Friday, September 24, 2010

Bureaucrats behaving badly?

"Seventeen private schools, including seven in the Tulsa area, received approval Thursday to participate in a new scholarship program for students with disabilities," the Tulsa World's Andrea Eger reports today.

But here's the thing: The Empire will strike back. The Empire always strikes back. Sure, Lindsey's Law is now the law. But hey, people disobey laws all the time. Even school districts. As law professor (and OCPA adjunct scholar) Andrew Spiropoulos pointed out this week,
I have found that too many of those who run school districts hate the three things -- high standards, parental choice, and accountability -- that are the foundation of education reform. You can pass all the education reforms you want, but if the superintendent doesn’t make school districts implement them, far too many will dodge, delay, and, if necessary, obstruct any reforms they don’t like. We have certainly seen this pattern of behavior in Tulsa concerning charter schools. It also would not surprise me if we soon heard stories about school districts refusing to help parents of special-needs children (as they are required to do by law) receive scholarships to send their children to private school. Make no mistake about it: Many districts will not willingly facilitate parental choice.

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