It is no secret that charter owners are major campaign contributors to Governor John Kasich and the Republican legislature. After newspaper revelations, the legislature recognized the public demand for charter accountability. At hearings, 18 people testified. 17 are charter advocates.
Here is an account from Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy:
House Bill 2 (HB 2)-a nominal start toward charter school reform
Ohio is known nationwide for its Wild, Wild West charter school policies. After nearly fifteen years of a failed experiment in the charter school industry, at long last, a bill (HB 2) has been introduced to curb some of the abuses. HB 2 needs to be greatly expanded to deal with a multitude of disquieting problems.
So far in the HB 2 hearings before the House Education Committee, it is obvious that the charter school advocates are driving the testimony train. At the first hearing of HB 2, the head of the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools, instead of the Legislative Service Commission or some other neutral party, provided legislators with background information on charter policy. During the most recent hearing, 18 individuals testified, orally or by written testimony. 17 of the 18 represented pro-charter organizations.
Testimony from public school advocates is sorely needed.
William Phillis
Ohio E & A
Ohio E & A | 100 S. 3rd Street | Columbus | OH | 43215
Diane Ravitch's blog 
17 out of 18?
Let’s see, that’s 94% from the charter lobby! And before rounding off, less than 6% [one!] was “something else.”
I can just see it now: “Overwhelming support for charter excellence was demonstrated today as over 94% of those appearing in person or in written testimony willingly, unselfishly, and at great personal risk spoke out in favor of…”
Yes, the numbers are on their side. As in, rigging the system so they can sucker punch us with misleading numbers & stats.
Among the leaders of the self-proclaimed “education reform” movement—from edupreneurs to edubullies to educrats to accountabully underlings—isn’t there at least one that doesn’t instinctively gravitate to mathematical obfuscation and intimidation?
After all, Bill Gates is sure that it will be at least 10 years before we know if his “stuff” works—even if we already know it doesn’t. Michelle took her students from the 13th to the 90th percentile—and she can walk on water—Rheeally! John Deasy worked magic with graduation numbers—by significantly reducing the number of credits needed to graduate. Charters take on everyone—until their yearly allotment of public monies is in the bank, then it’s midyear dump and hasta la vista baby. Eva Moskowitz for 10,000 students makes $575,000 while Carmen Fariña for 1 million+ makes $202,000—tally up $57.50@student for Eva and 20¢@student for Carmen, proving once and for all to rheephormers everywhere that the former is a saint and the latter is a sinner.
What a sad and pathetic bunch…
😎
Here is the link you need. http://ohiocoalition.org/listings.php?listing=1&article=10
I found no date, time, of location of use in offering testimony.
The testimony at this link is a history lesson on Ohio’s common schools–public schools–about 7 pages long with a funding chart. It ends with these observations.
“
“The legislative focus, solely on the common school system, changed via two watershed legislative thrusts in the1990s—the initiation of publicly-funded education choice programs and the appointment of state board of education members.
The choice programs are privately-operated entities that separate students and remove governance by communities to private individuals that escape considerable public scrutiny and accountability.
The Constitution requires the state to regulate public education. The state has chosen to deregulate charter schools and allow voucher students to attend private schools.
The only thing actually public about choice programs is public tax money.
What do we take away from this history? The Constitution provides for a system of public common schools—that system must be thorough and efficient which provides high quality educational opportunities for all.
The state is responsible for securing, maintaining, monitoring, administering and regulating the system of public education.
The public common school system should meet the needs of all students.
Students should not have to go elsewhere to have their needs met.
The public school system is a governmental entity that is essential for the preservation and maintenance of democracy.”
This conclusion did not offer comments about the significance of allowing the Governor to appoint some of the state board of education members—some are also elected.
