One of the reasons the Everett School Committee votes against school choice is simple.
There aren’t enough seats for Everett’s public school students let alone seats for those from other communities who wish to send their children here.
There is nothing exclusionary about being against choice if you are an Everett School Committee member.
In places like Marblehead and Swampscott, choice is unheard of because in those two suburban towns there is the unwritten belief and understanding that things are just fine without too many people of race or ethnicity in the public school system.
Curiously, in a place like Manchester, which has perhaps the finest public school system in Massachusetts with the highest scores of all and fine educational programs to match, there is choice.
Everett cannot offer choice because there is a shortage of seats throughout the system already – and this situation is worsening by the month as more and more new families move into Everett pushing up the school population dramatically.
About 600 new students are pouring into the public school system annually, draining it of free seats and making necessary yet another public school in order to meet the challenge of providing a seat for every student while at the same time keeping down class size.
No choice in Everett is not a ruse. It is a harsh reality.
The public schools here are sought after by many urban families. This is why they have become so crowded.
Race, color, religion, ethnicity has nothing to do with it.
Exclusivity doesn’t even come into the mix.
There is literally and physically no room in the Everett public schools for students from other communities.
This is why choice does not stand a chance here.