At MassFiscal, we love the idea of charter schools. Give people real education choices, and schools get better. Standards rise, not just in the charter schools but across the system. Parents love charter schools because they deliver results, but 34,000 children in the Commonwealth are on waiting lists, hoping for a chance at a better education.

But interests more powerful than families and children are at work on Beacon Hill.

Ostensibly in response to pressure from Governor Baker and charter advocates to expand the charter program, the Senate passed a bill yesterday linking any new charter schools to $200 million in general education funding. The bill, which Education Secretary Jim Peyser says effectively places a moratorium on new charters, passed 24-14 without any indication of where all that money will come from.

The measure is fiscally irresponsible and does nothing to help children waiting for better schools.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr put it best, saying the bill has "more poison pills in it than Dr. Kevorkian's apothecary.

Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance advocates for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability in state government and increased economic opportunity for the people of our Commonwealth. As a non-partisan, IRS recognized 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, our primary focus is to promote social welfare.

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