Thursday, August 14, 2025
63.0°F

REGAN: Recommended solution doesn’t solve problem

| May 3, 2023 1:00 AM

What a disturbingly naïve, narrow-minded, and unabashedly elitist point of view shared in Brent Regan’s April 28 op-ed. Just turn all the public schools into charter schools. That will solve all the imaginary problems.

That nonsense can only be believed by those with a worldview that ignores the majority of the world. I have kids in both public and charter schools. Yes, a waiting list exists for the charter schools. Does that waiting list include all 10,000+ students in Coeur d’Alene public schools? Do the charter schools address all the varied educational needs for those 10,000+ students?

Brent’s recommended solution does nothing to solve the perceived problem. It simply changes the name of the school system from public to charter, ignoring the fact that countless families would be without critical resources to help educate their kids. That is precisely why the overwhelming majority of districts in Idaho have levies. The very few that do not are generally small, rural districts with K-9 or K-12 in a single building.

Public schools exist to offer educational opportunities for all comers with programs that are life-enriching and for the betterment of our communities. This includes educational opportunities for families that need to rely on schools for transportation, food, and even shelter sometimes.

Brent’s disregard for this segment of our population clearly illustrates his disdain for people that don’t fit in his box. In this country, state and community, we have a responsibility to support public education. That responsibility is apparently more than Brent can handle.

TROY BRAGA

Coeur d’Alene