This came in my email from a teacher who gave me her/his name, email, school name, and phone number. I asked for permission to post the letter and received it. Do you have any suggestions for this teacher?
Ms. Ravitch,
I am writing to you because you are the first person I have seen take such a great interest into researching the integrity of charter school systems. I am a teacher at a charter school in Cleveland. I hate it. I hate the whole idea of it. This company I work for is making BILLIONS of dollars by putting schools in impoverished areas… and pocketing it. So basically, they are making billions of dollars off poor people. I have funded nearly my entire classroom. We are a for-profit school and we don’t see any of that profit. In fact, we can’t even accept gifts or donations from charitable causes because they are not allowed to give things to for-profit schools. So when our students come to school in the same outfit every day for two weeks, we don’t have clothes that were so graciously donated to our school to let the students borrow. We have nothing. Their greed for money has gotten so extreme that as a way to push for more enrollment, they had the teachers go canvassing… in east Cleveland. Not sure how familiar you are with the area, but let’s just say I walked up to a neighborhood gang. This made me feel so invaluable- more than I could ever have imagined feeling with what I’m being paid and for the resources I have been given. It has come to a point to where they have actually begun to put our lives in jeopardy; risking our safety and threatening us with job loss due to unsubstantial funding. It’s a load of bullshit. They just want more money and it sickens me.
Why am I still working for them… because I feel like the students need me. Who will have a voice for the people with no voice if someone who knows what needs to be done isn’t there to do it?
I have thought of the problem and brainstormed multiple stepping stones to a solution, however, it is hard these days to accomplish anything meaningful when it is one person vs. a billion dollar corporation. I have met with a union rep and have tossed around the idea of starting a union. I continue to send her any information I can. However, starting a union not only seems unlikely, but I’m not sure if it would accomplish the real goal. I have little doubt that a company like mine would shut down all of their Ohio schools before turning over to the requests of a union. And quite frankly, they are excellent at covering their tracks. Our students’ IEPs are never met because we lack the staffing to carry out those duties– so illegal right? So they fired our entire intervention staff and made them interview with an outsourced company they hired, probably to take the fall if they get caught for not meeting IEPs…. Let’s just say they think ahead.
The other solution I looked into was turning to ODE or the political members that are supposed to be making sure these sort of things aren’t happening. Yet those people are turning their cheek the other way, calling people like me whistle-blowers. Apparently anyone who wants justice in this world is a tattletale… and will lose their job.
I could go on and on naming indecencies of the company I work for, but the point is, what am I accomplishing by complaining? Who can I turn to to help me make this company own up to their malpractices? How can one person make a positive difference in a system that is infiltrated with all sorts of corruption?
Any advice would be welcomed with open arms.
Sincerely,
Frustrated Teacher
Diane Ravitch's blog 
My advice would be to have this teacher approach the FBI in his or her state. While the politicians have been less than useless in providing any kind of accountability, because in a post Citizen’s United world they care too much about where the next campaign contribution is coming from (and as well all know, these charter folks are very well funded) fortunately the Feds seem to be taking an interest in the illegal activities that are running rampant. Right now our State Commissioner of Education in CT has had his emails subpoenaed – and this is after journalists had been writing about improprieties and problems with non-competitive bidding for several years. This teacher is in a prime position to get information that can help put these shysters where they belong. Behind bars.
There are many children that need you in the traditional public schools in Cleveland. In my opinion it is better to serve the original incubator of democracy, our nation’s public schools, rather than a corporation.
Exactly. Quit the charter and go public. Then, you really will be helping the community. Public schools create unity, a place of stability, a touchstone for families in need that have no idea how to navigate “the system”.
I was thinking the FBI as well, and I wondered if (and I am not kidding) perhaps Ralph Nader, or someone like him??? would be interested in exposing charter school BS. The FBI would only step in if there were infractions the like of the Gulan schools where monies were paid to contractors in inappropriate sums or without RFP processes or spent on travel and the like (I’m talking out of my arse, but the FBI deals with financial misdealings only with the charters from what I recall).
We need a consumer advocate, since we, the taxpayers, have become consumers, paying for services to private companies. The politicians don’t give a crap, all the way to the bank.
Ralph Nader was widely respected as I recall. Him, or someone like him?
I shot an email to him referring to this blog and your post. Honestly, I’m curious to know how he feels about charter schools and such, his site is very vague, to say the least. I’ll reply again when I get an answer.
