Yasha Levine is an investigative reporter. He became interested in the “parent trigger” and wanted to see what was going on in Adelanto, California, the only place in the United States where the parent trigger has been “fired” to turn a public school over to a charter operator.
Just as an aside, I find the rhetoric of a “parent trigger” to be loathsome after the Newtown massacre. But that’s just me.
This article is now behind a pay wall. With this kind of investigative reporting, you might consider subscribing. We need more digging by smart journalists instead of the regurgitated press releases that we so often read and see in the major media.
Regretfully, I cannot post the full text onmy website.
This story deserves wide attention. If you have to pay to read it, please do.
Here goes:
When NSFWCORP sent me to Victorville this January, I little expected that the neighboring town of Adelanto would become ground zero for a fight between billionaires like Anschutz on one side, and poor, vulnerable minority parents and children on the other.
I first heard about the fight through the local right-wing paper, the Victorville Daily Press, which gleefully announced on its front page that a local school, Desert Trails Elementary, had just made history as the first school in the nation to be privatized under California’s new “parent trigger” law. The paper described the takeover as “promising a fresh start to the failing elementary school,” and claimed it had received widespread support from parents.
The national press gushed in similarly glowing terms. The LA Weekly described the Adelanto privatization as an “historic moment for the education-reform movement picking up steam across the nation.” The New York Times dutifully compared the takeover of Desert Trails to “Won’t Back Down.” An “issues” movie starring Face of Indie Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Won’t Back Down” promotes the parent-trigger law as a panacea for America’s public-education problems, one that “empowers” parents to fight back against self-interested public school teachers and their union.
All in all, everyone agreed that this takeover of Desert Trails Elementary represented a triumphant moment for parents and their children, a victory for the people over rapacious elementary school teachers and their unions.
But something didn’t seem right about this story — it was too pat, too much like a triumph-of-the-spirit Disney tale, too much like Maggie’s movie. So I made some calls and started spending some time in Adelanto, to find out what really went on there…….
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I would spend several weeks talking to the parents of children enrolled in Desert Trails Elementary, meeting with them in local taco joints and strip mall diners and talking about what happened. As I had suspected, their version of events turned out not to match the Disney version in national papers.
The parents told me that a Los Angeles-based group calling itself “Parent Revolution” organized a local campaign to harass and trick them into signing petitions that they thought were meant for simple school improvements. In fact those petitions turned out to be part of a sophisticated campaign to convert their children’s public school into a privately-run charter — something a majority of parents opposed. At times, locals say, the “Parent Revolution” volunteers’ tactics were so heavy-handed in gathering signatures that they crossed the line into harassment and intimidation. Many parents were misled about what the petition they signed actually meant. Some told me that the intimidation with some of the undocumented Latino residents included bribery and extortion.”
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The rhetoric of the “trigger” was always loathsome. A Freudian slip that reveals a particular attitude toward teachers and public schools? Loathsome indeed!
Kick reporting- but dang… so depressing: the school situation, the twon and the lack of any opportunities. Yikes!
I’ve never heard anyone try to claim that the Broad Foundation is liberal before, but otherwise, this is some powerful reporting.
He’s a major contributor to the Democratic party. In his mind he may be liberal.
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=4016
Broad refers to himself as a moderate Democrat.
I based my comment regarding Eli’s alleged liberalism on this comment made by his spokesman.
There’s little difference between Republicans and many Democrats today.
Gayaneh,
If I may correct your statement: “There’s NO difference between Republicans and many Democrats today”
First the name “Parent Trigger” was created by LAUSD. How about that! Great article about Parent Revolution and Adalanto but nothing about the law as it stands in California. Too bad people do not read and understand legalize. As I have stated before Ravich has not read and/or understand it and not one other commenter I have read does either. They are just using the “Party Line.” As confirmed by Ben Austin himself yesterday at the LAUSD Board Meeting the “Parent Trigger” can be used by parents, teachers and the community without the corporate privatizers. He was there in force concerning 24th Street and their “Parent Trigger” school. What does it take for everyone to wake up??????? You are supposed to be educators and educated and know that you have to know and understand your subject why not this one. Parent Revolution is one of the most disgusting organizations I know as they take advantage of desperate uneducated parents with psychological warfare. Why do you think they have that “Green Beret” guy, for fun? We know all their maneuvers and can predict what they will do.
