Charter Schools Treated Poorly in San Diego

Here in California, those in the existing educational establishment often are threatened by charter schools; charter schools are also public schools, but are freed from the usual "rules" and are able to be innovative and provide competition for "regular" schools. The regular schools don't like losing their students and state funding to charters, even if it means the students will receive a better education.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has published an editorial about hostility toward charters in San Diego which is disturbing, to say the least. The Union-Tribune refers to the district's recent anti-charter actions as "amoral."

Among other things, the new superintendent, Carl Cohn, "has said several times that he would never sacrifice teacher morale for student achievement."

Doesn't Cohn have that exactly backwards?

San Diego has a past history of being open to homeschoolers and charter schools, including the successful charter homeschooling program, California Virtual Academy of San Diego, which serves San Diego and geographically contiguous counties.

It sounds as though under Cohn's leadership, which began last fall, the atmosphere for educational innovation in San Diego may have grown considerably more chilly.

(Hat tip: Joanne Jacobs.)