Parents in Newark have rallied to save their schools from the hostile corporate takeover planned by the Chris Christie administration and (typically) given the deceptive name “One Newark.”
Parents in equally beleaguered Camden, New Jersey, know that they are next in the line of fire.
This post, by a Camden resident, expresses their fear, frustration, and outrage as the state lays the groundwork to privatize their schools.
Their only hope at this point is legislative intervention to stop the assault on their community.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The parents in Camden have come together as well to fight for local democratic control of our public schools.
Please check out our site: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Camdens-Schools/1402423336674417 begun just a few weeks ago and growing rapidly.
Our statement in opposition to the Christie Administration’s privatization plans for Camden: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1402770793306338&set=a.1402770779973006.1073741832.1402423336674417&type=1&stream_ref=10
And our petition: http://action.saveourschoolsnj.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12967
The especially big challenge for Camden is that prior to taking over the district, the state passed a sweet charter deal, the Urban Hope Act, making it easier to roll out a franchise system of charters in Camden. The entire point of the Urban Hope Act (and their Renaissance schools) was to infiltrate Camden. While this Act requires school board approval for the charters to pass, we see in Camden that a politically appointed school board is no gatekeeper or guardian of public sentiment.
As the public schools are starved of their resources, and Renaissance schools built, the end game is clear. The fact that the new superintendent rolled out new Renaissance schools prior to presenting his plan for the district to the community also sadly is telling. The course set by the state must be stopped before there is no public education left to protect.
Call Steve Kornacki at MSNBC.
Email Seth Sandronsky, a journalist in Sacramento, at sethsandronsky@gmail.com
Look at Camden Supt’s experience. Taught for only two years as a TFA member. geez louise what do you expect him to do, side with the parents when his $210,000 salary is at stake. Get rid of TFA and see how things turn around.
Paymon Rouhanifard’s Experience
Superintendent
Camden City Public Schools
August 2013 – Present (7 months) Camden, NJ
Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer
Newark Public Schools
Educational Institution; 5001-10,000 employees; Primary/Secondary Education industry
November 2012 – August 2013 (10 months) Newark, NJ
Chief Executive Officer, Office of Portfolio Management
NYC Department of Education
Government Agency; 10,001+ employees; Education Management industry
June 2010 – November 2012 (2 years 6 months)
Chief of Staff to Deputy Chancellor
NYC Department of Education
Government Agency; 10,001+ employees; Education Management industry
August 2009 – June 2010 (11 months)
Associate
AEA Investors LP
Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Venture Capital & Private Equity industry
July 2007 – August 2009 (2 years 2 months)
Analyst
Goldman Sachs
Public Company; 10,001+ employees; GS; Investment Banking industry
July 2005 – July 2007 (2 years 1 month)
******
6th Grade Teacher Teach for America
Nonprofit; 1001-5000 employees; Education Management industry
July 2003 – July 2005 (2 years 1 month)
******
“6th Grade Teacher Teach for America
Nonprofit; 1001-5000 employees; Education Management industry
July 2003 – July 2005 (2 years 1 month)”
I didn’t realize that by being a teacher I was in the “Education Management Industry
Just that statement alone by him should disqualify him for any position in “Education Management Industry”.
I understand the battle for Camden I was the Co-Principal of Camden High School were I reluctantly watched a political system, charter schools, magnate schools, and parochial athletic scholarships decimate the student population and dismantle the educational system. I witnessed the results of the top down DOE invisible hand in Newark, where on two occasion I was the candidate of choice for principalships of major secondary institutions only for the invisible hand remove me from contention.
Today I am once again the victim of the invisible hand. I am currently the Superintendent designation for the Asbury Park School District. Unfortunately the state appointed fiscal monitor refuse to approve my appointment. I have the support of the community, many religious leaders and the majority of the Asbury Park Board of Education but the monitor stud on HER decision.
Unfortunate for me, I am not the hand picked candidate that the Christie/Cerf connection had designated for the position. Every knows the drill. First, the district is assigned a state appointed monitor. Second, the DOE installed their hand picked candidate for the position of “Superintendent of School”. Third, total top down dismantling of the educational system without regard of the local educational professionals, community, and or the elected “Board of Education”.
Newark ignored Patterson, Jersey City ignored Newark, Trenton ignored Camden, and Pleasantville/Asbury Park
had simply put their head in the sand saying they were to small of a district to be on this radar screen.
It is time for all the former “Abbot Districts” understand you are all in the same sinking boat! Your educational budgets are the targets and your students and constitutional rights will be the victim of thus impending travesty.
All eyes are looking at New Jersey because of the George Washington Bridge issue. You who are connected to the NYT or another major newspaper lets use this moment to expose all of the corruption in Jersey politics, Newark and Camden are not alone in their blight in this country but we could get the ear of a writer who wants to inform the rest of the country about these money fueled activities. That are destroying public education.
Parents wake the hell up and fight! These charters schools is not all people think they are! When they close all the schools they plan to close, then their going to start charging to go to these charters schools…then what!!! WE HAVE TO GET OFF OUR BUTTS AND FIGHT!!!!!!
I know this may sound simplistic but why can’t the tax payers just get a lawyer and sue the city if and when the state takes over a school, that ‘they’ the tax payers paid for? They actually own the schools, they should be able to decide what to do with it contrary to what the state says. It is locally owned!
Off-topic, but you really need to read this: http://www.thenation.com/blog/178271/skip-meals-or-go-jail-how-profit-probation-industry-preys-poor We’ve come full-circle to Victorian England – we now have debtors’ prison.
Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.
Reblogged this on Parents Across America Baton Rouge and commented:
Parents in New Jersey have become victims to massive school closures.
Thanks for always sharing. We’ve begun a Parents Across America chapter in Baton Rouge, LA. Today is our first day of our blog roll outs. Can you help bring attention to our posts? We’re sharing parent and educator stories and calling for parents and educators to re-establish communion with one another and challenge the status quo. Many thanks!
I do not think that these changes will last. I think these cases will go as high as the Supreme Court, and then public education will return to the public.
You really think that the current Supreme Court which declared that corporations have the legal rights of actual persons and which has been the most corporate-friendly court ever seated will side against the reform juggernaut and uphold the existence of public schools? I think that is a misguided hope myself.
Off topic, but how about this: http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=BLOOM&date=20140206&id=17328094
What happened to the concept of great, well funded schools for everyone? The great American dream of educational opportunity for rich and poor.