Community Corner

Looking At the Rise of Charter Schools in Affluent Communities, Through the Lens of BCS

While citing positive academic experiences, Bloomberg business news wire service's headline is blunt: 'Taxpayers Billed for Millionaires' Kids at Charter School.'

Bloomberg News' education reporter John Hechinger took a look at the growing ranks of American charter schools in affluent suburbs, through the lens of the Bullis Charter School-Los Altos School District situation.

As reported in the New York Times in July, charter school applications in affluent communities such as Millburn, N.J., and suburban Washington D.C. are on the rise. As they do, critics say it pits neighbor against neighbor and, undercuts the original goals of the charter movement, the Bloomberg article said.

The Bloomberg story describes Bullis Charter School this way:

Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"In Silicon Valley, Bullis elementary school accepts one in six kindergarten applicants, offers Chinese and asks families to donate $5,000 per child each year. Parents include Ken Moore, son of Intel Corp.’s co-founder, and Steven Kirsch, inventor of the optical mouse.

Bullis isn’t a high-end private school. It’s a taxpayer- funded, privately run public school, part of the charter-school movement that educates 1.8 million U.S. children. While charters are heralded for offering underprivileged kids an alternative to failing U.S. districts, Bullis gives an admissions edge to residents of parts of Los Altos Hills, where the median home is worth $1 million and household income is $219,000, four times the state average."

Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.


While Bloomberg headline writers may have used strong language to sum up the article, the comments on Los Altos Patch over the ongoing Bullis Charter School-Los Altos School District demonstrate how strong feelings have pit neighbors against neighbors on the West Coast as well.


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