Judge’s ruling shows Governor Patrick playing politics with education

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. and House Minority Whip Bradford Hill issued the following joint statement after a judge said state education officials “blatantly ignored and violated state law” in its efforts to get a charter school approved in the City of Gloucester.

The judge’s ruling in the Gloucester Charter School case further demonstrates Governor Patrick politicizes nearly every policy decision made by him and his administration.

In the ruling, Judge Richard Welch III said, “There is a strong factual showing that the Commissioner (Mitchell Chester), despite his affidavit to the contrary, did not perform his own independent evaluation of the GCA application but, to the contrary, ignored state regulations and caved into political pressure to recommend the project to a Board eager to approve at least one charter application regardless of its merit.”

The Patrick-Murray Administration should be ashamed of its handling of the Gloucester Charter School fiasco. Its mismanagement of the situation not only jeopardizes the public’s confidence in its elected officials, it also puts at risk the education of hundreds of school children.

Governor Patrick and his team have proven time and time when it comes to education their agenda is driven by politics, not sound public policy.