2016: A Changing Political Climate

Just as the charter schools community was becoming more politically sophisticated, so were supporters of the status quo.

This was perhaps most evident in Massachusetts. When that state’s law was first enacted in 1993, the number of charters was capped at 25. The cap was raised three times; however, charter advocates did not believe that these increases kept pace with parental demand.

A 2016 ballot measure attempted to change this. Called the Massachusetts Charter School Expansion Initiative, and appearing on the ballot as Question 2, this initiative would have allowed for limited annual growth. Hopes of passage were bolstered by increased demand for high-performing charters, especially in Boston, and an $8.5 million advantage in contributions.

However, opponents of Question 2, who were primarily funded by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Boston Teachers Union, achieved a decisive victory, with 60% of electors voting to leave the cap in place.

What drove this measure’s defeat? An increasingly politically sophisticated campaign based on how charter growth would affect school district finances. “If we were to pass this we would be losing $100 million more each year in perpetuity,” said Massachusetts Teachers Association President Barbara Madeloni. “That would eventually destabilize public schools.”

Union-led hostility was not isolated to Massachusetts. In California, the “Kids Not Profits” campaign by the California Teachers Association painted charters as corporate profiteers undermining neighborhood public schools. In 2016, the Chicago Teachers Union used the threat of a strike to get a moratorium on charter schools included in their five-year contract.

The changing political climate was evident in the 2020 presidential election, with Democratic candidate Joe Biden adopting a more cautious tone than the president he served under.

Charter enrollment, however, continued to rise. Between fall 2010 and fall 2021, it more than doubled, from 1.8 million to 3.7 million students—an overall increase of 1.9 million students.