God bless Bob Thompson.  Sometimes you've got to scratch your head and wonder why he doesn't just close his wallet, turn off his conscience, pack up and leave, giving the Democrats what they want.  But he doesn't.  The man who was told to take a flying leap because he had the audacity to offer the State of Michigan several hundred million dollars to build new charter schools in Detroit is back in the motor city working on a new project.  I offer someone five bucks and they call me names and tell me to get lost and I'm not just not offering them cash again, I'm steering clear of them when at all possible.  But thank goodness for kids in Detroit, Bob Thompson is a more forgiving man than me.

He's working with Doug Ross (the pro-charter Democrat behind the wildly successful University Prep school in Detroit) to open a new charter public school in the heart of mo-town that will focus on math and science.  Attach the names Thompson, Ross and University Prep to the project and parents are flooding the yet-to-be-opened school with placement requests for their kids.  The Detroit News opines:

"So far, we've received applications from families in West Bloomfield, Rochester, Farmington Hills, Clinton Township and as far away as Ypsilanti," Trimer-Hartley says. "But we haven't forgotten Detroit. Detroit parents have been quite excited about this opportunity. We expect a really interesting and diverse mix of students, from all communities and all backgrounds. We expect the school to be a regional magnet."

The school will open in September in temporary quarters downtown while the 75,000-square-foot addition to the Science Center is being built. Ultimately, University Prep hopes the middle schoolers will feed into a high school backed by Detroit industrialist Dave Bing, who envisions a school along the Detroit River.

Specialized charter schools like this one could become a growth industry for Detroit. Schools that offer intense programs in art, language, medicine, foreign culture and other subjects could appeal to parents who want a different school experience.

Since the math and science school is a public charter, students will attend free, giving them a private school education at a public school price.

Mix public schools with private industry and a demanding curriculum and parents clamor to get their kids admitted.  Who'd have guessed it?  Sending your small kid from Farmington Hills into the D?  That sort of thing just isn't heard of.  It isn't done.  And it's a testament to the success and the benefits of charter schools.

Just remind me again why Jennifer Granholm and Kwame Kilpatrick turned down Thompson's offer to build, at no expense to the State, several high schools with hundreds of millions of dollars?  Oh, that's right.  They were going to be charter schools.  Wait, it looks like charter schools are attractive to parents in metro Detroit.  So the problem is...?  

Three little initials.  M.  E.  A.  Teachers at charters aren't unionized.  To heck with educating our kids.  Lets just continue to line the gilded pockets of the fat cat union bosses at the Govenror's favorite labor office.  

If current demand is any indication, and it is, the Democrats decision to turn away Thompson's hundreds-of-millions a couple years ago continues to haunt and to hurt Detroit kids to this day.  We hear time and again that we need to train students for the "jobs of tomorrow" but when push comes to shove Lansing Dems first priority is to prepare union bosses for fatter dues checks tomorrow.  To heck with the kids.  

That's the sort of backwards thinking that leads to high drop out rates.  That leads to kids slipping through the cracks.  That leads to wasteful government spending.  When there are problems it's usually best to address them.  When addressing them means accepting nine-figures worth of free cash you'd think it'd be easy.  Governor Granholm couldn't get THAT no-brainer right so it really shouldn't be any surprise she continues to bungle administrative handling at the Department of Human Services.  

Read on...