Supreme Court charter school decision is a relief, opportunity

 This column originally was published by various APG of East Central Minnesota newspapers during June, 2025. This includes the Dakota Country Tribune, Faribault Daily News, Press & News,  Sun Current, Sun Post,  Sun Sailor, Sun This Week,  County News Review, MilleLacs Messenger, Stillwater Gazette, ABC Newspapers, Monticello Times, Morrison County Record and Union Times

 

Supreme Court charter school decision is a relief, opportunity

 

The U.S. Supreme Court made a very wise decision recently, one that offers both relief and opportunities for Minnesotans. On a 4-4 vote, the Supreme Court left in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision that said the state did NOT have to allow a religious charter public school. While district and private schools work very well for many students, we’ve seen a dramatic growth in the number of families choosing and students attending Minnesota’s charter public schools.

That growth is illustrated by Minnesota Department of Education data compiled by the CSC, where I work. The data show that the number of K-12 students attending charters in Minnesota grew from 10,162 in 2001-2002 to 67,227 in 2022-23. See more here.

The National Association of Public Charter Schools reports that charter public schools grew from one, in Minnesota, in 1992-93 to 8,150 in 2022-23, serving nearly 3.8 million students. More data here.

The Supreme Court decision was a relief to charter public school advocates across the U.S. That includes Joey Cienian, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Charter Public Schools. He recently wrote that the Supreme Court’s decision “affirms what Minnesotans have long understood: Charter schools are public schools — and public means non-religious … Allowing a sectarian organization to operate a public charter school violates the letter and spirit of Minnesota’s charter school law.” His full statement is here.

Starlee Coleman, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charters says the Supreme Court’s decision “sends an important message, public charter schools are just that: public. Families choose public charter schools because they provide innovative, student-centered learning environments tailored to students’ unique needs and because they are accountable to families and taxpayers.” See the full message here.

At a recent meeting, charter leaders from around the state – including Blaine, Bloomington, Buffalo, Cologne, Coon Rapids, Duluth, Forest Lake, Stillwater, and the Twin Cities, expressed strong hopes that the Supreme Court would reject the idea of sectarian charters.

So there’s relief – what about opportunity?

Many Minnesota families and students are satisfied with their current schools — whether district, charter, private non-sectarian or religious. That’s great. Here’s a resource that describes a wide range of options.

However, for more detailed information about charters, the MN Association of Charter Schools has a complete list, a map and information about charters across the state.

Charters also represent an opportunity for educators. Some of Minnesota’s strongest charters have been started and staffed, in part, by veteran district public school educators.

In many cases, they had an idea or approach that they thought made sense — such as individual learning plans for each student, language immersion, extensive student travel, or a classical approach to education — that they weren’t able to convince a district to use. MACS has recognized and shared some of the best, innovative ideas that these educators developed, found here.

Many are usable by other educators, regardless of school.

Unquestionably, some charter educators have made unwise decisions. Articles in a major Minnesota newspaper have described some of this. Both in 2024 and this year, the Minnesota legislature has responded to concerns by clarifying expectations and increasing transparency.

But the vast majority of Minnesota charters operate “in the black” and have won MDE’s award for financial transparency. Charters have inspired thousands of youngsters and helped many who had not been successful in traditional schools.

The Supreme Court decision is a relief and opportunity. It’s a reaffirmation of the value of offering public school options, to help students, families and educators.

 

Joe Nathan has been an award-winning Minnesota public school educator and PTA president. He’s a senior advisor at the Center for School Change and welcomes responses, joe@centerforschoolchange.org