A good discussion of that issue is at http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2014/10/28/election-2014-the-ohio-school-board-explained/
That’s like a den of foxes testifying in a hearing to protect chickens and only one chicken is at the hearing surrounded by salivating, drooling foxes who clearly want to devour that one chicken.
cross-posted at Quicklink: Ohio: Who Testifies About Charter Reform; by Diane Ravitch | OpEdNews where embedded links in the comment from this site, are active:
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Ohio-Who-Testifies-About-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Accountability_Charter-Schools_Diane-Ravitch_Education-150221-682.html#comment534553
Other reports on the state of affairs in OHIO, from the Ravitch site where you can find out the TRUTH ABOUT THE LOBBY TO END PUBLIC EDUCATION:
“The blogger Plunderbund here describesthe chaotic, pointless, and ceaseless bureaucratic and political meddling in Ohio’s public schools.”
“Peter Greene writes hereabout the 16 superintendents of Lorain County who are fighting the bad policies that will hurt students, demoralize teachers, and destroy public schools.
Greene has a special interest in Lorain because his first teaching job was at Lorain High School. Where the school was stood is now an empty lot.
Peter Greene also reports on an audit in Ohio about phantom students in charter schools. Charters are paid by headcount, and some charters have seen the advantage of inflating their enrollment, although it is illegal.”
“Ohio: Does Public Property Belong to Public or to Charter Organization?This note of alarm comes from Denis Smith, a retired consultant in the Ohio Department of Education’s charter school office:On Tuesday, September 23, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments in the notorious White Hat Management case, where the boards of 10 charter schools operated by White Hat Management have sued the operator to assert their right to control the physical assets of the schools. White Hat says that since it is the operator, all tangible property (student and office furniture, equipment, books and supplies) belongs to the company, while the boards maintain that the assets belong to the individual schools.
“A coalition of liberal groups called on the sponsor of 11 charter schools to drop them because of allegations of racism, sexism, and test cheating, as well as FBI raids on some of them.Ohio Groups Call on Sponsor to Withdraw Support for Gulen Schools; Sponsor Refuses”
And remember that this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the states are being taken over by those determined to end public education, look at Nevada:
Reader: Nevada Wants to Adopt Everything That Has Failed in Other States
Don’t miss Missouri “where A federal judge has fined Imagine Schools $1 million. See here for the story inthe Columbus Dispatch. Imagine is one of the largest for-profit operators in the nation. According to the Columbus Dispatch:Under the complex deal, Imagine Schools negotiated the pricey lease with SchoolHouse Finance and presented it to the school board of the Renaissance Academy for Math and Science for approval. Imagine Schools owns SchoolHouse Finance and directly benefited by the agreement.”
and in Indiana: Key Legislator Forms Education Lobbying Firm
and read about Florida and the for-profit Academic charter chain here, in a post by Jersey Jazzman.
Send this comment and the post to anyone you know who is unaware that the excrement has hit the fan, and public education is going down fast.
“Ohio: Does Public Property Belong to Public or to Charter Organization?This note of alarm comes from Denis Smith, a retired consultant in the Ohio Department of Education’s charter school office:On Tuesday, September 23, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments in the notorious White Hat Management case, where the boards of 10 charter schools operated by White Hat Management have sued the operator to assert their right to control the physical assets of the schools. White Hat says that since it is the operator, all tangible property (student and office furniture, equipment, books and supplies) belongs to the company, while the boards maintain that the assets belong to the individual schools.”
They’re narrowing this “debate” too. They’re making it about whether the charter entity or the charter management company owns the property purchased with public funds.
That’s not a real debate because they’ve limited the discussion. The question should be broader: does the charter (management or school) own the property or does the public own the property?
They’ve set it up so they can’t lose. Charters win OR charter management companies win. They took the public question off the table, preemptively.
There is no one representing the public interest.
This is the age of the liars. Brian Williams embellished the truth. Libor and Standard and Poors lied. Gulliani and Walker this week proved that when lies are accepted as reality, then people who seek to be the leader of this great nations can lie with impunity, and still be elected.