Yesterday, at the LAUSD Board Meeting I made sure that Ben Austin and Parent Revolution got a serious message. “Stay away from Roosevelt High School or you will not like the results of crossing this line.” We have spent two years taking that community from total defeatism to believing that they can run the school better without LAUSD or the corporate privatizers who are in there now. That is Mayor Villaraigosa’s, “King Tony”, Parthership for Los Angeles Schools, PLAS. PLAS has broken every part of their legally required MOU and Matrix required for them to continue running that school. Now they are scrambling. They are so stupid that they sent me the documents to sink them and now LAUSD is breaking the law, once again, by not honoring a public information request for documents which are the nail in the coffin to PLAS at Roosevelt High School. Just recently we ran Deasy, superintendent, and Steve Barr out of Venice High School with their sneak attack there. Then UTLA voted over 92% no confidence in Deasy and his agenda. You should see the look on their faces during a lot of the meeting yesterday.
It is time for all of you to wake up and use the “Parent Trigger” law to your advantage and eliminate the corporate privatizers. Don’t you think that you could do a much better job than they could? Don’t you think that if you and the community had control of the money that you could do a lot more with less by careful planning and expenditures than them? If you do wake up read the law and take action. We are. That is why Austin was given a warning. Mess with us saving instead of destroying our children and it will not be fun for you. We must save ourselves. Reporters, do not write until you know the “Whole Story.” I am tired of both spin and ignorance. The story about Parent Revolution and what they have done and are doing is right on the money but it was not the “Whole Story.” Now you have more of the puzzle. Why not publish the laws and rules and regulations on this blog? Should that be a big deal? I can supply both the California and Florida documents. After all they are on the web. All you have to do is get them and read. By the way Deasy will be at UCLA today I think in Moore Hall telling more lies to unsuspecting students creating “True Believers” in privatization and corporatization. Total lack of intellect there as we saw Monday.
Fred Klonsky already came down on you for kicking sand in his house and here you are kicking sand in Diane’s. Your claim that Diane is just spouting the “Party Line” is about as disrespectful as it gets, considering that Diane broke with her party and used her name and reputation to fight against privatization.
I doubt Diane would be as quick to give you the boot as Fred would, but I would still suggest moderating your rants a bit.
I agree, Dienne. Have one question. Can the citizens of Adelanto use the parent trigger law to get signatures on a petition to overturn the charter, in due time?
From what I understand, the trigger can only be pulled once and the decision is irreversible. I don’t know if there’s any recourse if (when) the charter turns out to be a total fiasco that skips town with public money leaving the town’s children uneducated.
Saying that someone is “spouting the party line” is “about as disrespectful as it gets”? At the risk of being disrespectful, I would suggest that people chill out and stop worrying about whether Dr. Ravitch is being insulted. She’s pretty tough, and is very capable of moderating her own blog.
Dienne: agreed. Contempt will not win a “better education for all.” Courage will. And Diane has shown courage in publicly breaking with some very powerful and well-connected folks. Hence the various sneer-and-smear attacks.
IMHO, we should all show some appreciation for what she and her staff [?!?!?] do in putting up this blog. Credit where credit is due. Nothing more, nothing less.
It is my understanding that under CA’s so-called “Parent Trigger Law” that [among various options] you can convert from public to charter but that there is no provision at all for going from charter back to public.
If anyone has more specific info, please share.
Thank you.
Are illegal immigrants allowed to sign parent trigger petitions? If they can’t vote, not even in school board elections, why would it be legal for them to sign a petition handing over a public school to a private contractor?
George,
I’m just trying to follow your argument. We appear to all be on the same side here, completely against the Privatizers and sickening organizations like “Parent Revolution”.
To simplify things, are you saying that the existing “Parent Trigger” law could be used to “takeover” existing, established charter schools—and not just public schools?
Are you advising Californians to use the “Parent Trigger” law to get rid of charter schools and replace them with schools that truly serve the existing neighborhood and surrounding community?
If so, I’d be genuinely interested in knowing how that might happen. I really would. Please elaborate. I’m sincerely interested in learning more.
When I was teaching (prior to 2007) I was aware of a law that would allow teachers to take control of a school if 50% voted to do so. I was very interested in this but no one else was. I believe George is saying that teachers can form their own charters and run them in the way they see fit. He sees this as preferable to allowing privatizers and profiteers take them over, and frankly so do I.
I am not sure of my facts, but I think charters were started to give educators the opportunity to try new approaches. They could choose their own head teachers and decide on how to use the money. It turned out that teachers were not interested in doing this, but entrpreneurs saw the possibilities and the rest is history.
When I ask teachers why they are not interested in running their own schools, most say something to this effect: “I just want to teach” or “I don’t want any administrative work.” What they don’t understand is the fact that as soon as they decide to start their own school, they can choose one among them to be the “head teacher” or “principal teacher” and these people would do the administrative tasks, just as they do now. As every teacher knows, some colleagues enjoy organizational tasks and paperwork.
