Is it cowardly to oppose a charter school application?

Jim Horn at Schools Matter doesn’t let a word about charter schools get by him. He saw the following quote in the Washington Post:

“Anytime you see a school board that is afraid of competition, they will invent any grounds that are needed to deny a charter application,” said Nelson Smith, president of the D.C.-based National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

and just had to reply. His entry is a bit longer, and can be found here.

Here’s the part I liked:

So any time you hear parents use any of these excuses listed below to urge their Board members to resist the charter plague, remind yourself that it’s just another excuse they have cooked up to cover the fear of competition.

• When parents insist on schools with libraries and librarians, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on guidance counselors and psychological services, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on drama programs and facilities to stage plays, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on athletic programs, sports fields, and gymnasiums, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist that they be able choose the people who will oversee their schools, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on quality programs for the disabled and gifted, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on quality meals prepared on site for their children, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on safe transportation for their children to and from school, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on teachers who have been educated, trained, and certified, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on school leaders who are educators rather than CEOs, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on curriculums that include music, art, vocational subjects, social studies, PE, drama, and electives, it is to cover their fear of competition.

• When parents insist on facilities that are designed as schools, rather than as pizza joints in strip malls, it is to cover their fear of competition.

So yes, it would seem that the vast majority of Americans are cowards….