It's not just statism, cronyism, etc. in K-12 opposition to reform. It's having to take (vs. evade) blame.

I usually ascribe opposition to freedom and choice in K-12 as a penchant for statism, a desire to protect cronyism, or a lack of policy imagination.

Beyond that, Pullmann includes a desire to blame-evade-- that reform would force proponents of the status quo to (painfully) own their failure. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that previously.