I was at an interesting meeting recently outside of New York that was attended by charter school folks and teachers union folks. One of the main questions we were tackling was whether or not charter schools could survive, as a practice, if unions got more involved in the game.

It's an interesting question and based on feedback The Chalkboard has gotten in the last few months, readers of this blog come down all over the place with their answers.

I've been thinking more about the issue and in my own sick, twisted, devil's advocate-loving mind I think the debate becomes much more interesting if you allow two other questions to bounce around at the same time:

1. Can charter schools ultimately survive without the teachers unions somehow involved?
2. Can the teachers unions ultimately survive without charter schools?

Before you answer, read this piece in a recent Niagara Gazette story, and this piece from the Columbus (OH) Dispatch, to wet your whistle. There are good arguments to be made on all sides of all of these questions. And if you ponder them while consuming adult beverages, some of them actually seem interesting!

Send any thoughts you might have on this to TheChalkboard@nycsa.org.

UPDATE: Katie, at A Constrained Vision, has some thoughts on this. (She doesn't think the unions will get many takers if they organize in charter schools.) Lots of people picking up on these three paragraphs from the Ohio story:

"At first blush, I think people would say (the interest in organizing charters is) hypocritical. We’re challenging the existence of charter schools on one hand, and yet remaining open to organizing," said Mark Hatch, spokesman for the Professional School Employees group.

The group was the first to organize an Ohio charter two years ago, although as teachers turned over there, union membership dried up.

"On the other hand, (charters) exist and there are employees there that deserve protection and deserve to bargain collectively for their rights."