The Original Promise of Charter Schools

Charter schools were founded on the promise of innovation, autonomy, and collaborative cultures that empowered teachers. Early charter advocates in the 1990s argued that collective bargaining wasn’t necessary because these schools would be mission-driven, agile, and free from the bureaucracy they claimed burdened traditional school districts. Teachers, they said, would have more voice, more flexibility, and more opportunities to drive innovation than their peers in district schools.

Where Things Went Wrong

Over time, many charter schools have become what they once criticized: top-down and bureaucratic, with little room for teacher voice or meaningful collaboration. Teachers and staff now face at-will employment, inconsistent or absent evaluation systems, inequitable pay practices, and work environments that too often feel toxic or unstable. Instead of empowering educators, some charters operate with even less input from staff than the district schools they sought to replace.

A Case Study: Pay and Transparency

One clear example of this shift came in 2023, when the DC Council allocated millions of dollars to raise charter school teacher salaries and required schools to adopt and publicly post salary scales. The goal was to create parity with DCPS and transparency for teachers. While many charter schools complied on paper, in practice some skipped steps on the salary scale to recruit or retain specific staff.

What looks like flexibility on the surface undermines fairness, destabilizes pay, and leaves teachers vulnerable if they transfer to another school — their “step” placement might not transfer, which can mean a pay cut despite years of service. These decisions create inequities, destabilize pay, and erode trust between staff and leadership.

Transparency Alone Isn’t Enough

These same schools were created to offer educators more voice and autonomy, yet the reality is that too many have adopted policies that limit input and centralize control. This trend is especially troubling when you consider that these schools are funded with public dollars and entrusted with preparing public school students for their futures.

Transparency alone is not enough; equity requires enforceability. That’s where unions come in. Collective bargaining ensures that salary scales are not just posted but are applied fairly, that educators are not arbitrarily disciplined or terminated, and that working conditions — from planning time to lunch breaks — are clear, enforceable, and equitable.

Why Unions Matter in Charter Schools

Unions bring a level of stability and fairness that allows educators to focus on what matters most: teaching and supporting students. They guarantee that teachers have a voice in shaping the policies that affect their work and their students’ lives.

Charter school unions don’t block innovation — they protect it by ensuring that innovation is grounded in fairness and stability, not at the expense of teachers’ rights or students’ experiences.

Our Mission Moving Forward

Charter schools were originally envisioned as places where educators could have a stronger voice and a better environment for innovation. Yet today, too many charters replicate the very problems they once criticized, only without the guardrails unions provide. Organizing gives educators the seat at the table they were promised but never fully received, ensuring that public funding is used fairly and school communities are equitable, stable, and focused on students.

This is why charter school locals like DC ACTS exist: to build strong, democratic charter school unions that protect educators and amplify their voices. Together, we can create fair and thriving schools for every child, fulfilling the original promise of the charter school movement while guarding against its drift into bureaucracy and inequity.