“So they fired our entire intervention staff and made them interview with an outsourced company they hired, probably to take the fall if they get caught for not meeting IEPs…. Let’s just say they think ahead.”
Well, they do it for two reasons. To avoid responsibility and accountability on the IEP’s but also to avoid responsibility and accountability on complying with existing labor laws as far as staff. Those people no longer work for the charter management company, which insulates the charter company from liability on violating labor law. It’s another totally awesome private sector “innovation” charter schools have adopted. Outsource everything, and then no one is an “employee” with the legal protections that come with “employee” status.
I don’t think she’ll get any help from state actors in Ohio. They seem to be completely captured. The Ohio Department of Education actually jumped in front of the move to regulate charters 6 months ago. They swore they would start doing their jobs and regulate the schools, but it’s nonsense. They don’t have any statutory authority to regulate the schools. The laws were written so no one has any authority.
I’d contact this news organization:
http://www.ohio.com/news/local/charter-school-operators-use-key-words-to-entice-families-away-from-public-schools-1.491420
They did one of the series on charter school corruption. It was a joint effort between the news outlet and journalism students. The media company used the students as researchers because they don’t have paid staff to do all the leg work a series like this requires. She may be able to actually contact one of the students. They gotta be experts on Ohio charter corruption now after this project, and they wouldn’t have anything to fear.
whistle-blowing.
It was always ridiculous that they were going to be able to regulate thousands of schools from Columbus. It will never happen. For one thing, a huge portion of the regulators and lawmakers are completely captured by these contractors and for another, you’d have to hire an army of state regulators.
There was a reason schools had local oversight, and it wasn’t because the people who set up the system love regulation. They knew they would need the oversight close to the entity.
Public schools are unlike other public entities. There are thousands of them, and Ohio is a big state. It was absolutely moronic for ed reformers to imagine they were going to regulate this from Columbus. They all should go back to school and learn civics and good government.
It will never, ever work.
The absolute arrogance it takes to throw out a 150 year old local oversight system and replace it with this crappy “board” model is just breathtaking. They know it isn’t working, but still I see the Fordham people who designed it and lobbied for it interviewed as “experts” every freaking day. Hold them accountable. They designed this. It’s a disaster.
What do ed reformers have to say about what has happened in this state? Are they never even going to be asked?
One has but to read of Professor Stroup’s experience in a previous post on this blog
to appreciate the very real concerns of this teacher. I suspect that the operators of these charter schools will react as Pearson did to suppress the abuses and / or to discredit / dismiss those teachers with the courage to stand up for their students.
Perhaps it will be only when the parents of those children affected protest and gather sufficient media attention that some sharp investigators will expose the graft and abuse that might eventually end the corruption.
If ed reformers in political positions had actually RUN on replacing our “school governance model” with their “corporate form” imitation, would ANYONE in this state have elected them?
You know, I read their policy papers. When do they plan on letting the public in on their awesome ideas for our “governance”? Might be something our ed reform politicians should mention, including the Democrats at the federal level. No one is voting for this. No one is voting for this because they aren’t revealing it in their campaigns.
The promise was they would “improve” public schools. No one said anything about creating a new pseudo-government to replace what we had. I don’t remember outsourcing “governance” to think tanks and lobbyists. I don’t remember it because none of them ran on it.
Keep records. Document each and everything that violates IDEA. Document room and bathroom conditions, availability of supplies and resources, as well as conditions of teaching resources.
Document “fundraising”, where you went, who you saw, how much money you collected, where those fund are supposed to go. If you don’t feel safe, make a call to the local police department. Ask their advice for how to safely fundraise.
Do NOT keep any records on site. Do all of your record keeping from home. Keep copies of everything.
Build an alliance with the students’ parents or grandparents. Get to know them. Invite them to visit your classroom, during the daytime, as class helpers, for sing-alongs, short plays–always to highlight student activities–This is to parents access to the classroom. All of this has to take place during the daytime because families don’t come out at night, if they believe it is dangerous, if they lack transportation, or money for transportation…
Listening to what everyone else has said, the FBI is definitely the place to turn with all of the knowledge you have.
I’m also echoing the FBI and record keeping.
To add: Ohio wiretapping laws are one party consent, meaning if you are a party to the conversation, you may record without the other’s consent. http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/ohio/ohio-recording-law
The teacher might want to consider recording conversations with supervisors and management. Though be smart about it, make sure they can’t figure it out. I have an iPhone 4s, and it has a voice memo app built in that records even when you turn it off while recording.
