Gov. Mark Sanford tickled the national ideologues by making his "Put Parents in Charge Act" a primary focus of his State of the State address last week.

But people back home should hold onto their wallets and demand more accountability in the arguments behind this move that is the darling of the national school choice movement.

It would cost this state hundreds of millions of dollars by giving tax credits to parents with children in private schools or home schools. It also would extend tax credits to organizations that grant private-school scholarships.

South Carolina cannot afford that. Already, without this additional drain on the general fund, the state is not paying the full per-pupil cost of a public education as mandated by state law.

And when that money disappears from the public till, it leaves with no accountability attached. Private shools are not held to the rigorous new high standards that are forcing improvements in the public schools. They are not accountable to a publicly-elected board, which oversees the budget in public meetings.

Sanford insists this is a way to introduce the free market enterprise system into education. "In the history of man, I don't know of a product that has not been made better when subjected to the forces of competition," he said in his speech to the General Assembly.

But the free market system is alive and well in education. This community has a number of strong options for parents who want a private education for their children. So do communities around the state. In many of those communities, the choice and free market approach has done nothing to improve the public schools. It is not true in South Carolina that public schools improve because a private school offers competition.

Finally, parents are already in charge. No act from Columbia is going to change that. The truthful name of Sanford's initiative should be the "Put Private Schools in Charge Act." Private schools are an important part of our society, but that is not how public dollars should be spent.