On Dec. 7, the Cape Gazette published an article regaling the achievements of Sussex Academy students when compared to other public schools in Delaware. The article failed to mention that Sussex Academy is a charter school funded by local and state taxes, but only available to a small selection of students who must apply to gain entrance.
Other public (non-charter) schools in Delaware admit all students who reside in their attendance areas. They do not pick and choose the students they serve.
When a student attends a charter school, the money for their attendance comes from their home district. This means that the home district loses public funds and (often) highly motivated students and families.
I am not disparaging the hard work of the educators at Sussex Academy. I simply feel it is dishonest of the Cape Gazette and other publications not to provide the full story to readers. A charter school is like a doctor who gets to pick and choose their patients and then claim amazing success rates, all the while taking money out of the system for the greater good.
Editor’s note: The article that appeared in the Dec. 13 edition was a submitted press release from Sussex Academy, not a staff-written story. Sussex Academy holds a lottery to select the students who will be invited to enroll for the upcoming school year.
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