Inflammatory e-mail sets off alarms 

Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial 

4/3/07

      April 2-6 is Colorado Charter Schools Week — an opportunity for Coloradans to celebrate the flourishing of these alternative public schools, 14 years after passage of the landmark Charter School Act. State Rep. Michael Merrifield probably isn’t celebrating, though, judging from the blistering words he had for school choice advocates in a “private” e-mail that became public last week.
      Merrifield stepped down as chairman of the House Education Committee late last week, after an e-mail surfaced in which he told Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Sue Windels that “there must be a special place in hell for these privatizers, charterizers and voucherizers.” Merrifield apologized for any “misunderstanding, hurt, or offense” the statement might have caused. But we don’t think that will put the matter to rest.

Must we really debate the value of charter schools again?

Rocky Mountain News Editorial 

4/3/07 

      The language of Rep. Mike Merrifield's now infamous e-mail message to Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada, is disgraceful, but the Colorado Springs Democrat has apologized for it and resigned his position as chairman of the House Education Committee, so that specific issue may be set aside for now.

      But even if Merrifield had not suggested that charter school supporters deserve a "special place in hell," the depth of his and Windels' hostility toward charter schools and other parental choice options would remain profoundly disturbing.

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Editorial 

3/27/07 

      It is telling that opponents of state Sen. Josh Penry’s bill to raise math and science requirements for high-school graduation came primarily from the K-12 education community and their supporters in the Democratic Party, while those who deal with the end product of our K-12 public education system — universities and private companies — supported Penry’s bill.

Bill could suffocate future innovation

Rocky Mountain News Editorial

3/30/07

      Yes, online charter schools need more oversight. Nearly everyone agrees with that proposition, especially in the wake of disturbing reports of sloppy oversight at Hope Co-op Online Learning academy.

      But most true friends of education should also agree that online learning has tremendous potential. It must not be suffocated or confined to a single model by punitive legislation dictating every aspect of online schooling.