We’re sitting at the dining room table, “Jane” and I, surrounded by enrollment paperwork for a charter school she isn’t sure she’s ready to sign. Her two pony-tailed daughters play in the living room just a few feet away, unaware of the weight pressing on their mother’s slender shoulders. For Jane, the decision isn’t just about where to enroll her kids for the upcoming school year—it’s about the future of her family’s education.
Growing up in Arlington, sandwiched between Bailey Junior High and Hill Elementary, you could say Jane has been part of the fabric of the Arlington ISD. Her family’s roots run crazy deep; dad, mom, a brother, and two uncles all graduated from AISD schools, each finding their own paths to success—a lawyer, a physician assistant, a roofing business owner, and an accountant. “It’s been our nurturing ground,” Jane says.
But times have changed. The rise of charter schools and homeschooling has introduced a new dynamic into the education landscape, and Jane is wavering. Selling higher educational quality and innovative programs as a glitzier alternative, charter schools entice with promises of a different (read: better) kind of educational experience. The allure of choice, flexibility, and specialized approaches prompts her reconsideration of allegiance.
“The decision should be simple, right?” Jane says.
Oh, far from it. As Jane wrestles with the pros and cons, she knows she isn’t alone. A neighbor is a homeschooler, another is sold on Pantego Christian, and two others are at Classics Academy. At one point, they too stood paralyzed at similar crossroads: how to balance familiarity with the allure of something new.
Yet there are facts she can’t ignore. AISD has lost more students than it has gained each year since 2018.
Public schools can’t seem to step out of their one-size-fits-all education system that simply doesn’t work for some families.
AISD’s new communications chief, Taina Northington, was quite blunt recently when she said how the district is “being outbeat right now. I know that we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
No kidding. It appears that the plan is to address issues with the district’s outward marketing practices found in an audit conducted by the National School Public Relations Association.
In April, Zonda Education, a Southlake-based demographics firm, identified students who transfer to charter schools and the lack of kindergarteners as large factors in the student decline. “We need to reinforce their relationships with Arlington and our schools,” Northington said.
Yet there’s the report, “Facing Facts: Charter Schools in Texas,” which highlights the financial implications and operational differences between charters and traditional public schools
There are also facts about charter schools we shouldn’t ignore. Texas has spent over $35 billion on charters since 2011, yet these schools lag behind traditional public schools in academic performance, have higher dropout rates, and operate with minimal public oversight…
The report reveals other alarming figures: five major Texas school districts lost $5.3 billion in revenue in just five years due to charter expansion.
While charters serve only 8% of Texas students, they receive 17% of all state education funding. Plus, charter schools have triple the high school dropout rate compared to traditional public schools.
Remember, state funds follow students to charter schools, draining resources from districts like AISD, which faces budget shortfalls and resource constraints. No one seems to be debating the decision to divert public funds to charters despite mixed performances.
As Jane reviews her options, she considers not just the immediate benefits of charter school programs but also the long-term consequences for her community. AISD, despite its challenges, remains a cornerstone of Arlington’s identity, nurturing generations of students.
In the end, Jane’s decision isn’t just about educational metrics or funding models or marketing promotions —it’s about the intangible qualities that will define her family’s educational journey.
“But what’s best for my kids?” Jane asked.
She didn’t answer.
