This week, we are excited to profile Chelbi Mims, an extraordinary voice for charter schools and the Vice President of External Engagement at the Texas Public Charter Schools Association.
Chelbi Mims grew up in southeast Houston thinking one thing in particular was quite normal: “If you wanted a good education, you go somewhere outside this neighborhood,” she said.
As a child, she’d rise at 5 a.m. to prepare for the nearly hour-long trek to her magnet school. And she’d often stay at that school until after 6 p.m., when her parents finished their workday.
When Chelbi was in college in Pennsylvania, her cousin was living in the same house that Chelbi grew up in. She was sending her children to Harmony Public Schools, which operates over 60 charter schools in Texas focusing on STEM education and had opened close by.
Chelbi began hearing positive things about Harmony. She started to realize that her experience—trekking far outside the neighborhood to get a good education—didn’t have to be the norm.
In fact, Chelbi saw that Harmony, where students were recently nationally recognized for their academic achievements, was changing the opportunity structure for her home community by providing additional public options.
‘You’re definitely on the menu’
Chelbi began working in advocacy in other sectors soon after she graduated from college. In that time, she learned a key lesson that she carries with her to her work for the Texas Public Charter Schools Association (TPCSA): “If you are not in the conversation, then you’re definitely on the menu.”
She transitioned to working for TPCSA because of her own personal positivity toward charter schools, including her past volunteer work at YES Prep, a growing network in Houston. Now, a big part of her work with TPCSA is making those conversations happen.
“I’m working to educate people that look like me about charter schools because there are a lot of misconceptions,” she said. “But I’ve seen firsthand that kids from my community would not have had the opportunity to get a good education if it were not for public charter schools. When you come from not having a lot, somebody putting a good school in your neighborhood can change the entire trajectory of where you go in life.”
She’s determined to share that message and make sure that CharterFolk are at the table—not on the menu.
“Those misconceptions about charter schools only get larger if charter school leaders are not at the table,” Chelbi said. “The other side is so loud. They have really strong messaging and strong relationships. If we don’t try to build strong relationships, well then, their message is going to be louder. And it’s not that their message is better. It’s just louder.”
‘Showcase your great work’
From Chelbi’s perspective, charter schools across the country are doing incredible work—they just need to show it off more.
“In any situation, you want to showcase your great work,” she said. “Whether that’s if you have a new house and you want to bring your friends over or whatever it may be. You can’t operate in a silo and expect people to support you. So, we have to bring our state representatives to our campuses and show them the great things that are happening.”
And great work is happening in Texas charter schools. Their enrollment has been steadily growing, which Jed wrote about for Education Next last year and for CharterFolk in 2023.
And as another positive example, while 93% of all students in Texas graduate from high school, 96% of Hispanic students at public charter schools do—reversing the graduation gap.
Using her voice
Chelbi is determined to use her voice to make sure that more kids have access to great opportunities.
“‘Education is the great equalizer’ only works if you have access to a great education,” she said.
Heading into an era of declining student enrollment, Chelbi is aware that charter schools make an easy scapegoat for a complex problem.
“When you don’t have that level of education and engagement on the issue, then we just become the thing that’s to blame,” she said.
But she’s ready to combat that with good advocacy work.
“Once you educate somebody and build that relationship and water that relationship, you really can change people’s perspective on things,” she said. “Advocacy really does work.”
Charter schools are lucky to have someone who shows that advocacy works and is recruiting other CharterFolk to get more involved, helping propel the entire movement: “I will always be a loud voice on this issue, at least here in Houston, Texas and Texas in general.”