Meet Toya Putnam, Detroit Charter School Parent

Michigan Capitol Confidential ^ | 4/19/2015 | Audrey Spalding

[MichCapCon]

Toya Putnam, a mother of two boys, chooses to send her seven-year-old son to a Detroit-area charter school in Roseville. Though some nonprofit organizations are urging the state to limit school choice in the City of Detroit, Putnam says it is incredibly important for her to be able to make the best educational choice for her family.

Shopping around for the best school "wasn't a problem for me," Putnam said. "I don't want anyone else to pick and choose for my kids' future."

Later this month, Putnam and her family are moving back to Detroit from Warren, and her son will continue to attend the Roseville charter school. The move is possible for her family, Putnam says, because she will still be able to send her son to the school that is best for him.

“My husband and I decided that we would not place our children in public schools unless the curriculum meets our personal requirements,”she said.

You can learn more about Toya, and how she feels about school choice by watching the video above.

[cripplecreek]

This is a good issue for republicans.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Yep. The Rats are more concerned with keeping the teachers’ unions happy and raking in the campaign cash than what is best for the children.

[bjorn14]

Is Mrs. Putnam sneaking off the plantation?

[cripplecreek]

I’ve had a few solidly indoctrinated blacks ask “What have republicans done for blacks?” and have been able to point to Detroit charters as being some of the best in the nation and they wouldn’t exist if not for Michigan republicans. I’ve gotten some pretty reasonable responses.

I’m simply honest about the fact that not all charter schools are perfect but their charter is directly tied to their results. A public school can stumble along like a zombie producing illiterate kids for decades. A charter will only last a year or two if they don’t show results. Charter schools are also safer.

I can also show them Detroit charter school students getting ivy league scholarships based purely on merit. I recently read about a charter school valedictorian getting a private scholarship to Hillsdale college.