Choice in Education

Yet again, another legislative session will pass without the lifting of the charter school cap. But, I guess that if you’re raising everything else – one simply must be doing just that to generate a record-breaking $20.7 billion budget – some things must be left behind. This decision came despite a slew of reports by education policy analyst, Terry Stoops, extolling the virtues of choice (Terry gets play).  One particularly glaring benefit of choice is that with it the construction cost to the tax payer drops.  Terry amazed listeners with this discovery on WPTF, twice in one day. Repetition seems not to have made a difference. Leaders from all strata of power, from big-spenda’ Easley to local school officials, seem to think that more money is the answer to low scores.  What’s often the case, however, is that mo’ money brings mo’ problems. Shunning the adage, Mecklenburg officials are seeking $516 million in school bonds (Lindalyn Kakadelis gave them some sage advice: a $400 million bond is good enough! Earmuffs around the table, though), while the Legislature wants to give school boards more power to set their own school-spending schedule.  Terry talked to Tara Servatius (WBT) and Bill LuMaye about these and other education concerns.