The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) filed a petition in a York County court this week, the second in a battle between a state-appointed recovery officer and a local school board.

Chief Recovery Officer David Meckley directed the York City School Board to privatize its district through Charter Schools USA. That didn’t go over too well with teachers, students and the school board itself, which voted down the measure in October and then pushed off another vote last month. Current Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq petitioned a court to appoint Meckley to a position that would effectively let him override the board’s “nay” vote.

The PSBA condemned the petition, arguing that it would essentially remove power from those elected by voters and hand the government’s responsibility to educate students to a for-profit company, a violation of the state’s constitution.

The state has taken a “desperate times call for desperate measures” approach — even though students and parents have expressed opposition to the plan, public schools in the district are performing well below surrounding districts. In light of a $4.9 million deficit this school year, advocates argue that the city district is underfunded even as it educates more high-need students than its suburban counterparts, with 20 percent of the student body identified as English Language Learners compared to less than 3 percent in suburban districts.

But the battle itself is a sort of ticking time bomb that could be diffused by Governor Tom Wolf when he takes office. Wolf has opposed the plan to privatize city schools in his home county.