School 'transfer' option is just for show

As of this past Wednesday, all school systems in Georgia had to set up a process to allow students to transfer to other public schools with available space in the same county.

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Why? Well, this is supposed to sound like "school choice." The notion is as misguided as allowing residents to pick which fire station sends a truck to their house, but lawmakers passed it anyway under the guise of claiming it's a "conservative" principle at work.

Never mind that in a crowded system like Columbia County, only a few spaces at just five schools are available. And never mind that the program is a walking invitation for a lawsuit because parents must provide transportation, thus all but guaranteeing poor children won't have access to the transfers.

None of that really matters. The "permissive transfer" program, as it's called, is just political window-dressing. The proof will be when we look back a year from now to see just how few parents have taken the option in Columbia County - and how many more are content with their neighborhood school.