The Education Establishment’s Big Lie

"As the fate of Montana’s Community Choice Schools Act remains in limbo in the courts, Montanans should know that the education establishment’s smear campaign against Choice Schools is built on a lie intended to polarize the debate with fear and disinformation."

In his seminal book Rules for Radicals, avowed radical leftist Saul Alinsky famously wrote the playbook for running a Machiavellian political smear campaign: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Montana’s powerful education establishment is following Alinsky’s playbook to a “T” as we reach back-to-school season, launching an all-out offensive to block Montana’s Community Choice Schools Act in the courts, discourage local communities from creating Choice Schools and deride Montana families seeking these innovative options within the public education system.

As the fate of Montana’s Community Choice Schools Act remains in limbo in the courts, Montanans should know that the education establishment’s smear campaign against Choice Schools is built on a lie intended to polarize the debate with fear and disinformation.

First, some background. This spring, the Montana legislature finally gave the families of children with unique learning needs some reason to be hopeful. Moms and dads across the state celebrated as HB 562, the Community Choice Schools Act, was signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte. Montana now joins 45 other states that authorize public charter schools (called Choice Schools under Montana’s unique charter framework) as options for families. Local communities can now join together and create new student-centered public schools that will have greater flexibility to focus on specific types of learning needs while remaining free and open to all. For instance, one entrepreneurial Billings mom wants to create a Choice School that specializes in educating children like her son who has dyslexia.

The smear campaign began during legislative debate when opponents deliberately and falsely characterized Choice Schools as “private schools”. For example, the Montana Democratic Party said HB 562 would “allow taxpayer dollars to be used to fund private charter schools, undermining our public schools.”

This claim that Choice Schools are “private schools” is intentionally dishonest and clearly wrong. Montana’s Choice Schools are by definition independently operated public schools free and open to all. HB 562 also expressly prohibits Choice Schools from operating for-profit or charging tuition. Choice Schools will be under the general supervision of the Board of Public Education (BPE). What’s more, the public status of charter schools is well established in statute and case law nationwide. In fact, SCOTUS just denied hearing further discussion about the alleged “private status” of charter schools.

Knowing this bogus “private schools” claim wouldn’t fly in a courtroom, earlier this month the education establishment’s lawyers used a linguistic sleight-of-hand to prop up their lawsuit to block Choice Schools for Montana families. Instead of “private schools” the crafty lawyers referred to Choice Schools as “privatized schools”, in an apparent reference to the ability to contract with private vendors for particular school services. But traditional public schools have the same ability to contract with private vendors for services like custodial management and that doesn’t make them “privatized”. This tactic is pure sophistry.

Choice Schools are public schools. When a Choice School is authorized, a Montana community is creating a new public school and expanding the local public education system to better serve students. New Choice Schools won’t undermine Montana’s public education system; they will strengthen it. Allowing the creation of innovative Choice Schools advances the right to a quality public education guaranteed by Montana’s Constitution.

The education establishment’s big lie about Choice Schools might pass unchallenged by local media, but it won’t survive scrutiny in the courts and it certainly won’t fool Montana families who have been hoping and praying for access to the same quality public education options available in 45 other states.

This column originally appeared in Lee Newspapers.