In conclusion, I tend to agree with George here. Most people likely don’t know that the “trigger laws” give teachers the unprecedented opportunity to “own” and run their own schools. And they’d do a much better job than the profiteers. If there is going to be a charter school, I want to see teachers running it.
Shouldn’t they be ashamed? Shouldn’t they be embarrassed? How can they promote themselves as caring for children, teaching and learning? So vile, so underhanded, what a waste of human energy. Can this get any worse before Obama stops the insanity?
He’s useless just like Hillary said he would be.
Just as she would have been. They’re all politicians.
If only Obama WAS that type of person.
However, the reality is that Obama is—through his appointment of the execrable Arne Duncan—more directly responsible than anyone in the country for the horror show of charters, triggers, vouchers and the entire Privatization Offensive now underway, in every part of our country.
The tradition of free, universal education for all American children has never been in a more precarious state since the Obama Administration took power. Their education policies have been nothing short of obscene.
If only Obama were anything close to what he claimed to be when we bought his image of a “Progressive Democrat”; if anything, quite literally, he’s to the right of both Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon.
Given the even worse alternative of McCain in ’08 and Romney in ’12, I’d still vote for Obama again. But this time I’d be holding my nose when I did it, recognizing that it was a “defensive” vote, knowing that I’m just trying to keep “Bad” from becoming “Worse”.
Whatever happened to that idealistic, forward-thinking senator from Illinois, with the most progressive voting record—literally—in the United States Senate from ’05 to ’08? That’s the guy I voted for and expected to see in the White House.
I spent so many hours and so many dollars on that guy. I wish I could get that time and that money back. But I would rather get that “Senator Obama” back, instead of the Bush-Lite actor we’ve seen in the Oval Office since late January 2009.
This is the scariest story I ever read. And I include all the horror stories I read as a kid!
This deserves wide publication and I’d say,even, a Pulitzer. Unless resistance by more people occurs, our public schools will be gone! And with that, i think, will go our democracy.
Scary is right! Are we talking about educating children or a crime ring??
David, I had to take the full story down because of the pay wall, it is up and free for only the next 24 hours.
Download it and send it to everyone you know.
What’s the ACLU’s take on Adelanto…. Seems like there were some real civil rights violated….representation, etc.
Who’s making a movie about this?
Doesn’t this seem like the kind of thing Michael Moore would be interested in?
Diane, didn’t you post one time you met him? Have any way to get this article directly to him? Anyone got any sort of connection?
Ang, I wish I knew how to reach Michael Moore. I don’t. Maybe everyone should tweet this story to him.
Diane,
I don’t do twitter, but I did just email my local paper (AJC…the education person) about this story and I will email MM, but I know he gets about a million emails a day….
So all you twitter folks go for it!
The rest of us should forward, email and talk it up.
This is just too, too incendiary ,IMOH, to let go.
One thing the public is not aware of is that there was a very poor response from charter operators at both Desert Trails and 24th St. Desert Trails had two bidders, and one had lower API scores. Just over 50 parents bothered to vote. At 24th St., there were also only two bidders. The results of the vote were reported as 15 votes for Crown Prep and 3 for Academia Moderna. So, please, explain to me what choice means if the choices were not supported by the parents. This is one major flaw in the law. The parents are flying blind when they sign for a RESTART model because they have NO idea what charters will come forward and put in a bid. And, if they aren’t happy with the charter down the line, they are OUT OF LUCK. LAUSD does not close down charters like Ivy Academia where to owners robbed the school blind while the board of the school and the board of LAUSD conveniently looked the other way. Oh, and don’t forget that 2 Magnolia Science Academies got renewed yesterday too, even though the Inspector General submitted a scathing audit of the board that oversees all of their schools.
The public needs to know this excellent piece of investigative reporting. Hopefully it will get wide coverage. The fact that the major newspapers have ignored the real story behind the Adelanto “trigger” is frightening to me.
Agreed!
FB it, tweet it, instragram it, email it….we have to make this happen!
Here is a link Diane suggested:
If the facts in this report are correct, then the extent of the corruption goes deeper than any of us have imagined, not just intellectual dishonesty, but brazen violations of federal law that would easily justify a RICO investigation.
After all, if parents in Adelanto were induced to participate in this fraud as a result of promises to “take care of” their immigration issues, and if that happened, then we are talking about about literal conspiracies among many actors to violate federal immigration law in order to privatize the schools.
The arrogance, impunity and viciousness of these people is just off the charts, and the local US attorney should immediately begin investigating this.
But I won’t hold my breath.
I agree Michael. At one time hearings would have been held, newspapers would have bled ink on a story like this, and people punished and prosecuted. Today, that’s just a memory. It appears that crime today does pay.