Sit back in your favorite chair and set aside 15-20 minutes
to read a stunning story about how the charter school idea has been
captured by ambitious wheeler-dealers who are making millions off
the taxpayers. This series in the
Miami Herald is an outstanding example of investigative
journalism. The articles were written two years ago by Kathleen
McGrory and Scott Hiassen but they remain timely. They document how
charter schools in Florida routinely exclude students with special
needs; how some screened out the poorest students; how Academica
Corporation became Florida’s richest charter school management
firm, through a series of complex financial transactions involving
real estate; and how charter operators like Academica steer
campaign donations to legislators to protect and increase their
gains. It helps to have powerful allies in the state legislature,
and all it takes is generous campaign donations. If you don’t have
time today, read it tomorrow. This is an incredibly enlightening
series of articles. Once you read it, you will understand the
political clout of the charter industry and why charters have
become the rage on Wall Street as well as with ALEC and the Koch
brothers.
A site to discuss education and democracy
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Here’s an article from the Tampa Bay Times about how some charter schools are allowing parents to pay fees in lieu of volunteer hours. There’s also comments about students having to pay for textbooks, and being required to purchase some items from the school store. Yes, I know that traditional public schools charge fees for some things. However, charter schools are able to blur the line between “extra” items kind of fees and tuition.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/hillsborough-officials-say-charter-schools-walk-fine-line-between-fees-and/2139421
We read endless stories about these school, yet there hasn’t been one congressional hearing. Why is steroid use in baseball more of an issue for our lawmakers than the education of our children?
Because, in modern America, baseball is far more important that educating kids. Can’t have any uppity critical thinking kids who might challenge the powers that be. They should all strive to be baseball players and make oodles of money.
(and that sarcastic remark comes from a diehard baseball fan)
As an old minor leaguer I always tell my kids one good fastball can end that career. I used the piddly minor league pay to pay for college.
There are several factors involved in the lack of government intervention in charter chain non-compliance with IDEA. I highlight 2 here that are most significant.
One, charters received special treatment in state laws that exempted them from compliance with “red tape”, “excessive regulation” or govt. oversight. This was marketed as the reason charters are (according to their advertisements) more innovative than their union burdened public school counter parties.
Two, public school compliance with IDEA protections can be initiated from state Dept of Educations. Every state has compliance officers that can visit schools and assure children with IEP’s are receiving appropriate services. The state provided regular monitoring, that means schools sent IEP data to a central data base, & compliance that meant state compliance officers regularly visited schools. Random IEPs were pulled and school officials had to prove the child’s needs were being met.
States enforced compliance until Arne decided that it will be done electronically alone. Arne’s Dept of Ed switched from a compliance model to simply monitoring IEP data from DC. Meaning schools are only being checked for compliance based on their numbers & test scores. In the SPED world this action was the most significant change since PL 94-142, now IDEA was passed in 1975 in terms of the federal government protecting kids in SPED. Weak backing from the Feds opens the door for potential abuses being ignored at the expense of children.
Sad, but true.
Here’s Juan Gonzalez’ video report on Success Academy
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/8/30/juan_gonzlez_growing_charter_school_chain
“Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt” of a child for the purpose of exploitation.”
——–
So what exactly is the difference here?
No hay ninguno.
Like that thinking!
We need to start screaming it from the rooftops to make these people put their tails between their legs and run away.
I have already been saying charters exploit tax payers (many), but the mama bear in me is beginning to see it as exploitation of children.
Arizona is one of the worst for charter schools. Now our Superintendent is embracing the Common Core with no additional funding for the schools.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/20130828huppenthal-embraces-common-core-standards.html
That’s because Huppenthal is a fool, one of a long line of fools elected to be AZ Supe despite not being qualified – or even interested – in public education. Just like Lisa Graham-Keegan, who unleashed the charter school scourge, and that inept and racist idiot Horne, this is just a stepping stone for him to get to a top spot in AZ gov. I can’t recall a qualified AZ State Supe since C. Diane Bishop, who has since tossed her hat into the charter school fraud business, unfortunately.
This is disgraceful!!! Duncan should be removed from office for his incompetence and promotion of corporate greed. He will go down as the individual who destroy the public educational system. I don’t know what the answers are because each child has their own needs. I do believe that there should be a choice of different schools to suit the needs like; one for autism, one for learning disabilities, one for the general normal population. There might be other categories but generally that is what I think should be done. Based on the need at the school, types of teachers and service providers should work with the kids. What is wrong with that idea? Get the charter’s out!!! They are only making a mess of things and making the problem more complex. They don’t address any child with an IEP which is against the law!!! These people act like the wild west.
ZenQI: you make good points but I would add that when charters fail to deliver ‘the goods’ then they revert to that old standby—
Charters are public schools!
So public schools must not only try to survive the assaults of the privatizing corporate sector, they are asked to shoulder the blame for the failures of the charters as well.
Heads they win, tails we lose.
