The assumed position of the Concordia Parish School Board on a proposed charter school in the area is entirely expected.

The school board is scheduled to vote tonight on a resolution governing the charter school, and the superintendent expects that resolution won’t pass without the assurance that the federal government will regulate the school’s racial makeup in the same way it regulates the parish district’s makeup.

The public schools must request a level playing field for a competing school that would take funds away from them, and the government wants the opinion of the local public schools.

You can’t blame the CPSB for their expected vote on the matter tonight.

But at the same time, one of the greatest arguments for charter schools is the lack of federal oversight — or as many would say, federal interference.

Many believe educational guidelines imposed by the federal government have hurt our country’s public education system.

They could be correct, but the alternative is scary, too.

Without a standardized set of goals, regulations and achievement measuring sticks, it’s difficult to know whether or not public money is being wasted at charter schools.

Ultimately, if a charter school is going to join our community, the public needs to hear from both the state and federal governments about how exactly they plan to account for public money and how the school will be graded.