One Superintendent Shows the Path Forward for Public Schools

Stark contrast with defeatist mentality in much of the K-12 bureaucracy

“A lot of them start coming in third to fifth grade…realizing they are not doing very well in achievement at their charter.” Those are aggressive words from Mount Airy City Schools Superintendent Dr. Kim Morrison.

“We do not target Surry County schools, we don’t think public schools should be targeting one another,” Dr. Morrison said. “We target home, private, charter.”

Yes!

In a sweeping interview with her hometown paper, Dr. Morrison explained why her school system is better for students than the alternatives. She cited robotics programs, arts programs, dual language immersion, business and finance training – the list goes on.

Instead of parroting tired (and false) rhetoric about legislators “draining money from public schools,” Dr. Morrison is going out and beating the competition. And who wins? Her students.

Dr. Morrison’s competitiveness has second-order benefits for students at other schools, too. If charter schools and private schools see that Dr. Morrison is offering a better education than they are, then they’ll up their game, too.

That is the exact right way to approach school choice: Stop complaining and start performing. The adults might feel some pressure, but who cares? Education is about the kids, and under Dr. Morrison’s philosophy the kids come out ahead.

We’ve long said that more schooling options are better than fewer schooling options. For some families, a public charter school or private school is a better option than a district school. For other families, it’s the opposite. That dynamic turns on how well school leaders educate the children entrusted to them.

More of that, please.