Some people were a little surprised when Jeri Muoio, mayor of West Palm Beach, Fla., publicly spoke in favor of starting a city-run charter school.

Mayor Jeri Muoio

After all, Muoio is a fairly liberal Democrat representing a fairly liberal city in a state where the charter school movement is often viewed by the left as a right-wing plot to privatize public schools. She’s also a longtime advocate of public education, having spent some 25 years in traditional public schools.

“So, I’m surprised I’m supporting this,’’ said the New York native, who started out as a schools psychologist and later became an administrator.

But Muoio spent time in the private sector, too, and promoted education reform in urban schools through her work for the Waltham, Mass., nonprofit Education Development Center, a think-tank that addresses urgent needs in education. It’s that diverse background, she said, that helps her get beyond all the political rhetoric when it comes to educating children.

“I believe we just aren’t doing the job we should be doing,’’ Muoio told redefinED recently.

That became clear, she said, when this year’s FCAT scores showed just 54 percent of West Palm Beach’s third-graders read at or above grade level. The results frustrated city commissioners, who rushed to approve a plan – with Muoio’s blessing – to open a K-5 charter school next year.

Some of the concern is economic, the mayor said. It’s hard to attract businesses if schools aren’t academically successful. But mainly, she said, city leaders are worried West Palm Beach isn’t meeting its obligation to children.

“I guess it really comes down to we have kids in our city who are really underserved,’’ she said. “The expectations are low and they shouldn’t be.’’ (more…)