Proposals to enact so-called “parent trigger” laws, where parents can choose to convert their failing school into a charter school, are gaining traction, and the teachers’ unions and some liberal groups are unsurprisingly up in arms. In Ohio for instance, Republican governor John Kasich has included a law similar to California’s trigger law in his budget proposal, and the state teachers’ union is not pleased:
Ohio’s largest teachers union questions the California example.
“Given the confusion and disputes that have arisen with California’s experience with a parent-takeover law, including parents who feel they were misled in signing petitions, Ohio should proceed with caution,” Ohio Education Association spokeswoman Michele Prater said in an email….
“I don’t know how you don’t create chaos when you’ve always got this specter of parents who are dissatisfied in some way saying, ‘We’re going to initiate this process and reconstitute this school,'” said Scott DiMauro, a Worthington teacher who heads the Central OEA/NEA, a regional union branch. He spoke on behalf of Join the Future, a new group advocating for public schools and teachers.
A related bill aimed at increasing parent involvement is moving along in the Colorado legislature as well, passing the state senate there last week. Several other states, including Pennsylvania and Georgia, are also considering similar laws.
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