In a brilliant column, Bill White of the Lehigh Valley News compares Governor Tom Corbett’s education policies to carpet-bombing of Vietnam. The goal nearly half a century ago was to “bomb Vietnam back into the stone age.” White says that Corbett is doing the same with public education with his program of budget cuts, charter schools, and voucher proposals, which have thus far produced layoffs, program cuts, falling test scores, and soaring class sizes.
It seems that the Governor’s goal is to drive parents out of public education and into charters or to demand vouchers to escape the mess the Governor is creating.
Charter advocates always say that charters are truly accountable because if they fail, they are closed. That is not the case in Pennsylvania. Once charters are opened, it is expensive and difficult to close them:
The state law is a nightmare. To revoke the charter of a troubled school, the home district must potentially engage in a lengthy legal battle in which local taxpayers must pay for lawyers on both sides. Once a charter school is approved and operational, the law allows it to continue receiving tax dollars even if it loses its school building, lays off its teaching staff or is in the midst of revocation hearings.
I’m not blaming Corbett for the shortcomings of this law, which passed in 1997. I do fault him for policies and priorities that are dragging down public schools, ultimately stacking the deck for more parents to pursue charter schools and other forms of non-public education, which, if his proposals for education “reform” are enacted, will divert even more money from public schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
We need to push for charter law reforms now, before this game requires yet another national bailout for the 1% (which may well be the plan). I’ve posted elsewhere a set of ideas for laws to make the charters accountable. Once the charters know they will be held to account, watch the whole movement implode overnight.
Set limits on executive compensation, ban for-profits, require enrollment of high-needs students, and the sector will become manageable.
Agreed, but I wonder if the first two items will be a tough sell in most legislatures. I think making the playing field fair in terms of funding, evaluation, and accountability will accomplish the same result by taking out the opportunity to make a windfall without looking like we’re trying to strangle private enterprise.
From 2009-2011 I worked for a Philadelphia charter school that exemplifies the problems Bill White is talking about, a problem leaders like Ackerman were enforcing before Corbett assumed his role. When I entered the Philadelphia school system in 2009, the district’s messaging under Arlene Ackerman seemed to be: if public schools are the problem, charter schools are the answer.
Although my school’s Chief Operating Officer’s business cards proclaimed “Best middle school (grades 6-8) in Philadelphia helping students to become scholars and preparing them for life-long learning!” in reality we were on the brink of disaster: for a month a veteran teacher with a principal certification served as our principal (to legally cover us since ours had quit) although she remained in the classroom fulltime; school was cancelled because we did not pay our power bill on time; we delayed our scheduled PSSA testing date one year because a cafeteria riot before 8 am involved the police and several students suffering minor injuries.
Our Renewal Site Visit (RSV) Evaluation confirmed the shortcomings that teachers had complained about for weeks. Their report stated: “The RSV team did not find significant strengths… that rise to the level of a finding” for four of the six categories under “student achievement.” The four failures were in curriculum, instruction and student engagement, classroom management, and services for ELL students and students with special needs; our passing marks were in the categories of ongoing assessments and common planning and professional development.
We were subsequently granted a full five-year renewal.
In answering the question “Is the educational program a success?” the answer to my school was no for four of six categories. However, when the question was “Is the school a financially and operationally viable organization?” we passed all four categories. How can we continue to support schools that are not successful educational programs despite being viable financial and operational organizations? That’s a business, not a school. We have once again forgotten what we are here to do.
I bet the organizers still got a hefty profit.
Corbett and the Pennsylvania state legislature are controlled by the ALEC cabal that exists in many state legislatures. See the latest on ALEC from Bill Moyers on Democracy Now!
The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws
from Democracy Now!
