Readers of this blog learned about the Great Hearts charter chain in Arizona as a result of its efforts to open a branch in Nashville. The Metro Nashville school board has rejected Great Hearts four times and was punished by TFA Commissioner of Education for refusing to approve this charter. Huffman has withheld $3.4 million from the district to retaliate for its unwillingness to open a charter in an affluent part of the city.
Back in Arizona, where Great Hearts is based, the “headmaster” of a Great Hearts school sent out a blast email urging staff and parents to vote against a ballot measure intended to raise $1 billion for the state’s dramatically underfunded public schools. The measure is intended to raise additional funding for both public schools and charter schools. But apparently, the headmaster thinks it best to starve the public schools into submission. After all, his own school asks for a “voluntary” gift of $1200-1500 from parents, so he doesn’t need the new money from the state.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What a/an _______________! (Your choice of word, noun, verb or adjective; or any combination) If there was a doubt about the “for the children” motives of charters and people of his ilk this should settle it and give one pause.
Maybe when things get back on track politically and economically, people will have an opportunity to focus on schools and charters. If not, there goes another piece of our great democracy.
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We in Arizona anxiously await enforcement, but know that Mr. twist has friends in high places and will most likely suffer no consequences for this. His opinion shows his true colors, but his use of public resources to disseminate his opinion is a violation of the law.
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Unbelievable! Hypocritical! Moronic!
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I’m not sure I understand the charges of hypocrisy. He wants more funding for charters and less for public schools. You might not agree but it seems consistent to me.
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Great Hearts is not the only charter in Arizona opposing a proposition that would increase per pupil spending for all public school students (charter students would also get this increase), Craig Barrett, the Chairman and President of the board for Basis charter schools, is opposing Prop 204-donating $10,000 to the NO on 204 campaign.
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2012/10/08/former-intel-ceo-craig-barrett-gives.html?page=all
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Like all of us, Eric Twist bears a responsibility to form an opinion regarding the merits of ballot measures. He also bears a right to communicate his opinion once formed. He does not however speak for Great Hearts Academies when he so communicates, but rather for himself. Great Hearts Academies to date has not taken a position on this ballot measure, nor has the Arizona Charter Schools Association. Eric Twist has been advised that he ought to have communicated his view from a private email account rather than from his school email, and that he ought to have been explicit about the foregoing in stating that he was speaking on his own behalf only and not that of his employer.
Regarding the funds to be provided by this ballot measure, I can assure you that Great Hearts Academies is very much in need of additional support to assure our continued service to the students and families of Arizona; in fact our request for assistance from those families who can afford and are so inclined to help is the best evidence of that. I can also state my own view that the system and level of state funding here in Arizona are in need of significant revision. People of good faith and deepest commitment to educational quality for our state can disagree as to whether this ballot measure as written is a wise approach toward those ends.
Jay Heiler
Chairman, Great Hearts Academies
Chairman, Arizona Charter Schools Association
Arizona Board of Regents
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Twist can form an opinion, he can share that opinion (even when he mixes in unrelated issues like Abortion politics–see below), however, what he cannot do is use public dollars to share that opinion with hundreds of families using publicly-financed computers, databases and staff time.
Erik Twist says he didn’t realize he was breaking the law or in his words, “what I assumed was a simple response to increasing inquiries from families about my opposition to Prop 204, was in fact a violation of state statue.” Twist has run campaigns, his brother runs campaigns and his father is a lawyer, C’mon do we really think this guy had no idea that what he was doing was illegal? It remains to be seen what penalty he faces for breaking that law.
Twist has been quite vocal that he also opposes this bill because he believes it is a Trojan horse for abortion funding. Yes, here in Arizona EVERYTHING comes back to that hot button issue. The initiative is aimed at preparing students for school and careers. Funding programs that address hunger, homelessness and healthcare for the poor all result in better prepared students. But Twist and his cronies will use any unrelated issue to advance their ideological view.
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/Supporters-opponents-debate-Arizonas-Proposition-204
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Dear AzDiva,
I am sure many share your distrust of my apology, but for what it’s worth, please know that I am being entirely sincere and honest in it. As I said in my apology letter to parents, my negligence doesn’t excuse my misstep. If anything, it only adds to my embarrassment. I completely agree that a man in my position should have known better.
For the record, I haven’t ever run any campaigns. Others in my family know much more about these things than I and I should have sought their counsel before sending my email to parents. Another misstep on my part.
I know it is easy to try to demonize those we disagree with, assuming they are part of some premeditated, sinister plot. In this case, it has been assumed that my opposition to 204 is based on a lack of concern for public education and the children within its care. This is absolutely false.
As I have said publicly and privately, I believe there is a serious funding problem in this state and I believe it must be remedied. I know the numbers as well as anyone. I run a public school, one that — because it is a charter school — gets nearly $2k less per pupil every year than its district neighbors. Because of this, we need to ask parents to make up that difference in order to offer an exemplary education where at the end of the day we still run very narrow NOIs. This our parents do consistently year after year and we are deeply grateful for their sacrifices.
My opposition to 204 is not an opposition to increased funding for education in AZ. It is an opposition to the way 204 proposes to do so. That is all. I don’t want 204 to be defeated and then we sit around and do nothing. I want something better than 204 that accomplishes the same end: increased funding for our public school system of which I am a part of.
I regret sending the email and I don’t begrudge anyone being upset with me for doing so. But, if you take a close look at the email itself, you will see that some of the criticisms in this post and in the comments are specious and distraction from the core debate.
Respectfully,
Erik Twist
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Ah, Jeez. A perfect example of Twist-ed logic and Great Hearts double-speak. A “misstep”? You broke the law, fool! Notice how artfully he shifts the blame from himself to those who criticize his arrogance and stupidity, while at the same time trying to sell the Great Hearts agenda. Truly amazing!
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So, now that Prop 204 has been defeated, one wonders what Mr. Twist and his ilk are doing to provide increased funding to support the education of all children in Arizona.
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Didn’t Twist allegedly just misuse the school mailing list AGAIN in 2014 to throw a pizza party for a Tea Party candidate? GH is said to be LOSING 30% of the veteran staff of it’s marquee school in Phoenix. They are slipping it under the radar, a nice surprise for parents returning in the fall to a staff of largely new and inexperienced teachers and a leader that’s best know for his secessionist writings: http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2012/11/secession-humane-scale-of-politics-and.html
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I am Clint Condra and I feel compelled to say that I did not write this post! I discovered it just now by idly googling my own name.
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I am Clint Condra and I feel compelled to say that I did not write this post! I discovered it just now by idly googling my own name.
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