As a follow-up to this post about the screwed-up inside-baseball politics in Buffalo that are currently stalling a planned alternative school for at-risk students (not even a charter school,) a former Buffalo Teachers Federation member rips union boss Phil Rumore to shreds for his role in this embarrassing public education debacle. From her letter to the editor in the Buffalo News:

When I was a member of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, I lamented President Phil Rumore's lack of concern for children, as he blocked projects that would serve kids in favor of supposed protection for teachers. When I criticized him, some BTF members would say he's just doing his job as union boss - representing teachers, not children. As such, he protected the status quo, including strict seniority and calendar limits.

Now he's blocking progress on plans for a new alternative school, even though he supported the concept. He's resisting social service collaboration, and teacher selection that matches the school's special mission and structure, rather than straight seniority with a regular calendar. Rumore is willing to ignore common sense and research - that schools can't succeed for kids if the teachers aren't committed to a mission of reform.

Meanwhile, 6,000 Buffalo students are enrolled in charter schools for next year. Lots of parents seem to believe that leaving BTF-controlled schools is the way to achieve progress, with children as the priority.

Sometimes I wonder if BTF members are paying attention. If customers are leaving in such numbers, then BTF jobs are disappearing with them. Union boss or educator, I don't think Rumore is doing his job.

It's an interesting letter, but it raises an interesting point about what could end up being one of the biggest failures in the charter school movement. Many charter school supporters like to think that competitive pressure will push districts like Buffalo to move forward with these kinds of innovative plans to better serve the kids who desperately need something different from what we are currently giving them. But what happens if the same jerks are still allowed to stand in the innovative schoolhouse door?

One reason these jerks are able to keep getting away with it: there are still a lot of Charter Chucks running around who let them. They let elected officials give guys like Rumore a free pass every single time. The next time a politician stands up and tells you he/she supports public education, ask they why on Earth they would say something so stupid? They support allowing bullies like Rumore impede any type of progress that might help underserved kids? One reason districts aren't competing well with charters is the internal blob in districts won't let them.

How many elected officials in Buffalo do you imagine have called Rumore and told him to shut his pie hole on behalf of public school kids? (Though it is fun trying to imagine it happening!) One reason that New York State politicians (on both sides of the aisle) are so pathetic on education issues is we allow them to be. All of us.

I know there is a lot of hand-wringing in the charter school world over the attack-ads that are running against upstate legislators who aren't supportive of efforts to lift the charter cap. I just think it is a shame the group running the ads doesn't have enough money to run ads against every elected official in the statehouse. Right now none of them seem particularly helpful when it comes to improving public education.

UPDATE: OK, so I know I'll take some heat on this one. But if anyone can point to anything interesting that any member of the state Assembly or Senate has done with regard to K-12 education in the last 3 years, drop me a line at TheChalkboard@nycsa.org. I bet you can't. (Record-breaking spending increases alone don't count.)

UPDATE II: Buffalo Rising weighs in on the controversial charter school ads here. Interesting take on the "good cop, bad cop" aspect of all of this.