Really? Today's Republicans pursue undermining public schools and empowering private ones without regard to academic achievement, and you think that's "cognitive dissonance?" It's called a feature, not a bug.

Yes, Goldy, it does seem that the Education Reformers want one set of rules for public schools, and the exact opposite set of rules for charter schools when it comes to teacher oversight.

In public schools they want close, rigid oversight of the teachers. In charter schools they want the teachers to be free to innovate.

But other than that, they are actually very consistent.

They are pushing for the de-professionalization of teaching in both public and charter schools.
They are pushing to bust the unions in both public and charter schools.
They are pushing to lower costs in both public and charter schools.
They are pushing to create profits in both public and charter schools.
They are looking to reduce children to widgets in both public and charter schools.
They are looking to create organizations with dictatorial leadership in both public and charter schools.

In truth, this isn't about policy for the Seattle Times. It's about personality. Lynne Varner adored Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson and Dr. Susan Enfield. For her, they could do no wrong. She also loved the corporatist board directors who rode a wave of money into office in 2007 - Peter Maier, Steve Sundquist, Harium Martin-Morris and Sherry Carr. Anything they did - no matter how bad - was right.

On the other hand, Lynne Varner loathes the populist board directors Marty McLaren, Sharon Peaslee, and Betty Patu, and she resents the new superintendent Mr. Banda because he was not their choice.

That's what this is really about. It's about her taking every opportunity to blame the superintendent and the Board (as if the Board had anything to do with it) for any sign of disorder or any dissent in the dictatorial rule.

This isn't about policy - it's personal. Which also means that it is petty.

It seems to me that intentionally driving public schools into the ground so they can have an excuse to privatize them is fully consistent. Assuming that they have a conscience and underestimating their malice is an easy mistake to make.

@4 conservatives neither conserve nor believe in personal fiscal discipline, in practice.

Thus presuming that educational reform by them improves education or students, is likely to also fail.

And if Tom, Litzow and their buddies really cared about holding charter schools to high standards, they would have included charters in their dumb bill about giving schools letter grades. They don't give a rip about education, they just want to get rid of teachers unions!

Isn't it obvious, Goldy? These people are trying to take power and control over schools away from teachers and parents and take it for billionaires. Pointing out their self-serving lies isn't enough: we have to point out what their real agenda is.

Note: the bill has been amended to include charters. But the damage is there; protect charters at all costs. We were TOLD and SOLD that charters are public schools but yet the first bill out the gate to assess them and it's "no charters."

We have charters coming and they are doing to get their feet held to the fire exactly as traditionals. Sorry kids, it's our state and it will be our rules.

I saw the special on Democracynow, I'm super impressed. I know for a fact 2-3 teachers who felt the same way as I was growing up and I'l really glad there was a safe enough space for these teachers to speak their mind. This is what democracy looks like. This is what America looks like. Charters would have never grown the balls to skirt this test, fucking suck it private sector.

They do. See Washington Policy Center Liv Finne's (Washington's charter schools strongest advocate) blog: http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/blog/pos…