Ezra Klein’s new book has sparked an important discussion about how the left can provide more housing and transportation. However, one area that particularly needs self-reflection is education. The left has often obstructed the creation of new and innovative schools. Since families began demanding more school choices, blue states and teachers unions have employed various tactics to block the establishment of new schools.
In 2022, Vertex Academy opened a new charter high school in a Bronx district where 7 percent of students graduate ready for college. Families recognize that the schools in this district cannot provide a high-quality education, and over the past 10 years, the student population has decreased by 34 percent. Vertex was founded by Ian Rowe, who has a strong track record of building excellent schools in the Bronx as the founder and former CEO of Public Prep. (Ian is also a Thomas B. Fordham Institute Trustee.) Vertex’s solution was to offer three International Baccalaureate programs, which improve students’ chances of being accepted into colleges with course credits and scholarships. Despite this, the United Federation of Teachers attempted to keep Bronx students in the same low-performing schools and sued to prevent Vertex from opening. Thankfully, Ian and his team won the lawsuit, and they are now educating approximately 300 students. Last month, Vertex was also the first school visited by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
In California, Assembly Bill 1505, passed in 2019 under Governor Newson, made it legal (which was previously illegal) to vote against a new charter school if it financially impacts the school district. Since all charter schools have a financial impact if families choose to send their children to them and the funding follows the student, this law—supported by the California Teachers Association—essentially prioritized the economic interests of school districts over the needs of families and students. As a result, California has seen a decrease in the number of charter schools since 2019, while it added an average of fifty-three new charter schools per year between 2012 and 2018.
Last year in New Jersey, Amanda Lucas decided to create her microschool after teaching for ten years in both charter and public schools. She secured a facility and confirmed with the zoning officer that it was appropriately zoned for use as a school. With technical support from KaiPod Catalyst, she hired staff and convinced sixteen students to enroll. However, the Lucas Literacy Lab was halted because her school could not be classified as either a district or private school. The zoning office insisted it must be classified as a childcare center, which imposed new regulations and limited her to educating children aged six to twelve. As Kerry McDonald reports, the school’s parking lot had to be thirty-five feet away from the neighboring building, while Lucas’s facility was only thirty-two feet away. During this time, Amanda had to pay rent for a building that couldn’t be used, forcing her to meet her students at their homes or the local library. She also had to lay off her staff and lost nine students. It wasn’t until this past February that Amanda finally received partial approval to open her school.
In contrast, other states, especially red states, are easing the path for new schools to operate without adhering to local zoning restrictions. For example, Florida passed HB 1285 last year, exempting private, charter, and microschools from many local zoning rules. And many others have enacted universal school choice laws, leading to the establishment of numerous microschools, charters, private schools, and homeschool options. Alabama and Indiana, for instance, have seen growth in their charter student populations of 467 percent and 228 percent, respectively, over the past five years.
Conversely, blue states are lagging significantly. For instance, Massachusetts, which arguably has the highest-performing charter schools in the country, has added only twenty-three new students since 2020, equating to a mere 0.05 percent increase in charter enrollment. New York has experienced a 14 percent increase, but future growth won’t keep the same pace. And Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who promised during his 2022 campaign to pass a law offering private scholarships, has fallen short by vetoing the Lifeline Scholarships law, which had been approved by the Pennsylvania legislature and prioritized funding for district schools instead.
At a time of record learning loss and widespread dissatisfaction with public schools, educators must focus on developing the schools our students need and deserve. Democrats should embrace an abundance agenda in education by removing unreasonable legal, financial, and regulatory obstacles to establishing new schools. Otherwise, they risk falling behind in the educational revolution taking place in red states.
