Bridgeport parent leaders responded forcefully to an attack on their schools by Jennifer Alexander, the leader of ConnCAN.
Alexander claimed that charters in Connecticut outperform public schools and that 65,000 students are trapped in failing public schools. She certainly knows the corporate reform script.
The parent leaders wrote:
“As Bridgeport public school parents and elected parent leaders, we find it insulting that a paid charter school proponent is attempting to speak on behalf of a community she has no involvement with. Ms. Alexander does not have a child in the Bridgeport public schools, does not reside in the city of Bridgeport and does not pay Bridgeport taxes.
To Alexander’s claim that charters outperform public schools, the parents wrote:
“In reviewing the data of the six state charter schools that service Bridgeport students, it is abundantly clear that these six schools do not reflect the demographics of our traditional public schools. These six schools collectively underserve children with disabilities, English language learners and students receiving free/reduced-price lunch. By underserving these student populations, in some cases by double digits, they are able to claim that they achieve higher test scores.”
Bridgeport parents understand that ConnCAN represents fabulously wealthy individuals who use the public schools as a plaything. They wrote:
“ConnCan is funded by some very wealthy individuals. Their main purpose is to advocate for charter schools and their expansion. We are Bridgeport public school parents and elected parent leaders who volunteer our time and service. We do not receive a dime in compensation for the advocacy work that we do.
“Until Ms. Alexander can say the same, we recommend she speak for herself and not for those of us that are in the trenches fighting and advocating for our children’s education every day.”
The heartening aspect of this letter is that regular parents are seeing clearly what the game is. They understand that ConnCAN doesn’t care about their children. They recognize that the end game will be a publicly funded dual school system, with one free to exclude or push out kids it doesn’t want.
They are fighting for their children, for their community, for public education, and for democracy.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Silver spoons tarnish.
We are learning from Karen Lewis…educating parents and working together will eventually slow down or kill the privatization movement/ stimulus plan masquerading as “reform”.
Wonderful to see the parents cannot be fooled or intimidated by the pro-charter corporate machine. A very encouraging letter. Thanks for posting, Diane.
Looks like people are waking up and fighting back and that is what it takes. Take every statement and find out the documented proof. Such as the statements of poor schools. Stick them with the facts which show that they lied. They will melt into the ground when you do this publically. Just watch their body language. Karen Lewis and her supporters at CTU are showing the way for all. Join together and fight. If you do not they will roll right over you. Nothing is for free including freedom and education. Now as they take away our won rights we must fight to keep and restore those lost. Neither Dems or rats are your friends now. Only the people care about each other, that is those who really care and that is all we have, but that is POWER.
I love reading this
Reblogged this on Transparent Christina and commented:
Rodel is thick as thieves with ConnCAN.
THANK GOD! People are finally getting it. This is so beautifully written and these parents are able to “out” the lies that the charter system weaves! Good for you Bridgeport parents; keep fighting the good fight, call it for what it is, and next fight to get your tax dollars given to your PUBLIC schools and not the corporate deformers!!
People are realizing that this is a privatization movement that has little or nothing to do with student achievement. Also, citizens realize that once these schools are privatized, they will have nothing to say about governance. The public schools are basically being (legally) stolen from the people, who will still have to pay for them!
Well, the American people may have been preoccupied with the economy but they are not brain dead. Look for changes real soon.
“. . . this is a privatization movement that has little or nothing to do with student achievement.”
Couldn’t care less about “student achievement”. I care greatly about student learning and both the teaching and learning processes that it takes for a student to learn.
“Student achievement” is edudeformer speak!! It implies the end of the teaching and learning processes that attempts to “measure” said processes. Such measurement is illogical and invalid. Please refrain from using their terminology as it only reinforces their agenda which is anti-teaching and anti-learning but pro-training of edubots.
How about an entire charter district:
Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System (MHPSA), America’s first all-charter public school district, has been found out of compliance on over a dozen issues relating to its special education program. The educational crisis of the entire district is a resounding condemnation of the emergency manager system.
In investigating two complaints filed by parents, the Michigan Department of Education determined that MHPSA failed to deliver a host of services. On 14 different points the district was found noncompliant, including provision of occupational, speech, and physical therapy.
A former special education teacher of 15 years, Norm Kittleson, told Michigan Radio “In my opinion this was probably the worst delivery of special education services I’ve seen in my career.”
The charter system also failed to provide teacher consultant services for autism and a variety of physical disabilities. The investigations found that teachers were instructed not to recommend students for social work services regardless of need, because “no related service providers were available.”
Ultimately, failure to provide mandatory special education services is only part of the broader issues surrounding the decision to privately run a public school district.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/05/27/musk-m27.html
Here is a recent article about how a school district in Michigan is performing with state’s first all public charter school district.
http://www.michiganradio.org/post/despite-state-takeover-special-education-problems-linger-muskegon-heights-schools?utm_source=Mackinac+Center+Publications&utm_campaign=1d97e5b5cd-MED_05_28_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4fe5eae3c7-1d97e5b5cd-259360365
Why do wealthy push charter schools? In Delaware we found out. One school built on the property graciously offered by one of our state’s wealthy developers, was paying $1.3 million in rent out of our state’s $2.9 million budgeted for that schools operating budget.
So that’s why business interests are behind the charter school movement.
We are looking for resources to fight the charter school that is funded by a few wealthy parents who want to be able to pick and choose which students attend. They dump students who don’t test well. But they are supported by a group that attacks the local public school. We have over 90 percent free and reduced lunch students with a variety of needs. They purposely maintain just enough students to get title one funds. Guess which school is 40 percent white and which school is 1 percent white. They have a sophisticated campaign of bullying and deceit. The school is called Willow Creek Academy and is located in Sausalito. They filled the local school board who is now diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional funds to the charter school.