EagleTribune.com : Blogs : The Soapbox

You have to admire the teachers unions, I guess, for their ability to say such transparently hypocritical things with a straight face. The unions say they don’t like charter schools because they are allegedly not subject to “rigorous accountability standards.”
Ohhh, yes, rigorous accountability. That’s what the union is all about. It opposes merit pay for teachers who perform better than others. It hates the MCAS - a not-so-rigorous example of accountability that tests what students have learned under the tutelage of their teachers.
But the Democratic-controlled Legislature, forever in thrall to the unions, now wants to “study” charters, to see what impact they have on municipal finances and whether they offer a better education than traditional public schools.
One thing they ought to know without a study: If a charter school fails in its mission (and some do) it is punished by being forced out of business. If a traditional public school fails in its mission, it is rewarded by getting more money.
That, apparently, is the kind of accountability the teachers’ union supports.