Will County Gazette

About 73 percent of parents support the launch of charter public schools in their neighborhood, according to a new study, but presidential candidate Joe Biden has vowed to close them all if he is elected, according to an MSNBC-TV interview. 

“We just heard from the U.S. Supreme Court [Tuesday] so basically Joe Biden is saying he doesn't believe in the U.S. Constitution,” said George Pearson, chair of the Will County GOP and a former U.S. Navy sailor. 

Pearson was responding to Biden saying on MSNBC, "If I'm president, [Education Secretary] Betsy DeVos’ whole notion from charter schools to this are gone,” according to a May 24 tweet by Corey A. DeAngelis, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom and director of school choice at the Reason Foundation.

Will County GOP Chair George Pearson lectures to party | George Pearson

“Once again, Biden is outside of the law of the land and this is the difference between Republicans and Democrats. We care about the law of the land. They do not,” Pearson told the Will County Gazette.

While the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) found that 73 percent support more charter schools opening nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court decided on June 30, 2020 that federal funds can be used toward charter schools. 

“The court ruled that federal funds can be used toward charter schools because it's taxpayer money,” Pearson said in an interview.

The opinion in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue found that preventing parents from using taxpayer funds at religious schools is unconstitutional.

“You have to ask people, ‘When you come to the law, wanting the law to defend you, how can it when you disrespect it on so many other levels?’” Pearson said.

One of the reasons teachers' unions reportedly opposed charter schools is because they create competition for the funding that public schools depend on, according to the Center for Education Reform. 

The NAPCS study further found that one in 10 parents said charter schools were their first option when given a choice, which indicates that about 2 million students would attend charter schools if their parents could enroll them. Some of the obstacles cited include distance, demand and lack of available seating.

“The survey confirms to us the importance of all parents being able to choose the public school that best meets their children's needs,” said Nina Rees, NAPCS president and CEO. “We are listening to parents and will continue to fight so that all families have the option to send their child to a high-quality public school.”