The Union War on Charter Schools

Wall St. Journal ^ | April 15, 2009

[Steelfish]

APRIL 15, 2009 The Union War on Charter Schools As New York shows, they want to kill any education choice.

By JAY P. GREENE

On education policy, appeasement is about as ineffective as it is in foreign affairs. Many proponents of school choice, especially Democrats, have tried to appease teachers unions by limiting their support to charter schools while opposing private school vouchers. They hope that by sacrificing vouchers, the unions will spare charter schools from political destruction.

But these reformers are starting to learn that appeasement on vouchers only whets unions appetites for eliminating all meaningful types of choice. With voucher programs facing termination in Washington, D.C., and heavy regulation in Milwaukee, the teachers unions have now set their sights on charter schools. Despite their proclamations about supporting charters, the actions of unions and their allies in state and national politics belie their rhetoric.

In New York, for example, the unions have backed a new budget that effectively cuts $51.5 million from charter-school funding, even as district-school spending can continue to increase thanks to local taxes and stimulus money that the charters lack. New York charters already receive less money per pupil than their district school counterparts; now they will receive even less.

Unions are also seeking to strangle charter schools with red tape. New York already has the "card check" unionization procedure for teachers that replaces secret ballots with public arm-twisting.

[Sherman Logan]

For a moment there I thought this was another 1200 response WBTS thread.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“APRIL 15, 2009 The Union War on Charter Schools As New York shows, they want to kill any education choice. “

You mean the left aren’t pro-choice?