Commentary

November ballot question: Lifting the charter school cap

November ballot question: Lifting the charter school cap

Frank Conte

The most popular governor in the United States wasn't going to let a mid-July downpour on the State House steps dampen the launch of ballot campaign to lift the state's charter school cap. Spending down some of the political capital he's accrued over the last two years, Governor Charlie Baker announced his support for a measure that will potentially increase annually the number of charter schools by 12.

While the rain fell, the rhetoric from the usually cautious Baker hit a stride: "You know something folks: For too many children and too many families in the Commonwealth of Mass., it's been raining for a really long time," the State House News Service reported. "For too many families and too many kids the skies have not cleared. The sun does not shine. They do not get the chance and the opportunity to go to the school of their choice."

The grassroots will stay the course for the sake of their children and grandchildren
Blogs

The grassroots will stay the course for the sake of their children and grandchildren

Michael Gendre

Sadly, the petition to continue Common Core in the Bay State or to replace it by the state's better pre-CC standards is not on the ballot for November 2016. But the 125,000 signatories of the Common Core petition have not disappeared from the ongoing education conversation. Parents are now reconsidering their next move.

The Gates Foundation distorted the democratic process by giving the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) funds to cover the use of high-paid lawyers at Foley Hoag for a lawsuit against the Attorney General for certifying the parents' petition. Surprisingly, Foley Hoag gave Judge Margot Botsford of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) a flawed argument to use; it had already been used and rejected by the Attorney General's office.

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