TFA alum moves to Minneapolis in May.
Decides to run for school board to share his youth and spirit of innovation.
Raises seven times as much as experienced teacher from out-of-state friends.
Money can’t buy you love but can it buy a school board seat?
Are the voters fooled?
We will see soon enough.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Car.Pet.Bagger.
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Dallas, Oakland, New Orleans, Austin, Minneapolis…Crap. The list goes on and on! The average citizen has barely had enough time to learn about these infiltrators. We have been working like mad here in Austin to keep the privatizers off the schoolboard. Let’s hope our efforts pay off.
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Diane, I hope you’ll post one overall recap shortly after the elections to tell us how many of these deep-pocket candidates won.
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Yes, that would be good information to have.
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Not only may voters be fooled, Minneapolis mayor and DNC Vice Chair, RT Rybak, is also bamboozled. RT, otherwise an great mayor, endorses the guy! I had a Facebook exchange with RT this morning about ole Josh. RT urged me to “be positive”. Code I guess for “don’t confront me with facts.” Pains me that Democrats are not only fooled, but actually pulling the Trojan Horse right into our midst. Rybak’s FB account is R. T. Rybak is anyone else wants to offer him info.
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Joanne Simons, I’m in the Twin Cities too, and believe me the mayor is not fooled, I suspect he’s on a mission. When I tweeted RT last week asking questions why he was endorsing and PROMOTING an unqualified person for school board, he blocked me! So I’m not surprised he asked you to “be positive.” I’m positive the mayor is being shady and unethical and he will eventually have to answer why he’d further disenfranchise the most venerable youth in our community by being a supporter of educational “reformers” who are simply trying to take away free and equal education for all; the segregating effects of this deceitful movement are appalling, but I’ll try to stay positive! 😉 I suspect Rybak is making his move toward mayoral control and privatization of the district, here’s why I think this:
Read these comments from today (11.4.12) on his FB page http://www.facebook.com/people/RT-Rybak/732302078
“All of us, and the many volunteers working so hard on this campaign want his fresh voice, and willingness to put nothing ahead of our kids. Let’s stay positive and focus on making sure every single child in Minneapolis gets a great education. Josh will be the best candidate to do that…We have two good candidates. I chose the one I felt would most likely to support the bold aggressive actions needed to address the crisis we have of some kids failing in schools. So let’s respect how we each got to our place, stay positive and remind people to vote for schools. I support Josh.”
Here’s the math, we’ve got 2 of the 3 ingredients for dismantling the MPS district already in place, and these occurred rapidly, under our noses since this is a stealth and powerful process happening all over the nation. The takeover looks like this:
1.)Infiltration at the classrooms of young “fresh” TFA teachers (I like to call them unlicensed and untrained teachers myself) ALREADY in place in MPS, including 6 at Bethune, a school in one of our most impoverished neighborhoods, and of course none of those poor minority parents would speak out, right? So TFA has infiltrated our public schools, in a city that has many qualified, licensed teachers, no shortages here, even layoffs of teachers, so the “need” for TFA is artificial and politically motivated. TFA-ers are probably not teaching in the district’s more affluent schools with and involved parent and community, like Kenwood School or SWHS. Well someone is talking enough for the superintendent to issue a pro TFA statement. http://bit.ly/YrwUsE
2.) The district’s “Teaching and Learning Department,” the one that designs and coordinates the teacher evaluations and focused instruction (Thanks to Race to the Top!) is run by young TFA heavy employees, and the head of it worked at MiKinsey. The district has been infiltrated at the administration level.
Now all we need is the 3rd piece of the puzzle and here is comes:
3. ) Mayor talking about needing candidate, “to support the bold aggressive actions needed to address the crisis we have of some kids failing in schools” RT, wouldn’t that involve having real licensed teachers and experienced teachers in all our schools? I suppose the mayor, like many others throughout the country, wants to pass the poverty buck on to the teachers and blame them. So if the mayor’s out of state candidate, supported by so many out of state interests gets on the school board, it’s one step closer to helping eliminate the public schools and ushering in the privatizers and charters who so heavily support the candidate.
Good bye Minneapolis Public Schools, hello charters, at least for the poor kids. Stay positive! 😉
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Great diagnosis of the situation.
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I warned him (RT) about steering clear of Kevin Johnson and 16 y/o’s. (I guess I’ll be joining you on the blocked list. )He was so effusive of his praise about KJ’s mayorship in Sacramento. I’m sure that would be news to Sacramentans and those in Bridgeport, CT where he wants to disenfranchise voters. I hope and pray that common sense prevails in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
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Very good analysis. Thanks so much for posting.
Along with “failing schools”, “status quo” and other hoary, deceptive talking points, this new one about “Being Positive” is arguably the most Orwellian and the most offensive.
It’s both patronizing and mendacious at the same time. In response to questions that demand a diligent and realistic focus, we’re spoken to as if we were children, who can be easily dismissed and distracted.
Here in Seattle, one of our education activists—who is well-organized, whip smart and fearless,—said she is constantly being told by a pro-privatization state legislator that she’s “too negative”. What he really means is “Just trust us and we’ll magically improve education, right after we get control of the schools.”
Listen closely. And the next time you hear a politician evading your questions, while talking about this need to be “positive”, start looking more closely at his or her record and funding. You’ll probably notice the stench of privatization running through it.
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Diane,
I assume you are being being sarcastic when you describe this mercenary’s candidacy as the “Boldest.”
Far better to describe it as “Shameless” or “Most Brazen.”
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Alexandria, VA. From the website of school board candidate Stephanie Kapsis:
Stephanie’s experience as a teacher led her to the educational non-profit “Teach For America” where she has served in multiple leadership roles. First, as a Program
Director, she provided individualized support to new teachers in high-needs public schools and charters in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County. Stephanie then served as the Managing Director of Program where she led a team that supported 200 elementary and early childhood teachers in the D.C. Region. Most recently, she has served as Senior Managing Director where she has led the D.C. Region’s external partnerships with administrators, teachers, and city officials, as well as the region’s fundraising efforts and communications strategy.
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If she wins they need to re-write the residency laws. One hopes they’re smart enough to see through this ploy. I wonder- if she loses does she move? The mayor seems to have a budding bromance with Kevin “Sweet 16” Johnson.Such effusive praise makes me ill. I warned him about KJ and 16 y/o girls. I hope he heeds my warning.
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I meant ‘he’ not she.
What a gutsy move on his part to move to a place less than 6 months before an election and then believe he has the talent and skills to formulate and decide educational policy in a city and state you’re not even from. This I’m sure will be the first of many TFA candidates parachuting in to a city or state. The arrogance and hubris. I guess this is in line with their thinking. Train to be a teacher in 5 weeks. Train to be a BoEd member 5 months. Ah to be young and a puppet.
Yikes! The comments in the Minneapolis paper are popping. One even mentions his ties to a school under investigation for cheating in Atlanta.
http://comments.startribune.com/comments.php?d=content_comments&asset_id=177047761§ion=/politics/statelocal&comments=true
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http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/julie-landsman/follow-money
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