McDermott Supports Competition Created Through Charter Schools

mcdermott-in-officeHammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. supports charter schools and believes schools within the School City of Hammond (SCOH) are benefiting from the competition brought by the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology (HAST).

“The School City of Hammond has done some amazing things lately with mentoring kids, but sometimes the competition is good,” McDermott said, noting that both public and charter schools have been are forced to “step their game up” when faced with competition.

“Some families cannot afford to send their kids to Bishop Noll, Mount Carmel or Andrean - so they need options if we are going to keep them in Hammond,” he said.

By having to fight to keep students in the public school system, the SCOH has improved on many levels.

“They are getting better through competition,” McDermott said.

McDermott’s stance on supporting charter schools and the voucher system has put him at odds with other members of the Democratic party statewide holding the opposing viewpoint.

“I am one of the few Democrats that supports charter schools and vouchers,” he said. “I am a proud Democrat, but I feel the way I do. We need to stop losing other residents to other communities and this is a big way to ensure they remain here.”

The improvement of the SCOH has in turn forced HAST to step up their competition as well. That is “good for Hammond residents all-around,” the Mayor added.

Providing parents with an option is what “stabilizes Hammond.”

“We need to do anything we can to keep families here, and if that means giving them options, then so be it,” he said.

See Part 1 of our interview with Mayor McDermott!