Charters at the Capitol Day
Great Hearts Academies March 27, 2023 -
March 27, 2023 was a big day at the Arizona State Capitol as Great Hearts and other public charter schools from all over the state of Arizona gathered at Wesley Bolin Plaza for Charters at the Capitol. This annual advocacy day is one of the signature events of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. Great Hearts representatives were there along with hundreds of Arizona’s public charter school leaders, parents, and students who came together to meet with their legislators, showcase their schools, advocate on behalf of Arizona’s charter school movement, and help celebrate the amazing work going on in public charter schools statewide.
“We’re glad to be here,” said Great Hearts Arizona Superintendent, Brandon Crowe. “You know that we do a lot of good work for Great Hearts and for Great Hearts families, but we know that we’re part of a larger charter school community. It wouldn’t be possible without some of the legislative changes that have occurred over the last couple of decades to be able to do this work where we can operate public schools, but we can do that in a way that’s not quite so tied to all the kind of typical district bureaucracy that you might have. It is something that has really blessed families and we can lock arms and partner with other schools that are doing that all across the state.”
Representatives were able to walk across the street from the Capitol building to grab a boxed lunch and meet with school representatives to learn more about the many options that charter schools can provide. Arizona State Superintendent Tom Horne and Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee were among the many presenters that spoke to attendees about the importance of school choice in our state and the impact it has made nation-wide.
“We want it to be situation where families can have options for their children. Something that wasn’t really possible in Phoenix or really across the country 20-30 years ago. Now any family, wherever you live in Arizona, you get a choice for how you want your children to be educated. We want to stand for that. We really want to support that. And that’s what Great Hearts has been a part of for so long,” said Crowe. Great Hearts currently operates 24 schools with 15,000 students across Maricopa County in Arizona. “That is very exciting for us, starting from one small school in North Central Phoenix two decades ago to this kind of growth all the way from Buckeye to Anthem, and down into Gilbert.”
Superintendent Crowe also shared about Great Hearts’ performance in the state. “Academic results are one of many ways that schools are measured and so we’re proud that our academic results measured by the state are the highest of any charter operator in the entire state, higher than any other public school in Maricopa County, and so that’s a real blessing, but really a testament to the good work that all of our team members, our teachers, [and] our headmasters are putting into things.” You can read more about Great Hearts rankings in the article, Great Hearts Recognized as Highest Performing in Arizona. “We know that’s not the only way that schools should be measured. In 20 years from now, even 40 years from now, we want people to be people their parents are proud of, and that’s ultimately what we’re about and part of that is to do serious, and good, and life-giving academic work.”
You couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day at the Capitol and there was definite excitement in the air for the continued growth and success of public charter schools in Arizona along with optimistic hope for the future of Arizona’s charter school movement.
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