recent research, the average charter student gains an equivalent of 16 additional learning days in reading in a year. Amid the literacy crisis that affects every single community, parents deserve the right to take stock of their options when it comes to which type of school has the right environment to help their child learn how to read.

As the leader of an association of public charter schools, I have the honor of watching first-hand the transformative nature that a high-quality education can have on a student. It gives them confidence. It empowers them with a sense of purpose. It clears the path toward a successful future.

So when I hear politicians objecting to the idea that parents should be afforded more than one public school option for their child or when politicians advocate to cut investments that would strengthen public school options, I share in Congresswoman Foxx’s sentiment.

We need more policymakers like her who will speak out against anyone, no matter political party, that is trying to deprive children their right to a high-quality public education. And now is the time for those elected officials to make their voices heard and their votes matter.

For example, funding for the Charter School Program is at risk of being cut next year due to President Biden’s budget proposal. Currently at $440 million, this public schools program amounts to less than 1 percent of federal spending on K-12 education, and yet the president wants to cut it down.

This is a program that for more than 25 years has provided states like North Carolina with the critical resources it needs to support public charter schools. And there is even legislation in the House that would help the program reach even more students by unlocking funding that can be used by aspiring school leaders.

What’s maddening is that support for the Charter Schools Program is even up for debate. What’s maddening is that President Biden would look to this program to cut funding from even though these are the very schools that are proven to specifically help underserved students.

Congresswoman Foxx was able to summarize how millions of Americans feel about the state of education in such a precise and concise way. Looking at my students and thinking about future generations behind them, I hope the rest of America was listening intently to the message she delivered on all our behalf.

Mission: The NC Association for Public Charter Schools exists to advance quality educational opportunities for all North Carolina children by supporting and expanding successful charter schools.

Rhonda Dillingham is executive director for the N.C. Association for Public Charter Schools.