‘Civil rights’ for rent — once-respectable groups sell out on school choice

New York’s once vaunted civil-rights tradition is a pitiful shadow of its past self, its premier institutions available for rent if not outright sale.

American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten this week trotted out leaders from outfits like the local NAACP and the New York Civil Liberties Union to pressure Gov. Kathy Hochul into reversing her decision to join the federal tax-credit scholarship program.

These outfits should be embracing school choice, a proven benefit to the underprivileged, as they once championed equal opportunity and equality before the law.

But there’s not much money to be had taking principled stands for minorities and the working class, whereas the teachers unions have lots of cash to fund fat salaries for insiders at these nonprofits.

At issue is New York kids’ access to the “Freedom” scholarships created last year as a part of the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Starting next year, the program lets taxpayers direct up to $1,700 of their federal income-tax payment to nonprofit scholarship organizations — but no state’s children can accept this help unless its governor opts in to the program, at no cost to the state.

This summer, Hochul said she’d probably opt New York into the Education Freedom Tax Credit because of “its potential to help New York students and schools,” though (being Kathy Hochul) she left herself room to reneg.

Cue Randi and her minions to go on the warpath, since any competition puts pressure on public schools to do better or keep hemorrhaging students.

And to order up support from whatever moral authority the NAACP & Co. still carry.

Cross your fingers that Hochul (who certainly should be able to recognize mercenary phonies) does what’s best for the kids by unlocking real school choice.