David H. Bland: The charter affront

Given the few facts you included in the Jan. 7 news story “Board delays ‘negative’ charter schools report,” it is no wonder that Lt. Gov. Dan Forest recognized that he would have to “run cover” with legislators if necessary.

It should not surprise anyone that the lieutenant governor acted so swiftly to sequester the State Board of Education’s report on charter schools mandated by the legislature. The lieutenant governor and the legislature are incessantly marching to diminish public education in favor of the private sector.

Charter schools are exacerbating efforts of local boards of education to provide quality education for an integrated student body, are siphoning off critical resources from local school boards, are cherry-picking their student bodies while they are not required to provide transportation, food service or special needs programming.

The future of our state rests squarely on an educationally qualified workforce. To want to sanitize the state board’s report and take the position that charter schools should be given at least five years before they are held accountable for their student performance is an affront to the efforts North Carolina’s educators have been making.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 1:00 PM with the headline "David H. Bland: The charter affront."