Earth to the JG, "Charter Schools not the Problem"

Today the Journal Gazette, on behalf of FWCS, launched a frontal attack on Imagine Schools. In case you're wondering which planet the JG and FWCS are on, the name of the planet is "Money". This has nothing to do with the quality of education offered at Imagine Schools , which should be the primary concern. Despite the professions of Mark GiaQuinta that they "welcome the competition" (he's only pissed off because the Imagine School on Broadway has air conditioning as does the campus on Wells Street thanks to Becky Hill), Wendy Robinson is seething because Don Willis is taking some of her money. The teachers union is awash with rumors that the state will turn South Side, North Side and, soon after, Wayne high schools into charter schools.

What are they worried about? Eventually, a well run charter system will probably do a better job academically than the current establishment schools and maybe even do it for less money. We can only hope. If not, charter schools will fade away and the status quo will reign on Clinton Street. This is not New Orleans. We can't hope for a hurricane to give us the opportunity to start over. This is not Washington DC either. We don't have a mayor with the power to dissolve the school board and let someone like Michelle Rhee clean house.