The shadow of greed is on everything, and the corruption that accompanies it makes liars of them all. Orwell knew this.
Reblogged this on biochemlife and commented:
Something needs to be done to stem this tide.
Yeah, I think it eventually becomes impossible to ignore what a joke these “debates” are. There’s no “debate” over charter reform. Charter lobbyists are writing the law.
Here’s a nifty little gift some corrupt, captured lawmaker gave a lobbyist::
“Akron Public Schools are spending an extra $1 million to bus charter school students.
The district had been cited in a state audit for not providing adequate busing for charter school students, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
State law requires districts to pick up charter school students from within a half-mile of their homes, while districts are only required to bus public school students who live outside a two-mile radius of their schools.”
Public schools not only have to provide transportation for charter schools, state law dictates they have to provide PREFERENTIAL transportation to charter students.
That’s why it’s such a lie that charters don’t get local funding. Sure they do. They cut into local funding in all kinds of ways. Funding is fungible.
http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2015/02/akron_cited_for_not_bussing_ch.html
Michigan is also moving to reform charter schools after media attention. They’re moving on the same trajectory as Ohio, really, although they’re behind us. Pennsylvania will be next. Pennsylvania charters may actually be worse than Ohio’s.
Anyway, look at the proposed reforms in MI and compare to the proposed reforms in Ohio. They’re identical. This is not coming from the individual work of sate lawmakers. National groups are drafting these laws. It is a crock to claim states are running this. National lobbying groups are running this.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/02/19/sanctions-charter-operators-michigan/23653963/
Democracy is dead in Ohio. Two-thirds of the voters defeated anti-labor legislation, two years ago. The recent legislative agenda, announced by the regional Dayton Chamber of Commerce, is again, the Koch/ALEC template against worker rights.
The Chamber lists Wright State University, among the highest levels of Chamber financial support, “Director Level”. The public’s tax dollars, intended for higher ed., are apparently even used against Ohio’s workers, who daily face obstacles in their struggle to build the nation and increase its GDP.
Former (term limited at end of 2014 term) Ohio House Speaker William G. Batchelder has formed a new lobbying group. Among their first clients? William Lager, founder/operator of ECOT (Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow). From the Columbus Dispatch: “With an enrollment of more than 14,500, ECOT is now the state’s 10th largest school district, benefitting from an eight-year moratorium on new online charter schools. Of the $113 million it received in state tax revenue, $21.4 million went to two companies that Lager formed to provide services to the school.
Judy and Hawley, along with Batchelder, who was term limited at the end of 2014 and is serving as an adviser to the firm, have been hired to represent those companies – Altair Learning Management, which runs ECOT’s day-to-day operations, and IQ Innovations, Lager’s software firm.
In addition to Judy and Hawley, Lager also is represented by former state Sen. Jeff Jacobson and close Gov. John Kasich confidant Robert Klaffky. A few years ago such a move would have been banned, but a federal judge threw out Ohio’s “revolving door” restrictions on lobbying within a year of leaving the legislature.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2015/02/02-16-15-charter-lobby.html
So yes, Ohio’s General Assembly is deeply entrenched in ALEC-informed legislation that is anti-public Ed. The general populace has largely been silent, having been convinced by propaganda that our schools are failing and “choice” is a good thing for schools. However, there is evidence of an “Education Spring” emerging. You see, parents believe “those” public schools are failing, but not “their” public school. The mama and papa bears of Ohio’s public school children are starting to wake up to the fact that this year’s PARCC tests are far more intrusive than those they have endured in the past. The test refusal movement is growing – thanks in large part to groups like OhioBATS who have established regional groups throughout the state. One can only hope that the newly captive audience will soon realize the interconnectedness of ALL these damaging anti-Ed policies that are harming our school children.
Thanks Diane and all your frequent commenters for being tireless champions of our beloved public schools!
Plunderbund reports Batchelder is going to work for an Ohio public university.
It provides a launching pad to dismantle and privatize Ohio’s state university system.