I have heard similar stories from two teachers I work with. Every time I start to agree with free-market ideas, a horror story pops up. How do these people live with themselves?
Why would you “start to agree with free-market ideas”?
Noncompliance of those IEPs are the key. And the Feds will be interested. You do need to document the timeline and get one (or more) of those intervention teachers to agree to talk along with a couple of IEP parents.
Reblogged this on Bsreform's Blog and commented:
Unfortunately, this does not surprise me. I know that greed has become a driving force in so many areas in this country. It truly sickens me knowing that this goes on without any accountability. Maybe it is time that the decent citizens of this country file a lawsuit against all the reformers. Time to take back our country because if we don’t do something this country is heading into a disastrous situation and I am afraid to be here when it happens.
Remember that these schools are using public tax dollars to run schools without the oversight that the regular public schools are subject to. There has to be a lawsuit in there somewhere.
If anyone ever had doubts that charter schools were an attempt to cash in on public money and break unions, this teachers complaint of having to fund her classroom on her salary, says it all.
Hopefully this country will wake up and realize the shame of this movement.
When democratic lawmakers start thinking about their constituents instead of their pocketbooks, we might have a chance to reverse this obscene movement. Certainly the republicans won’t do it.
Judy
I would recommend that we encourage Matt Taibbi to take on school privatization. If you haven’t read his books Griftopia and The Divide, please read them. He writes about the greed of the wealthy and powerful and the systemic theft of public resources by the wealthy and powerful (e.g., mortgage fraud, the privatization of public water systems). In The Divide, he contrasted the structural governmental process that continually empower the wealthy with the structural governmental processes (immigration deportations, foodstamp fraud investigations, arrests for petty crimes) that keep poor people and their families in a desperate state of constant crisis and churn. His writing is scathing, well- researched and exposes the deep evil of the people using the privatization to raid our government of its public resources at the expense of the less powerful.
Joining or forming a union is your best recourse right now. Mobilizing members and sticking together will help students, help the professionals that teach & care for them & make them feel appreciated. There is safety in numbers – look at what Ghandi & MLK could do. Organize!
Sadly her contract probably allows her to be terminated on the spot if she mentioned union or any contrary view. Her inside position is too important if the FBI or a news organization should become involved.
Are there any legal organizations in Ohio who defend the rights of special ed students?
Agree with idea of documenting everything. Otherwise it is only hearsay.
We don’t know that her contract stipulates that…& our organized predecessors were also forbidden to unionize. No wonder. It was to the establishment’s benefit to keep the employees ignorant.
This seems like a Dept of Justice issue!!??
I am an Ohio teacher. We can thank Governor John Kasich for all of this evil. He will most likely get a second term. I want to live in another state as soon as I retire. This all makes me sick.
Ohio is definitely deteriorating under Kasich. Terrible job market and infrastructure crumbling. When I started here out of college, we had solid education and growing tech markets. Now it is all patronage and fracking. Sadly, good people who can are leaving the state in droves. What’s left are people who believe every TV ad and will vote for Kasich ’cause they hate gubbermint and think everyone who disagrees is a Marxist.
My advise: Name the school and the edubusiness. Put the names out for all to see!
And then get a different position.
The teachers who did that for the Gulen schools were threatened with prosecution by DOE. Add to that, hire a good defense attorney.
or… if you have rent, mortgage, and/or etc. get a different position, then put the name out.
That description of a for-profit school is about what I figured…. Wrong for students and teachers, and therefore, for the USA. You need to leave Cleveland, find a good school system that appreciates good public education teachers, and enjoy life. Your health and well-being are more important… High time we teachers took care of our health…. mentally, physically, and spiritually. Then and only then can we really do our jobs well for the long haul. –west Texas small town high school teacher
Organize, Organize, ORGANIZE . . . Ohio is AFT. Send me your email at davetg@gmail.com and I will get you plugged in . .
Here! Here! Absolutely organize!
“In fact, we can’t even accept gifts or donations from charitable causes because they are not allowed to give things to for-profit schools.”
This is not really true. I worked at private for-profit schools that received donations all the time, including clothing for children. However, charitable causes could not claim tax write-offs for those donations. Not everyone who wants to donate is in it for the tax-deduction though, so there should be others in the community who are willing to help, such as local church groups. Of course, they shouldn’t have to do that for schools which are publicly funded and making huge profits off tax dollars for the companies that manage them.
Document everything in detail, including all the needs that are not being met due to lack of resources, from classroom materials to IEPs.
