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The Westford Republican Town Committee supports Ballot Question 2, Charter School Expansion. Westford has one of the highest-quality and lowest-per-pupil-cost public school systems in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but it is not so in other systems statewide.
Education is of the utmost importance to the success of our children. School choice – whether through charter schools, open enrollment requests, career and technical education programs, vouchers, or tax credits – is important for all children, especially for families with children trapped in failing schools. Getting students into decent learning environments, and helping them to realize their full potential, is one of the greatest civil rights challenges of our time. Public charter schools offer parents a choice to provide the best education for their children.
By virtue of their charter, these public charter schools are a covenant between educators, parents and students in which all are accountable for performance. Charter schools are a public education system based on personal responsibility. A student’s educational opportunities depend on his/her talent and motivation as a student, and not where the student lives nor his/her family’s income level. When traditional school systems fail, charter schools give children a chance to succeed.
Students educated in charter schools do not cost taxpayers one penny more than students educated in the traditional public school system. Taxpayers still have a say in how much they wish to spend on education and student enrollment in charter schools does not result in an additional tax burden. What’s more, no additional state funding is required.
Vote YES on State Ballot Question 2 – YES to Charter School Expansion.
–Carolyn Ricciardi, on behalf of the Westford Republican Town Committee, Russell’s Way, Westford
