An editorial in the Post-Dispatch today chastises the St. Louis School Board for wasting money on a PR campaign against the charter schools:

School board members William Purdy, Peter Downs and Donna Jones seem convinced that waging a public relations campaign promoting St. Louis Public Schools is an effective way to counter negative perceptions of the district. But parents are capable of judging the merits and deficiencies of the school district on their own. They don’t need a PR flak to tell them what to think or how to evaluate what they can see with their own eyes. They also don’t deserve to be stuck with the tab.

The Post-Dispatch isn’t arguing in favor of tuition tax credits or vouchers. But doesn’t the same analysis apply? Parents can judge the merits and deficiencies of public, charter, and private schools — not just of this particular district. And they shouldn’t have to pay for a failing public school that they’ve chosen to leave.