I would also suggest contacting a conscientious investigative reporter who is sensitive to these kinds of issues, such as David Sirota: http://davidsirota.com/
Glen Ford and Bruce Dixon at The Black Agenda Report are also investigative journalists that are onto charter school scams who you could contact: http://blackagendareport.com/
I can’t believe we allow this misuse of funds.
Dear Frustrated Teacher. Your story and your feelings are mine as I just started working at a for-profit within a public school. I don’t have all the answers. We have the passion for change without the funds to do so. We can look to the past for inspiration. I have no safety net. But these children are being treated like a product. To paraphrase Diane Ravitch, “This is the Civil Rights Issue of our time.” We know how that story went.
They say greed knows no bounds. It is time for change. For our students. For this country. Someone-help us.
I am a member of the East Cleveland school board and believe that this letter is from a teacher at Apex Academy in East Cleveland, a school that is helping destroy the struggling East Cleveland schools. I don’t have the time to write more now, but wanted to make sure I established contact before losing your email message in the tons I receive every day.
Feel free to share my contact information with this teacher IF s/he is from Apex.
Patricia Blochowiak, M.D. 1894 Farmington Road East Cleveland, Ohio 44112-4744 (216) 229-1925 (h) (216) 288-7512 (c)
This is so sad, it makes me want to either cry – or vomit! Something has got to be dne about these money-hungry blood-suckers who are bleeding the impoverished of our nation and calling it a “service.”
Most charter school corporations I’ve seen, both for-profit corporations and “non-profit corporations” ultimately ask themselves one question, and it isn’t “is this good for the kids?’. They ask themselves “Is this actionable?” as in legally actionable, stuff for a lawsuit of any kind.
Anyone non-corporate minded who has ever seen how the charters “make their sausage” are pretty freaked out by the reality. Now they’re joined by Corporate shill newspapers, Television propaganda outlets, and a whole host of characters that would make a dedicated band of criminals look moralistic.
Do what the charter corporations have done, use the legal system.
In your case, you would be helping breathe some life back into justice, accountability, and common sense, by acting against the charter machine.
Fight the Machine.
It sounds like the community where your school is located may be predominately African-American, Latino, or both. This robbery of education then becomes a civil rights and social justice issue. The advice to take your info to the Feds is solid, but you might do best in the civil rights division.
You might also ask around to see which pastors in the area are politically active (and not co-opted). They might be useful in bringing heat to your cause.
So, Ohio teacher, this is the Ohio Department of Education, from their website, this is how completely powerless they are under the charter school statute:
“A northeast Ohio educational service center that is trying to open an unauthorized community school has “so completely disregarded” state laws that the Ohio Department of Education is reporting its leaders to the state’s educator conduct office.
In a letter sent Monday, the Ohio Department of Education accused Portage County Educational Service Center leaders of trying to circumvent the law and mislead students and teachers by opening a new charter school under a defunct school’s state identification number.
The letter told the educational service center that the department is reporting Superintendent Dewey L. Chapman and Executive Director Cheryl Emrich to the state’s Office of Professional Conduct, which investigates alleged misdeeds by educators. Additionally, any waste, fraud, abuse of tax dollars or alteration of student enrollment data will be immediately reported to Auditor of State David Yost.
Ohio already has banned the center from opening new charter schools—for the second time in three years—because students in schools it has authorized have shown poor academic performance.
The letter noted that the operator Portage County Educational Service Center had contracted with for the new Cincinnati school, to be called Hope 4 Change Academy, had no experience running a K-12 school. It also said the center failed to confirm the school operator would protect the health and safety of students and ensure academic rigor. The letter maintained that the center did not require the operator to prove it was financially fit to open and maintain the school.”
They are concerned for the health and safety of those students in that school. Yet, the only thing they can do is send letters and rely on the ethics arm of the educator licensing board. That’s the only power they have. They have barred this operator from opening schools, TWICE, and they were completely ignored.
Our charter laws were written to avoid regulation. There is NO ONE who has the authority to regulate these schools.
http://education.ohio.gov/Media/Media-Releases/Department-of-Education-Accuses-Portage-County-Edu#.VAtsdWRdVH1
When they shut them down in one Ohio city, they just move to the next city:
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/08/portage_county_education_cente.html
Frustrated teacher may want to contact Ohio Senate Minority Leader, Joe Schiavoni. He wrote a “Letter to the Editor”, published Friday, in Ohio newspapers. In his letter he identifies the failure of Republican Senator, Peggy Lehner. She, as Chair of the Education Committee, made the decision to thumb her nose at Ohioans who want accountability for their tax dollars, by deciding on inaction as the best course for charter school reform legislation, this year. Since she “loves Governor Kasich”, she likely wants to ensure that political donations from White Hat Mgt. continue to roll into the GOP.
