Opening Doors: How Charter Schools Can Elevate Kern County Education
The diverse student population of Kern County deserves a public school system with equally diverse educational options and opportunities to meet their needs. Unfortunately, Kern County ranks in the bottom 10 percent of all California counties by public school performance – number 54 of 58 – and the vast majority of K-12 students are trapped in low-performing public schools that have been controlled by the teachers unions for decades. However, a new charter school opened in Bakersfield this week and, with any luck, it should inspire more school districts to embrace charter schools as a much-needed and exciting option for Kern students.
Unfortunately, with only 3 percent of students in Kern County attending private school (compared to the state’s 10 percent), and a limited number of charter schools spread throughout the county, most K-12 students have no option but to attend the traditional public school determined by their zip code. The failure of education in Kern County schools is profound and heartbreaking.
During the 2022-23 school year, only 38 percent of students in Kern County public schools met state English Language Arts (ELA) standards and only 22 percent met state math standards. Scores for the Bakersfield City School District are worse, with only 27 percent of students meeting English Language Arts standards and 15 percent meeting math standards. Students in the district who took alternate assessments, such as those with learning disabilities, fared even more poorly: 24 percent met the level of “understanding” in English Language Arts and just 13 percent met the level of “understanding” in math.
While student achievement scores continue to flounder, per student spending has continued to increase, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019-20, California spent about $16,800 per student on public education. By 2022-23, that spending had increased to $22,000. And yet, in both California as a whole as well as in Kern County specifically, student achievement is lower today than it was pre-pandemic.
Minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students are particularly affected by the failure of union-controlled traditional public schools. As of 2022-23, 68 percent of K-12 public school students in Kern County are Hispanic and 73 percent are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged. According to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, 35 percent of Hispanic or Latino students at traditional public schools in Kern County met or exceeded ELA standards and 19 percent met or exceeded math standards. 33 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students at traditional public schools in Kern County met or exceeded ELA standards and 18 percent met or exceeded math standards. Both Hispanic/Latino and socioeconomically disadvantaged students enrolled in charter schools in Kern County scored higher than their traditional public school peers on ELA and math assessments.
Kern County citizens understand that the education system is in crisis: 34 percent of Californians in the Central Valley say that the quality of public education is a “big problem” and 50 percent say that it is “somewhat of a problem.” In a region where a combined 84% of residents have concerns about the quality of public education despite the massive amount of education spending, charter schools are uniquely positioned to serve Kern students.
The Benefits of Charter Schools in Kern County
Charter schools offer Kern County an alternative to failing traditional schools. Charter schools are publicly-funded schools open to all students that usually operate independently of teachers’ unions. While union-controlled schools continue to operate with little accountability for poor student outcomes, charter schools can have their charters revoked for poor outcomes and/or for failing to meet the conditions of their charter. This means that charter schools offer more accountability to taxpayers.
With this increased accountability comes more freedom to innovate and to tailor their programs to the strengths, interests, and needs of their community. Some charters focus on math and sciences, others on civics and classics; some cater to at-risk students; others offer flexible models such as online and remote learning.
Additionally, charter schools spend less per student than traditional public schools, and often with better outcomes. For example, at Pine Mountain Club’s Peak to Peak Mountain Charter, 49 percent of students met English Language Arts standards and 50 percent met math standards. In contrast, at the nearby public school, Frazier Park Elementary, only 22 percent of students are proficient in reading and math.
Similarly, 43 percent of students at Grow Academy Shafter met English Language Arts standards and 25 percent met math standards, compared to only 27% proficiency in reading and 13% proficiency in math in Shafter’s traditional Richland Union Elementary School District.
As a majority-minority city, Bakersfield will benefit from increased access to charter schools. Studies show that Black students enrolled in charters outperform their traditional public school peers by more than six months of learning and that students from low-income families enrolled in charters make more rapid academic progress than those in traditional school.
It’s no surprise that there’s a waiting list for Bakersfield’s first and only public charter school, Central Academy of Arts and Technology, that opened this week. And interest and enrollment in charter schools countywide are increasing: Charter enrollment in Kern County now totals over 20,000 students, which is a staggering 44 percent increase over the past four years alone.
Charters are growing in popularity because parents know they work. School district trustees who want what’s best for students should encourage the growth of charter schools in Kern County and resist teacher union efforts to undermine existing charters and block new ones.
Every student deserves a high-quality education. And Kern County students should have more quality education options to choose from, including charters.
Abby Lehnig is Kern Regional Director for California Policy Center.