Testimony of Delicia Alexander, Joint Committee on Education, In Opposition to Bills That Would Harm Charter Public Schools

Hello. My name is Delicia Alexander. I live in Saugus, and I am the proud mother of three children who have attended charter public schools.

I grew up in the Caribbean, where the public education is excellent. When I came to America, I was surprised to find that only certain schools here provided a similar quality of education.  

My oldest son attended our local district schools for his early years. When our second son was entering Kindergarten, a friend told us about charter public schools. We decided to give it a try. We immediately recognized that the rigor at the charter public school was much higher. Our kindergartener was learning more advanced material than our second grader in the local district school. 

So, we entered our oldest son into the lottery. When he started going to the charter public school, everything changed. He was very far behind, but he was finally learning and growing. Years later, when he got to college, he noticed right away how much better prepared he was in comparison to his peers from other schools. 

My youngest son is now in second grade at Pioneer Charter School of Science. He is in special education. The school takes the time to understand what he needs, and they challenge him without overwhelming him. 

Most importantly, at our charter public school, we are truly a community. Charter public schools are small schools, with a deep sense of community. At Pioneer, the teachers and administrators genuinely care not only about our child but about our family. They listen to us and partner with us, and they are there to ensure we have what we need to help our child be his very best. When schools and families work together so deeply, it’s hard for ANY kid to fall through the cracks.  

All of our children deserve excellent schools. Charter public schools are setting a standard we should be looking up to – not limiting. 

Please do not support these bills. 

Thank you.