A civil war has broken out among Massachusetts Democrats over the charter school ballot measure, with insurgents who want to lift the cap firing off a letter today calling for a public poll to see where party members stand on the hot-button issue.
The letter, sent by the pro-charter lobby group Democrats For Education Reform and provided to the Herald, says that the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s “recent public statements have stated that Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to lifting the cap on the number of public charter schools in Massachusetts.”
The letter states that the group “finds this extremely misleading for Democratic voters. Public independent polling paints a very different picture than the narrative being promoted.” And it calls on the teachers union and the Save Our Public Schools coalition to conduct a joint poll of all registered Democrats asking their position on ballot Question 2, which would lift the state cap on charter schools.
“The vast majority of the Democratic Legislature voted for a cap lift in 2014. They voted for a cap lift in 2010,” Liam Kerr, state director of Democrats For Education Reform, told the Herald.
But Kerr said the teachers union, which is backing the “No on 2” campaign, is fighting that. “There is pressure. They are defending the interests of their members. Some of that pressure is misleading information,” Kerr said.
He also charged that a state committee vote last week on a resolution against Question 2 was hijacked by union interests and anti-charter foes. And he claims Democrats are out of step with party leaders, citing support from President Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for charter schools.
The teachers union referred comment to “No on 2” spokesman Steve Crawford, who called the group’s request a “silly suggestion.”
“The vote was not just overwhelming. It was enthusiastic,” Crawford told the Herald. “It has to do with concern for our public schools and proponents for Question 2 put an excessive and extreme ballot question before voters in November.”
The schism in the party ranks could reverberate in elections down the road, said political operative Scott Ferson, who works for charter school supporter U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton. “Democratic voters are inclined to reject the stranglehold that traditional forces have on the party,” Ferson said.
“Democratic forces have to always challenge special interests who think old-school about these things, the people who make buggy whips,” Ferson said. “Have we learned nothing from this election cycle? People are upset with entrenched interests and the status quo.”
Jay Cincotti, executive director of the state party, responded, saying, “There are certain people in the Democratic Party who don’t like charter schools, period. Some people are in the middle with respect to this ballot question. The state committee took a position. Does that mean everything related to charter schools we’ll say no to? No.”
