Even in deep, deep blue Massachusetts, some common sense is glimmering through the haze of liberal stupidity.

It seems parents, sick and tired of public schools, are pressuring the legislature for more freedom to use charter schools.

From the article:

  "America’s most successful anti-blue idea is thriving in a deep blue state: Democratic lawmakers in Massachusetts want to lift caps on charter schools and charter-school funding in 29 low-performing school districts. This has charter proponents very excited. The WSJ reports:

“This demonstrates that charter schools are a viable reform,” said Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a nonprofit aimed at advancing the movement. “If it can happen in Massachusetts, it can happen anywhere.” […]

It’s not clear what the Democratic-controlled legislature will do with the bill. It’s a safe bet that teachers’ unions will oppose it.

A few numbers are worth keeping in mind. There are now 31,000 Massachusetts students enrolled in charter schools, and another 45,000 applicants remain on waiting lists. Fifty-nine percent of Massachusetts charter schools achieved the state’s highest ranking in academic achievement and graduation rates, compared with just 31 percent of non-charter schools. The fact that Democratic lawmakers are getting behind charters likely means that low-income parents in Massachusetts like what they see and are demanding more."

More freedom to choose a school means more competition, and more competition by it's nature drives out the bad schools, and allows the better ones to survive.  If the goal is to improve public schools, then this will do it.  Too bad the unions, whose goals are purely to line their own pockets with public money, will vigorously resist this good plan.  Let's hope they do the right thing out there in Massachusetts.