Unions take over charter schools

I've written, most recently here, that I don't view charter schools as a long term solution to our educational woes despite their growing record of success. The unions and powers that be simply won't allow it to happen. Today, I came across this, from last April:

Well I’ve just learned — perhaps before reporters have even been able to write their stories, because I haven’t yet found a news link to it — that New York’s Public Employee Relations Board will force the KIPP AMP charter school in New York City to let its teachers unionize.

I hadn't heard about this, but it's not at all surprising. Unions are about power, and charters threaten that power. With word getting out that charters work, unions realize that they can't hold back the tide. In response, they are shifting strategies from fighting the creation of charters to taking them over. Then they will use their strong arm tactics to force charters to function like traditional schools.

Let the kids be damned.

More here: "If you want to know what charter schools will look like in a generation or so, just look at the public school status quo."