If NC charter schools aren’t meeting original expectations, why have them at all? | Opinion

Charter schools

I support the State Board of Education‘s new policy of requiring increased accountability for charter schools. (Jan. 14)

The state policy makers who pushed for charter schools hoped to induce higher levels of learning and life skills through innovations in curriculum and instructional methods. Unfortunately, there is little evidence those laudable intentions are being achieved. In fact , the most notable achievement seems to be the unintentional (or maybe not ) increase in segregation.

The fact that a majority of charters do not score significantly above their local district brings into question their purpose. It suggests better accountability and oversight are much needed. After all, if charter schools are unable to perform at high levels of expectation, why have them at all?

Norman Overstreet, Raleigh

Mike Causey

Regarding “Friend, donor of insurance commissioner paid as his driver,” (Jan. 17):

In regards to North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey being chauffeured around, I just want to remind everyone that we’ve seen this movie before. It reminds me of “Driving Miss Daisy“ — the main differences being that the driving was not at taxpayer’s expense and the movie was enjoyable to watch. This version? Not so much!

Donald Trull, Sanford

Raleigh and Gaza

Regarding “Should Triangle governments take a stand on Gaza? Hundreds speak out in Raleigh.” (Jan. 17):

The job of the Raleigh City Council is to take care of the needs of Raleigh citizens — not fix the greater world’s problems.

At any given time, 70 million refugees live in horrid conditions worldwide caused by ongoing conflicts. Should our city pick favorite conflicts? Is a life more important in Gaza than in Kibbutz Re’im, or in Darfur or Myanmar or Yemen?

Anyone with a minimum of human feeling has been heartbroken by the last 100 days and feels for victims’ families on all sides. But individual feelings need not interfere with the governance of a Southern town, a speck on a world map, that has no way of fixing humanity’s hubris and intolerance.

Roland Menestres, Raleigh

Take a stand

In the distant past, the idea of a city taking a position on wider world issues would have been dismissed (wrongly) as irrelevant to city affairs. But to refuse to address an issue that people want addressed by claiming insufficient authority doesn’t apply to a resolution on a moral issue.

Towns, cities and states have taken positions on immigration, abortion and environmental issues. Certainly, the 15 cities that have passed such resolutions don’t see a barrier to action. Our world is more connected today and global events have local impacts. Ignoring them will not alleviate their effects or mitigate their consequences. Knowledge of injustice demands a response from all of us.

Wayne Turner, Pittsboro

Transparency

Regarding the reluctance of some N.C. legislators to share their emails with the public, I must be missing something. I thought these legislators were elected by we the people, paid from the public purse, doing their official business in the people’s house and on the people’s dime. I guess Article I, Section 2, of our state doesn’t mean what it says, when it says: “All political power is vested in and derived from the people...is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.” It sure doesn’t seem to say that government is for legislators to keep well hidden or direct to their own good.

David Hopp, Durham

Barry Goldwater

Remember Barry Goldwater? Republicans ran the outspoken Arizona senator for president in 1964. At the GOP convention he said: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice…and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” The crowd went wild for a full minute. Shock’m sock’m diplomacy.

Then, as now, Republicans were drunk on putting up a candidate with no couth, no restraint. Goldwater’s hair on fire was supposed to sway the electorate but he lost to Lyndon Johnson in a landslide. Gob-smacked Republicans slunk off wondering how they could have misjudged the contest so. History is repeating itself and it’ll soon be too late to find somebody else.

Andrew Leager, Haw River