Reading Comprehension

Much like a lot of things these days, a speech given last week by West Virginia Board of Education President Paul Hardesty has become a Rorschach test depending on where you stand on the issue of public education versus “school choice.”

During the state Board of Education’s regular meeting last week, Hardesty’s message was simple: If you believe in the notion of competition improving the quality of education, then lawmakers need to untie the hands of their local teachers and educators so they can better compete with private schools and home schooling.

To demonstrate how county school systems have been handcuffed, he placed on his desk a stack of books that contained the entirety of State Code that regulates public education. He placed that stack next to one sheet of paper that included t