Question 2 on the Massachusetts state ballot this fall concerns the expansion of the number of charter schools, and of students who attend them, in the commonwealth. No question seems to be generating more passion for residents of Arlington and surrounding areas. ACMi hosted a debate on this question, with Linda Hanson – an educator in the Arlington Public School system for the past 25 years – arguing against Question 2; and Julia Mejía, the Director of Families and Community Engagement for the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, advocating for its passage. The issue is a complex one, involving matters both of the head and the heart, and it gets a full airing in this debate.
