Chapa LaVia’s war on school choice

Should this Twitter ad be illegal? State Rep. Chapa LaVia, a Democrat from Aurora and head of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, thinks so. She’s the chief sponsor of a bill that would prohibit “any and all marketing and advertising to the public for charter school enrollment and recruitment made by a charter...

Should this Twitter ad be illegal?

State Rep. Chapa LaVia, a Democrat from Aurora and head of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, thinks so.

She’s the chief sponsor of a bill that would prohibit “any and all marketing and advertising to the public for charter school enrollment and recruitment made by a charter school or school district.”

Despite possibly being a violation of the First Amendment, the bill cleared the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and will probably be voted on in the House next week.

Chapa LaVia has launched a war on charter schools this session.

Two of her bills, House Bill 3754 and House Bill 3937, which eliminate the charter school commission and extend the virtual charter school moratorium, respectively, have already passed the House with the help of teachers’ union-backed Republicans – and are being considered in the Senate.

There are a few other proposals gaining steam, including one that will force districts to hold referenda on decisions made by the state charter school commission and another that would put local school councils in Chicago of approving charter schools.

Chapa LaVia has claimed on the House floor that she is not anti-charter school, but her actions this session prove otherwise.

She has attacked charter schools from every angle: limiting their funding, tying them up in bureaucratic red tape, and preventing them from telling parents and students how good of a job they are doing of educating kids.

At the same time, she has not proposed a single piece of legislation that would address problems in the state’s lowest-performing schools, places where more than three-quarters of elementary and high school students are at least one grade level behind in reading and math.

State Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove, recently asked Chapa LaVia, when they were debating the bill in the House to end the state charter commission, what the logic was behind crafting the bill.

Chapa LaVia responded: “There is none.”

That quote explains her motivations perfectly.

If Chapa LaVia wants to make a name for herself, I can think of 100 better ways then risking students’ futures for political gain.