Louisiana passed its historic privatization legislation last spring, which included not only vouchers for more than half the students in the state, but inducement for many organizations to open multiple charter schools.
Now the state is getting swamped with applications from unknown or little-known groups. Maybe it is your Uncle Harry and Aunt Mabel. Maybe it is the guy who usually runs a hardware store. Maybe it is a dentist and his friends. Are they qualified to run schools?
Who knows?
People in public schools call them “pop-up charters” because they materialized out of nowhere to grab some funding away from the public schools. Yes, that. Every charter that opens, no matter how unqualified its founders or inexperienced its teachers, takes money away from the minimum foundation funding fo the state’s public schools. Once they get set up and operating, there is no one to hold them accountable. Accountability is only for public schools.
This is a money grab, plain and simple. And call it what is is: privatization.
Please look over this list and see if you ever heard of any of these would-be charter operators.
Frankly it seems that Bobby Jindal and John White don’t care who sets themselves up in business and calls themselves a school, so long as they take money away from public schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It both infuriates and confounds me that these profiteers have been able to convince so many that that those who have devoted their lives to education are not capable of teaching the nation’s children. Yet, they have somehow convinced those very same people that just about anybody else can.
The “academy” name seems popular. All about the marketing.
Nexus is applying for a charter here in Indiana. I just wrote a blog post highlighting some of the red flags I noticed in their charter application. http://ateachersfight.blogspot.com/2012/10/warning-more-corporate-charter-school.html
This is the kind of activism that is needed today
We must all become investigative journalists
Diane
WOW! Louisianians will probably never see this list published except through social media or their ability to go to the state department’s website. Thank you for publishing it so quickly and to the source who forwarded you the list.
There is a great deal of creativity in the names and groups that wish to start up a charter school. Most are unknown to me and I’m sure to many others who will take a look at the list. I especially liked the group wanting to start one that has “grandmothers” in their name.
The whistle blows so let the vetting begin. Not only will money be taken from the funding of public schools to students who attend in the form of vouchers, but it is also important to know that there are start-up loans available at no interest at http://www.doe.state.la.us/divisions/charters/
Yes, some of these charter operators are familiar. Some have changed their names to protect the same groups who ran failed charters in the past, or RSD schools that failed. Seems everyone wants to get in the business of schooling here in the bayou. And those of us in true public schools get to work with all the students left in their wake – those that don’t meet admissions standards, or have learning disabilities, or who react to the poverty and instability of their home lives.
This is “reform” in the bayou.
Some of these charters are the neighborhood communities trying to take back their neighborhood school. Here in New Orleans, the only way to have a community school is to charter out. The Parrish will be composed of nothing but charters a year from now. What gets me is BESE will not give these neighborhood charters a school! Only those organizations with the right political ties are getting schools down here. It is disgusting and people are finally wising up with the protests at Cohen and LB Landry. I just fear it is too late the damage is done. I do know this, as a veteran teacher for the RSD(who has been lucky to still have a job), I will be out of work next year. And since I am not under 30 or an ex TFA I need to change careers or move out of state! What is funny, (not really, trying to keep a sense of humor), is that I would love to work for some of these community charter schools. They would hire me!