A charter school in Orange County, Florida, closed its doors for the last time in June.
The principal took home a cash payout of more than $500,000 after the school failed.
The local public school board is outraged and says the taxpayers’ money should be returned to the district.
The principal’s customary salary was $305,000, almost triple the $116,000 typically paid to public school principals in the same district.
She is still on partial salary as she helps to close out the school.
As the song goes, “nice work if you can get it…”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
A year ago, stories like this were being buried, and died in local new sections if they were picked up at all by the press.
i was going to than Diane (again), but I realized it’s all our work which has finally helped crack this open. Keep cracking everybody.
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What chemtchr said!
Exactly why this blog — election or no election — is important. You can’t hold feet to the fire unless you create a little heat. You can’t expose the venality of the privateers/edubullies unless you shine a little light on them.
This blog — and the activities of many of those who post on it — create heat and shine light.
With a little help from Diane, natch!
🙂
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Typo, “thank” Diane. Thank you, Diane!
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How come these kinds of things were not questioned in the political debates? How Obama addressed any of these instances?
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Obama *was* questioned by Jim Lehrer. “What separates your education policy from the Governor’s?” Obama basically talked about race to the top and then dodged away to talk about higher ed. (Which is going to be the next target. But they might put up more of a fight.)
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Here’s more fallout from this story. The link is a short link from the Orlando Sentinel.
http://thesent.nl/PvgcYb
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I suppose I shouldn’t blame the victim, but…who would enroll their kid in this school anyway? The school was held in concrete portables, there was no library or cafeteria, the teachers weren’t certified, there were no supplies. Don’t parents check these things out before they apply? I mean, you have to take active steps to get into a charter, it’s not like you’re just routed there because it’s your neighborhood school.
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“There’s no room for abuse by charter or traditional schools,” Really?
When has a principal from a “traditional” school left with a half million dollar payout after his/her school has failed?
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Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the times. Think Wall Street bail-out with millions in “bonuses” given to CEOs of failed corporations.
We have become a society of “it’s all about me,” and that is very troubling. Is this how the Roman Empire fell?
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All empires eventually fail and this one of the supposed greatest country ever will also more likely sooner than most would think!
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And my future pension is under attack as a “gold-plated” benefit?! Good grief, it’ll only be half pay, because I know I can’t possibly hold out till I hit 30 years in this asinine environment. Maybe I should go into administration…
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I’ve always thought they wanted to run public ed like the banking industry. Sounds like they succeeded.
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