In an op-ed published in the News & Observer, John I. Wilson, former executive director of the National Education Association, outlines a plan to eliminate charter schools.
Of course, he is not explicit about it. Instead, he argues that the states should “bring charter schools back under the umbrella of local public school systems.” Here is the money quote:
Charter schools can enter into contracts with their local boards of education or, in some states, district chancellors to maintain their independence as long as students are learning. As long as they can show student success, they can have their own governance/board of directors and special status with any personnel law that allows their faculty to seek waivers from provisions that hamper them from doing their best.
This is more than an “umbrella.” It is granting school districts a kind of forced annexation power that they will not hesistate to use. Indeed, school districts have multiple incentives to dissolve charters – eliminating competition and strengthening their monopoly are the obvious ones.