Thank you KrazyTA for your view on the problem as a whole. I am just a parent not a teacher. I have a child with an IEP so I got to know the system with a quick baptism. Why are the Charter’s considered public schools when they are not public schools? They do not have to take everyone like public schools do? They can pick and choose. They are not held by the same standards as public schools with IEP’s? They do not have to provide services to children with IEP’s. They can just provide a half hour of reading instruction and get away with it. So how can they be considered the same and not be in compliance legally as a public school?
The parent’s need to really understand what is happening because I don’t think that they do. You know the old saying, “If it does not affect me then it doesn’t exist”. That really is not true because over time this will effect everyone. One day we will all turn around and say, “What happened?” Then it will be to late and there will be no such thing as school as we know it. Anyone that wants to really learn something will have to go to a private school. Only the wealthy will be educated. Instead of pushing us forward they are pushing us backwards. It is truly a shame!!!
ZenQI: I wish there are more parents and citizens like you. You are raising the kinds of questions that lead to more thoughtful and effective solutions.
And you are doing exactly what the leading charterites/privatizers despise and fear:
“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” [Voltaire]
Krazy props.
🙂
I just read all the Miami Herald pieces except for the last half of the last article on states monitering and rules for charter schools as the Miami Herald wanted me to buy a subscription.
I wish we had that quality of reporting in L.A. Great articles. Clearly researched carefully. Thanks for this Diane. I have sent the special ed one to my special ed friends across the U.S. Revealing, then fighting for accountability on this corruption is the only way to go. And it must be agressive and not done until fully prepared with the proper documented proof.
Just pulled down the NEA study of 2011-12 on schools. The article, if you divide the numbers, they have $7,900/student. In 2011-12 the average for the state was $8,080/student. Some of their academies, like they call them in England, are paying 20% for the property rental/lease rights from the operators. This is how you make real money. Only this time the brothers are the hedge fund so they make it on every side and collect management fees. I would say pretty Kook if you are them.
On the side of special education, tragedy. As usual, the moderate and especially the high disabled, are given the short end of the stick. The state should pay for what it really costs for these most needy of our society. They did not decide they wanted to have these problems. My cousin, Marty MimMack, was born without arms, one foot about 2″ shorter than the other one and 1/2 of his body different from the other side and getting worse. You want to tell me he wants to be this way? And by the way he is a certified teacher and has taught from K through university.
As LAUSD we are beginning a campaign to stop those at LAUSD who are planning to shut down the special education schools for the moderate to highly disabled. These children with helmets, non verbal, downs syndrome, wheelchairs and non verbal have no business in those schools. They already tried with their highly gifted but physically disabled. Within one week they were back as a result of no services, proper personnel and bad treatment overall.
I have been there, seen them in class, been at lunch with them and seen the care of the staff and the friendship and ease of them with each other. We hope the board thinks about this decision and decides on their own that this is not correct for the lives of these children already burdened with enough problems.
I am asking everyone at the Ravitch Blog and anyone else to write, call, email or whatever to the LAUSD board of education to please not do this to these children. We are now organizing parents to go to the board togethere and we have shot the video to clip into a piece to show to the board and be transmitted over their television channel at the board meeting and then on You Tube.
Thank You for this important information. If you do not read, you cannot gain knowledge.
George Buzzetti: I always read your posts. Thank you for this one.
And if you will pardon the impertinence, I would add to your very last line:
“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.” [Mark Twain]
🙂
Krazy TA is do not miss yours also. You can always add anything you like. And that last statement is only so true and it applies to teachers also as at LAUSD I have found many to be ignorant and unwilling to read and see if they might be wrong. They will not do it including the union leadership. Krazy TA we need to get together. We need to exchange information. Not just us but the crew should do as we do here and that is share information. Maybe put up a website for central information. That would blow them away along with a site for students to comment and show what they do.
I wish both of you KrazyTA and George to help set up blogs for parents to understand what is happening so they can join you in this crusade. All of you need more parent support. You can’t do this alone. Some parents believe these Charter’s schools are the best thing that ever happened. You know that the Charter’s school don’t ever give their kids a book. They give them mounds of ditto sheets that they can’t organize. This is the best solution? I think these politicians are dirt bags!!!! How dare they treat our children this way!!! The parents don’t take the time to even find out. The whole state of education makes me sick!!!
I was able to find an excellent solution for my son. It was because I did my research. Most parents would never have put in the effort that I did. We moved from NC to NY. I found a school under “dyslexics like me” website. Hire an educational consultant who guided me and told me where to live. I got him into one of the top schools in the country for Dyslexics (learning disabled). My child is one of the lucky ones. Many children will never have that opportunity. They will just think they are stupid for the rest of their lives. What a waste of talent and resources. I am truly disgusted by the Obama administration. I believed as did everyone that he would do the right thing. These are sad times for this country!!!
So ZenQ1, where does your youngster attend school now? District school in New York? Private school? School set up by several districts?
It’s a private school set up by several districts and sub-sized by the state of New York for learning disabled children. Grades go from age 10 through high school. It is Norman Howard School. It is the model school for the state of New York. I really hit gold!!! WE are very lucky and blessed. No school is completely perfect but I am lucky this school is here. When the district ask me how I heard about it he was stunned when I told him I found it on a website. He probably was thinking, he hoped there were not a lot of parents like me. It is sad that the districts thinks this way rather than helping the kids. I had to go look at three different schools within the district. One school had a mental ward within it. I know because I have a master’s in psych. Pretty disgusting situations they put kids in. Truly a shame!!!
