P & C Does Charter School Hatchet Job Again

Why does an article about South Carolina's virtual public charter schools begin with a large picture of  Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos? No reason except to stir up anti-Trump readers. She supports virtual charter schools? So do many others.

The "National Association of Charter School Authorizers" is hardly a well-known or authoritative group when it comes to charter schools in South Carolina. Supposedly South Carolina's public charter school authorization law "could make the state a breeding ground for failing schools." 
Pardon me for a moment.


We aren't already a breeding ground for failing schools? Could have fooled me!

This "news" article is yet another attempt by our local rag to disparage public charter schools in every possible way. Absolutely no evidence exists to suggest that such schools have been shopping for lower standards here in South Carolina. 

"Erskine College announced July 27 that it had become the first private college in the state to serve as a public charter school authorizer. Program leaders say they want to collaborate with the college's education department and improve opportunities for students in such high-poverty areas as Abbeville County, where the school is located." Golly, that is suspicious!

"Among the first two schools to express an interest in the Charter Institute at Erskine are S.C. Virtual Charter School and Cyber Academy of South Carolina, a pair of online schools that received a warning this spring that their current sponsor might revoke their charters due to years of poor performance that lagged far behind state averages. The two schools enrolled more than 4,000 students and received a combined $33.5 million in state tax funding last school year." Could it be they desire help with meeting their goals? Nah.

Of course, virtual schools have their downside, one of which is the need for major self-discipline that many students lack. Yet these schools also serve a need for many situations where ordinary daily school attendance is not possible.

This is the worst they can dredge up? South Carolina's public charter schools must be doing okay.

The real mystery is why our local paper hates charter schools.