Charter schools have become a prominent topic in education, offering alternative schooling options that often operate independently of traditional public schools. Recent trends show an increase in the number of charter schools across the globe, igniting debates on their impact on public education systems and student outcomes.
Key issues and themes in charter school petitions include concerns about accountability, funding disparities, and segregation. One petition with thousands of supporters calls for more oversight and transparency in charter school operations to ensure they are held to the same standards as public schools. Another petition highlights the need to address the inequities in funding between charter schools and traditional public schools to provide equal educational opportunities for all students.
Get involved by exploring the petitions on charter schools and advocating for fair and quality education for every child. Your support can help shape the future of education and promote a level playing field for all students.
10 sostenitori stanno parlando di petizioni relative a Charter School!
We don’t need more retail or entertainment in this neighborhood. We DO need to continue the livelihood of education and especially the University Lab School. Hundreds of students will be displaced, institutional memory lost, and community services truncated. University Lab School is irreplaceable!
It is no exaggeration to say that my experiences at the University Lab School were life-changing and could not have happened anywhere else. My teachers were incredibly experienced, talented, and devoted researchers who opened my mind and inspired me to become a teacher as well. The full schedule of 4 years of required art and music classes ensured I developed into a well-rounded human with appreciation for all kinds of human expression, rather than a robot focused only on grades and test scores. My classmates represented a cross-section of the population, offering a window into neighborhoods, lifestyles, and cultures different from my own. Instruction was differentiated across a very wide variation in student achievement, in a way that I have never seen done so brilliantly elsewhere in the 30 years I have spent in secondary education since. In the same classroom were a legitimate genius taking calculus as a 9th grader as well as students whose parents did not graduate from high school, who were impoverished, and who would likely have been caught up in gang activity elsewhere. Together we read the same books, wrote and shared personal narratives, danced, sang, and created, and my time there prepared me for one of the most elite universities in the country. Being a student at the Lab School was the most impactful educational experience of my life, and seeing it as merely an obstacle to development and commerce for UH is short-sighted, cold-hearted, and unwise. The Lab School is a special place and should be preserved and continued as promised in perpetuity.
I attended ULS from 6-12th grade. ULS provides a unique learning style that i have not seen in any other school. We wrote 200 word journals daily, we learned music daily, and we practiced several different art styles every, single, day. There is no other school like it. I'd understand if the University of Hawai'i wanted to use the land to expand education for students, but making it into some kind of entertainment complex is an insult to the rich history our school holds. I would not be the person I am today without this education. Manoa has plenty of entertainment, but it doesnt have any education like ULS.
University Laboratory School is more than just a building; it's where our kids learn and where our community comes together. Closing it down for new development would really hurt our children's education and tear apart what makes our neighborhood special. Think about the kids having to switch schools, the extra hassle for families getting them there, and how much we'd lose by not having that central place anymore. It's not just about the school itself, but about the people and the connections we've built. We're asking those in charge to see how important our school is and to find a way to move forward without taking away such a vital part of our community.
University Laboratory School is more than just a building; it's where our kids learn and where our community comes together. Closing it down for new development would really hurt our children's education and tear apart what makes our neighborhood special. Think about the kids having to switch schools, the extra hassle for families getting them there, and how much we'd lose by not having that central place anymore. It's not just about the school itself, but about the people and the connections we've built. We're asking those in charge to see how important our school is and to find a way to move forward without taking away such a vital part of our community.
As a ULS Alumni, I can honestly look back and say I would not be the person I am today without my ULS experience.
Attending there from 6-12th grade, we had a full curriculum schedule that included music, art, and other electives on top of the “core subjects”. It truly made us well-rounded students and well-rounded humans, in general.
It gave me community and friendship like no other.
Please save ULS and give the future generation the opportunity to experience the same!
University Lab School truly set me up for success. I've always felt incredibly fortunate to have been accepted, attended, and graduated from ULS. The Class of 1985 wasn't just a group of classmates; we were, and still are, my ohana. We shared so much—love, laughter, tears, and triumphs. I wholeheartedly implore the University of Hawaii to allow University Lab School to continue in perpetuity, ensuring future generations can experience the same incredible foundation.
The University Laboratory School has been in my family for generations. My mom, Ann Kobashigawa, dedicated over 30+ years to that school and it opened the door for me become an alumni since the 6th grade and now both my kids attend that school. My son just graduated last year and my daughter is currently in the 10th grade and one day, hopefully, maybe their kids would be there too so really ULS is something more than just a school for us, it's a place where generations created memories/friendships that will last a lifetime.
My mom recently passed away and she would be devastated knowing that the place where she dedicated her life to could be shut down and I know for a fact that she would be doing everything she could to stop this from happening.
University Laboratory School is a safe haven for hundreds of students that my mom helped to create decades ago and knowing that her legacy there could be torn down for just another shopping area for profit is absolutely heartbreaking!
First, quality public schools, including charter schools, are highly sought after on Oahu. ULS has a great reputation as one and it would be a tragedy to shut it down.
Second, Hawaii is perpetually in need of new teachers for our schools. The combination of ULS and UH to provide a place where students at BOTH institutions can work together and benefit each other is a no-brainer. The connection is already there, we simply need the commitment from UH to provide for what the community actually needs over what may be seen by certain decision makers as 'easy money'.
We do not need to demolish an existing, highly valued k-12 public charter school, which includes some fairly significant historic structures, to build a shiny new shopping & dining center. Puck's Alley, Varsity Square, and the already existing commercial buildings along King Street should remain the hub for such activities. That area has been largely neglected and holds plenty of redevelopment opportunity.
Ideally, UH would instead invest in our children's future by placing a higher value on providing quality educational opportunities for current and future students at both UH & ULS. To have UH following the trend of focusing on money over the needs of the community by proposing to build a shopping center is disheartening. They should be championing our children's education and looking for ways to meet the needs of our state, not selling out for profit.