The teachers鈥� union for Puerto Rico and the island鈥檚 education secretary cannot agree on where the growth of charter school officially stands.
On Tuesday, the Asociaci贸n de Maestros de Puerto Rico, or AMPR, alleged that Secretary of 91制片厂视频 Julia Keleher has essentially kept teachers, parents, and the public in the dark about the possible conversion of 30 traditional public schools into charters. However, Keleher has responded that the allegation results from a misunderstanding or confusion about the process.
The disagreement over even basic facts of the situation highlights ongoing tension between the two parties. The island鈥檚 government, with Keleher鈥檚 support, , with supporters saying creating more school choice would make the island鈥檚 educational system more attractive. (The island鈥檚 public schools currently enroll just over 300,000 students.) The first charter opened in Puerto Rico at the start of this school year. However, AMPR, which is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, opposed the law, saying it . The law also created a new voucher system slated to start in the next school year.
See Our In-Depth Coverage: Putting Puerto Rico鈥檚 Schools Back on Track
In a statement issued Thursday, AFT President Randi Weingarten said AMPR had received inquiries from teachers and parents who she said had 鈥渋nformally鈥� learned that the 30 schools would be converted into charter schools.
to Keleher, AMPR President Aida D铆az wrote that, 鈥淭his lack of transparency and access to information contributes to a climate of uncertainty that could later foster the loss of students to the system and an exodus of professional talent. Teachers are blindfolded regarding their future. Parents are in the uncertainty with no participation on the educational processes of their children.鈥�
But Keleher said the anger from D铆az and Weingarten is simply off base. On Thursday, she said the department had received applications for charter school conversions for 30 traditional public schools from school leaders or outside partners with these schools, but that no decisions had been made about those applications. Keleher said her department simply publicized that it had received these applications.
鈥淲e shared information, and they thought I was rendering a decision,鈥� Keleher said.
Two applications to start new charter schools have already been approved by Keleher鈥檚 office, and they are due to open in the 2019-2020 school year, she added.
To learn more about Puerto Rico鈥檚 first charter school, called Vimenti, watch the 91制片厂视频 Week video below: