If it feels like Groundhog Day in Seattle that's because it pretty much is for anyone following education news. Another anti-kid, anti-learning, anti-charter lawsuit has been filed in an effort to kill the charter school sector in Seattle.

The Seattle Times penned an editorial on Friday entitled, “Charter-schools lawsuit is another unwanted distraction” in response to the latest attempt to destroy public school choice in Washington state:

The Washington Education Association is among a coalition of groups that filed another lawsuit last week trying to kill Washington’s fledgling charter schools. This is the second legal attempt to thwart the will of the voters who approved Initiative 1240 in 2012.

After lawsuit number one last year where union-funded judges voted against the interests of students and essentially guaranteed the closure of all 9 of the state's fledgling charter schools, the 2016 legislature found a way to keep the schools open by changing the funding source.

Cue the displeasure of the Washington Educators Association and their allies who want to see an end to any and all charters; they can’t let competition in because then people will know that what they claim is impossible is actually possible. So instead, they spend money, time, and energy to file yet another lawsuit:

The coalition that wants to sink charter schools says the Legislature’s replacement law also violates the state constitution by sending any state money to charters because they are not accountable to Washington voters through an elected school board.

Rather than welcome the idea of new ideas and schools that, because of their flexibility, can become incubators of new ideas, they want them gone. They will not tolerate any threats to the monopoly they enjoy, regardless of student outcomes. It’s not about student achievement for them. It’s about power:

Washington’s nascent charter-school system needs a chance to grow and thrive. Children in high-poverty areas need the kind of alternatives that these new public schools offer. Charter schools have more latitude to try new things — from releasing high-school students into their communities for special projects, to longer school years and more class time for kids struggling to catch up with their peers.

Parents, however, are pushing back on that power, in Washington and nationally. They have made it clear that they want more options when it comes to educating their children. And the WEA and other union aligned groups quite simply, don’t want to hear it. And don’t care.

Kudos to the Seattle Times Editorial Board for calling a spade a spade and letting the public know that this lawsuit is not only an unwelcome distraction, but could have serious consequences for students and their families.

And the WEA would be wise to focus on ensuring that the state’s children are learning instead of filing frivolous lawsuits to protect their own self-interest.