“Democracy Now! premieres “The United States of ALEC,” a special report by legendary journalist Bill Moyers on how the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council has helped corporate America propose and even draft legislation for states across the country. ALEC brings together major U.S. corporations and right-wing legislators to craft and vote on “model” bills behind closed doors. It has come under increasing scrutiny for its role in promoting “Stand Your Ground” gun laws, voter suppression bills, union-busting policies and other controversial legislation. Although billing itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership,” ALEC is actually a national network of state politicians and powerful corporations principally concerned with increasing corporate profits without public scrutiny. Moyers’ special will air this weekend on Moyers & Company, but first airs on Democracy Now! today. “The United States of ALEC” is a collaboration between Okapi Productions, LLC and the Schumann Media Center.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/9/27/the_united_states_of_alec_bill
ALEC: The Scheme to Remake America, One State House at a Time
from Daily Kos
“This week, we report on the most influential corporate-funded political force most Americans have never heard of — ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. A national consortium of state politicians and powerful corporations, ALEC presents itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership”. But behind that mantra lies a vast network of corporate lobbying and political action aimed to increase corporate profits at public expense without public knowledge.
In state houses around the country, hundreds of pieces of boilerplate ALEC legislation are proposed or enacted that would, among other things, dilute collective bargaining rights, make it harder for some Americans to vote, and limit corporate liability for harm caused to consumers — each accomplished without the public ever knowing who’s behind it.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/26/1136609/-ALEC-The-Scheme-to-Remake-America-One-State-House-at-a-Time
ALEC has been a major silent player in the charter and other obnoxious legislation directed to privatizing our public institutions. Bill Moyers has prepared a great documentary about ALEC and its antics that you can see on DemocracyNow!:
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/9/27/the_united_states_of_alec_bill
Diane – sorry, totally off topic, but have you seen the October issue of the Atlantic? It has a whole special report section on schools. I only started thumbing through it, but I’m already depressed. Here’s one of the articles: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/a-national-report-card/309087/ In a section called “Rebirth on the Bayou” it claims, “After Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana transferred most New Orleans schools to the authority of the state-run Recovery School District. With the teachers union effectively obsolete, reform as flourished – about 80 percent of New Orleans students now attend charter schools, the highest proportion in the U.S. – and the city’s historically rock-bottom test scores have shot up.” It then has a chart showing that in 2002 about 25% or fewer students were passing, by 2007 scores were up around 40-50% and in 2011 scores were up to abo 60%. Is there any truth to this (the scores part, I mean – I know the “reform” part is true)? What do you make of this?
The New Orleans article is pure spin. The students in New Orleans schools post-Katrina are not the same as pre-Katrina. Many students never returned. The New Orleans district is a low-performing district in a low-performing state. It is ranked 69th out of 70 districts in Louisiana. 79% of the charters were graded D or F by the state. Some model.
Thanks, I posted a comment saying much of that. Currently it is “awaiting moderation”. We’ll see if it makes it through the censors.
The Atlantic is very involved in organizing the Aspen Ideas Festival, which is a meet and greet for promoters of corporate reform and hedge fund investors. I recall from an earlier discussion that the owner of The Atlantic provides major funding to charter schools.
That’s good to know. I don’t actually subscriber per se – I got a free subscription when I signed up for Salon Core. Supposedly my subscription is expired, but I’ve gotten six issues since then, all warning me that this is my last issue. Guess they haven’t gotten the hint yet that I’m not renewing.
Hello Diane…would you be willing to feature this information from Washington State…a FAQ on the Charter Initiative? http://no1240.org/node/9
Also, is there an e-mail address we should be using for you to e-mail directly? I can’t seem to find a direct contact mechanism on the blog. Many thanks.
This is excellent information, much of which is applicable beyond Washington State. Thanks – I bookmarked it.
This is a good information sheet but it doesn’t explain why charters are not a good idea. If you oppose the initiative, shouldn’t you say why?
Reblogged this on Crazycrawfish's Blog and commented:
This is where Louisiana is going. I suppose I should just accept it. My kids will probably do fine. My wife and I are both college educated with professional careers and while not in the 1% we’re not in the 47% either. I was concerned about everyone else’s kids and the future of my state but I can’t be concerned all by myself and make a difference. Does anyone else care?
Eventually people will care, but only when we hit rock bottom. Education issues are a blip on America’s radar right now. Things are going to have to get a heck of a lot worse before people open their eyes to what’s truly going on. I just hope I can hang in there until I retire in 12 years.