Joe, just curious, where do you work? It looks like a Charter school to me? If that is the case I am wondering who side are you on? Not the side of educating children that’s for sure!!! Charter’s look out!!! Mom’s are going to push you out!!! YEA!!!!
ZenQ1 – Our 3 children all attend urban district (non admissions entrance) public schools. I worked for almost 15 years in urban district public schools. Our organization currently works with district and charter public schools.
How about you?
Zen QI, Krazy TA and I and others need to do just this. I have thought of it for a long time. It is very comprehensive and includes space for students to comment and to show their art and other projects to others. This is needed especially the student section. If you want to know what is happening and how to energize the students they need to be in the mix. In fact, one of my propositions for those Pulling the Trigger is to have a student on the board with a vote who is voted in by the students just like class president as their voice.
We have the information. We have the understanding. It all needs to be in one place properly organized to be easily accessible and for new ideas as no one knows all the answers. This would be the super blog of all time and information central as does not exist now.
This would be the end of them and their game. We need to make it happen.
Krazy TA and anyone else who wants to help in this project here is my email: georgebuzzetti@gmail.com. People mad without full information is almost dangerous. People mad with full information is deadly to the crooks and liars. I and many of you out there have also proven this over time. They depend on “Divide and Conquer.” We win by organization. We recently proved that in L.A. with the stopping of a $90 billion tax until 2069 that had one paragraph of language. That is about $300 billion with interest. We stopped them in 3 weeks with less than $15,000. We did it by organization and targeting the message. As a result every bill in California to lower bond passage to 55% from 2/3 was tossed out at the end of this session our of fear because of the public backlash. They do not want you to know this but it is a fact. We do not know of any time in history that so much, if you use adjusted dollars, was defeated by so little against such power. Do not tell me it cannot be done. We can do it if we want to.
Diane, do you have anyone with a few hundred dollars for a website? Let’s make it happen. No knowledge, no win, no good outcomes.
George, Krazy TA and others – please take a look at the school that ZenQ1 is promoting and using:
http://www.normanhoward.org/
It’s
* a private school that screens students to determine which are appropriate for the school.
* subsidized by local districts according to ZenQ1
* apparently an acknowledgement by local districts that there are some students with special needs who they can not serve well.
* a school that boasts a 99% graduate rate (the website is not clear on how many enter and how many leave before their senior year)
In short, it’s the kind of school constantly criticized on this list serve. Why no questions about this school which is taking public funds away from school districts, which screens out students, etc. etc?
I just talked with a friend on the phone and she said to use crowd funding. With 5 million viewers a year on this blog that should not be a big deal to be able to get enough to set up the proper website. Anyone in? In fact, I am the Director of Policy for CORE-CA which is a 501 (c) (3) which is a legal vehicle for this and we are an old civil and human rights organization with a civil rights history of more than 115 years.
I am in George. I will e-mail you. As for you Joe who are you promoting a Charter institution? Our school is private. The whole county and two other counties around us use Norman Howard when they have children the district can’t educate well. Meaning they provide Orton Gillingham technique and Wilson. Do you know what those are? Joe maybe you are to ignorant to know what they are? You go ahead and promote a greedy corporate system like a Charter school that can’t or I should say won’t even give a child a book!! What kind of idiot are you? I guess a real one!!!!
I see now!!! Joe is a Director of a Charter school. Now I get the picture. You have a an interest in maintaining a job by corrupt corporate greed. Now I get you Joe!!! Your position is no books, no IEP’s (only with the child’s name on it so it looks like your doing something), mounds of ditto sheets so kids with learning disabilities can’t function in that environment. Oh, I forgot, you don’t have to take them!!! What a shame!!!! You call yourself an educator? What a disgrace!!!! May your organization rot in hell!!!!
Actually, no, I am not the director of a charter public school. Never have been. We work with both district & charter public schools. We believe in shared facilities – schools sharing space with other organizations. Our office is located in a charter.
There are great examples of both district & charter public schools. I’ll pass on your other comments except to note that Norman Howard, the private school you tout was found was found guilty earlier this by NY Office of State Comptroller of mis-using more than $208,000.
Click to access 12s18.pdf
Mis-use of public funds by private schools that are working with students from special needs has been found to be a major problem in New York State.
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/june12/062512.htm
Sounds like the school has done good things for your youngster, and that’s good. But there are real problems with some of these schools, including Norman Howard.
Joe puts his name on his posts. You do not. Why?
I am not a teacher or a Director. I am a parent and I prefer my privacy. That still exists in America, at least the last I heard. Unless the charter’s are going to take away privacy as well.
Why don’t you get the whole story and not just part of it you creep!!!! Keep working for your corporate charter!!!! Stay there!!!! Please go to hell while your at it!!! Soon other parents will find out how charter’s really work and they won’t want you either. Drop Dead!!!!
So much for the modeling of critical thinking among the parents.