Gov. Bentley Says He Won’t Propose Charter Schools in 2013

According to multiple sources on Twitter, though no official story has been filed, Gov. Robert Bentley says he will not propose a charter school bill next year. It may show that Gov. Bentley has listened to local folks, who have made it clear they do not want charter schools, but it may not be as significant as it seems. First, Bentley said nothing about vetoing a charter school bill. Second, the driving force behind charter schools is House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Michelle Rhee’s hedge-fund-backed StudentsFirst organization, which ended the session with an army of lobbyists. Hubbard will surely introduce a charter school bill, and, as was proven in the last session, the Legislature had no problems overriding Gov. Bentley’s vetoes. Unless Gov. Bentley can shore up support in the Legislature, this declaration may only prove that Gov. Bentley has a good ear of what the people of Alabama want. Translating that into practical politics is something Bentley will have to improve if he wants to exercise his will on the Legislature.