The "Parent Trigger" to Transfer Public Schools to Private the Next Chaotic Step for Ohio.

Let's turn school reform over to the parents and the lobbying groups representing private interests, who can advertise and create chaos, and reap the benefits of the ensuing chaos. Ohio's signed on:

edweek: Can't fix failing schools? Parents could get tough on Ohio's districts. Gov. John Kasich's budget plan would give parents the power to force radical changes on chronically underperforming schools.

That’s right, the know-it-all parent, put them in charge. Pretty soon we won’t need legislators. This is just the opposite of those countries that are smoking us on testing. Oh well.

The "parent trigger" would apply to schools that rank in the state's bottom 5 percent in academics for three consecutive school years. If a majority of a school's parents sign a petition demanding change, the school would be forced to accept the reform the parents propose: Converting into a charter school, an effective nonprofit group or a for-profit group to operate the school, blah, blah, blah….

But there are BIG problems with handing a schools fate over to a revved up mob of angry parents: 

The trigger provision is based on California's parent-empowerment law … enacted early last year. Ohio's largest teachers union: "Given the confusion and disputes that have arisen with California's experience with a parent-takeover law, including parents who feel they were misled in signing petitions.

Parents misled? What a surprise. But that’s just the beginning of creating a mob mentality directed at school change, by…take a wild guess, charter supporters.

California's law has been tested … A parent-organizing group funded by people with charter-school ties rallied parents to sign a petition to overhaul an elementary school.
Critics say they want parents involved in school reform, but perhaps not like this. 

"I don't know how you don't create chaos when you've always got this specter of parents who are dissatisfied in some way saying, 'We're going to initiate this process and reconstitute this school,'" said Scott DiMauro, a Worthington teacher who heads the a regional union branch.

Creating chaos and an angry mob of parents? Sounds like a great Republican plan for education.