I am the Network for Public Education endorsed candidate for District 7 Ohio State Board of Education in Northeast Ohio. I speak 5-10 times per week before diverse audiences about how for profit charter schools are wasting tax payers’ money as their millionaire operators control the Ohio General Assembly. If this teacher gets in touch with me at michaelctu@aol.com I will speak out about his story without revealing his identity. I along with seven pro public education candidates for Ohio Board of Education plan to win in November and push back against for-profit charter schools and high stakes testing as we attain a working majority on the Ohio Board of Education…
Here is how you can help these children… Use your current position to gather evidence and build an airtight case against these criminals. Document all egregious violations of students’ rights, both regular ed students and IEP students. Document diminished resources to students for the purpose of building profits. Keep all hard copies and electronic records of memos, tape conversations with administrators. Take photos of dilapidated facilities, lack of playground equipment, etc.
Join the Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education group, part of Ohio Friends of Public Education. OFPE is working with expert investigative journalists and exposing illegal Charter operations in Ohio. OFPE has sponsored Charter Accountability Forums in different regions of state with testimony from former charter school teachers and parents. OFPE recently held a rally at the Ohio Statehouse demanding Charter School Accountability. Speakers included Charter School student, former Charter teacher who initiated an ongoing FBI investigation and State Rep Fred Strayhorn who filed Civil Rights violation against Horizon Gulen Concept School in Dayton. Charter School teacher whistleblowers in Dayton have opened the gates to charter school scandals and others are joining in, you can be a crucial witness too.
Gather and document evidence, join our group or another Public Ed advocacy group for support and information.
Good luck, the kids need you to take action from the inside.
Maureen Reedy
Co-Founder
Ohio Friends of Public Education
Ask a friend in another state to file open records requests for e-mails, contracts, state and federal grants, purchase orders and requisitions. Not all at once –
Also, another solution would be to hire a private investigator to file the open records requests from another state. There are several in Texas who have experience with the federal eRate fraud and served as whistleblowers. They may be willing to help you.
Don’t be fearful. Have courage!
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/November/10-civ-1284.html
“The second lawsuit was filed in Houston by Dave Richardson and Dave Gillis. The United States is intervening in the second lawsuit against ACS.”
http://www.myquitamlawsuit.com/index.aspx?id=news_texas_businessman_to_settle_false_claims_suit
“The DOJ investigation of E-rate violations included HISD and the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). The original whistleblowers, Dave Richardson and Dave Gillis, filed a qui tam lawsuit concerning the E-rate scam based on Richardson’s experiences in bidding on DISD and HISD projects. As a result of the whistleblowers’ action, the DOJ recovered $750,000 from DISD, $850,000 from HISD and $16.25 million from Hewlett-Packard, in addition to the $400,000 that Lehmann has consented to pay.
Qui Tam Lawsuits Help Stop Government Contractor Fraud
Many instances of government contractor fraud are brought to light in a whistleblower lawsuit similar to the one filed in this case. Tipsters deserve to understand their rights under the statute and to know the protections available for government collaborators. Waters & Kraus, respected nationally for its qui tam practice, has offices in Texas, California, and Maryland.
Contact us by email or phone our whistleblower lawyers at 855.784.0268 to discuss how we can ensure that your interests are maximized throughout the process.”
Make sure you date and get witnesses for your for your evidence and keep copies of them. This true of pictures too. Send receipts ( and keep copies) of what you spent on classroom supplies. Good Luck. BJHerrick bherr55444@aol.com.
Diane,
Would you check to see if the Ohio teacher you referenced will talk with me?
Thanks.
Bill Phillis
One of my previous student teachers could have written this! He has finally gotten hired in a public school and is so much happier. He is a marvelous teacher and was about to leave the profession due to the very same issues described above. I believe that if given the opportunity, you would receive many more of these letters. But,
when will they be investigated? Will the “powers” ever turn away from the money and look at the children? Please continue your excellent reporting. You blog is a godsend!!
Send that letter to the parents and all media outlets so that the school (and I use that term very loosely) has to answer to the community for their transgressions. Who approved the charter? They should have to answer for the inequities here, too.