Say Anything Blog

Charter schools usually outperform even some of the best public schools while simultaneously operating in some of the worst neighborhoods in the nation.  They’ve reached that level of performance by, for the most part, avoiding teachers unions.  But now the unions have allies in Congress and the White House, and they want their share of the pie even if it means bringing new levels of “strict” regulation to these successful institutions of education.

WASHINGTON – As the Obama administration pushes for more charter schools, a teachers’ union is pushing for a bigger role in them.

It’s a new development for the charter school movement, a small but growing — and controversial — effort to create new, more autonomous public schools, usually in cities where traditional schools have failed.

On Tuesday in New York, the United Federation of Teachers expects to formalize a contract with teachers at Animo South Bronx Charter High School, which is run by Green Dot, a nonprofit group that operates charter schools. Ten other New York charter schools are unionized.

And last week in Chicago, teachers voted to unionize three Chicago International Charter School campuses run by Civitas, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization. ...

Charter schools are controversial because critics, including many teachers, think they drain money and talent from traditional schools.

Yet the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers, which represents many charter-school teachers, does not oppose them.

Rather, AFT president Randi Weingarten said the administration’s push for more charter schools must come with stricter regulation.

“You can’t do one without the other,” Weingarten said.

Duncan struck the same tone Monday, saying that only high-quality charters should be allowed to operate.

“The charter movement is putting itself at risk by allowing too many second-rate and third-rate schools to exist,” Duncan said. “Your goal should be quality, not quantity.”

So, I wonder which charter schools will be deemed “second-rate” or “third-rate” and tis no longer allowed to operate?  If the Obama administration’s handling of car dealership closings is any indication, those not run by Obama’s allies will be the ones targeted.

In this instance, those charter schools who don’t bow down to union demands.  I have no doubt that Obama fully intends to do not what’s best for the students in these schools but rather what’s best for his political supporters in the teachers unions.

It’s Obama’s country.  The rest of us are just living in it.