Cooper Was Right To Veto HB618

The NC Republican Vision for Schools, contained in a new law the governor vetoed yesterday. House Bill 618: First, empower all sorts of maybe sketchy people to invent charter schools that are draining revenue from public education, and then make sure those sketchy people are never questioned about what they're doing and how they're doing it. 

"The legislation creates a new Charter School Review Board with the power to grant, amend, terminate and renew school charters." The governor will have no say whatsoever in appointing the 11 voting members, but (springing this on you now) Phil Berger and Tim Moore each get four appointments apiece, and "two members appointed by the State Board of Education who are not current members of the State Board of Education" and who are charter school advocates in North Carolina, plus the lieutenant governor. It actually singles out "charter school advocates," which should tell you everything you need to know about legislative "intent."

So can you say "naked power-grab"?

The governor left the "naked" part out and substituted a word almost as problematic: “This bill is a legislative power grab that turns responsibility over to a commission of political friends and extremists appointed by Republican legislators, making it more likely that faulty or failing charter schools will be allowed to operate and shortchange their students,” Gov. Cooper said in a statement. “Oversight of charter schools should be conducted by education experts, not partisan politicians.”

Of course Cooper's veto will be overridden, of course. Especially what with Tricia Cotham being the primary sponsor of HB618.

With every move they make, with every breath they take, with every bond they break ... they be grinding down public schools.