Archives for the month of: November, 2012
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Privatizers Capture Control of Indianapolis School Board

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
5

It was very exciting that Glenda Ritz managed to oust uber-privatizer Tony Bennett in Indiana, but meanwhile the privatization movement gained ground in Indianapolis, where a group called the Mind Trust has called for the abolition of the school district.

Its candidates captured control of the school board in yesterday’s election, promising the moon, the sun, and the stars once public education was abolished and replaced by private management.

And the voters fell for it.

As the linked article shows, Ritz will have a rough time dealing with the new governor and legislature, who are firmly opposed to public education and antagonistic to the wisdom and experience of a veteran educator.

Being politicians, they think they know how to reform schools. No experience necessary.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Indiana, Privatization

Indiana GOP Insists that Votes for Ritz Mean Nothing

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
4

In an article today, Indiana GOP leaders announced their determination to pursue Tony Bennett’s anti-teacher, pro-privatization agenda even though Bennett lost his bid for re-election.

Bennett’s challenger, Glenda Ritz, collected more votes than Mike Pence, the Republican who won the governor’s seat.

She won despite Bennett’s expenditure of  ten times as much as she had for the campaign.

She won despite the support of national rightwing groups promoting Bennett as the exemplar of school “reform.”

But the GOP thinks the voters didn’t really mean it, or made a mistake, or maybe the voters didn’t know what they were doing.

They hope to ignore the mandate at the polls.

Ritz has a Herculean task moving forward with a Republican governor, a Republican legislature, and laws mandating policies intended to destroy public education.

All she has on her side are the votes of 1.3 million Hoosiers.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Teacher Evaluations, Testing, Vouchers

Tony Bennett Blames Unions, Common Core

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
7

In an interview with Education Week, defeated Indiana superintendent blamed his loss on the teachers’ union and on his support for the Common Core standards. He said that his challenger Glenda Ritz drew away some of his conservative base by criticizing the Common Core.

Bennett’s loss stunned supporters in the rightwing reform world.

It looks like Florida is in his future. He is a favorite of Jeb Bush, and Bush is a major player in Florida politics.

He fears that Ritz might find creative ways to strangle his beloved voucher program by regulation.

Remember when education politics was dull? No more.

Categories Bush, Jeb, Charter Schools, Florida, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Vouchers

Cracking the Story about Money Behind Charter Referenda

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
46

Some investigative journalist is going to win major prizes for breaking open the story about the money and the motives of those promoting privatization of public education.

Motoko Rich drops tantalizing hints in her story in the New York Times. We learn that the charter referendum in Georgia was funded by “out-of-state donors, including Alice Walton, the daughter of the founder of Walmart, Sam Walton; Americans for Prosperity, the Tea Party group founded by the billionaire Koch brothers; and several companies that manage charter schools. Supporters of the amendment outspent opponents by about 15 to 1.”

The Georgia amendment was based on ALEC model legislation.

In Washington state, “Donors included Ms. Walton, the Bezos foundation, and Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the co-founders of Microsoft. They raised millions of dollars to promote the ballot initiative…”
Also involved, we learned, was Democrats for Education Reform, the Wall Street hedge fund managers organization, and Stand for Children, which stands for equity investors.

Who coordinates these fund-raisers? Who else is involved? How do they manage to present themselves as liberals and supporters of “the civil rights issue of our era” in alliance with far-right groups? And why are they so intent on privatization when the evidence is clear that charters don’t produce better education than public schools?

And how can the Obama administration support a movement tied to the far-right that worked to defeat him?

Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Georgia, Washington State

Maureen Reedy Loses in Ohio

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
2

I am sorry to say that veteran educator Maureen Reedy narrowly lost in her bid for a seat in the Ohio Legislature to another contender, who was funded by (among others) Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst.

Count on StudentsFirst to place its bets against an experienced educator.

With so many crucial education issues before the legislature, it would have been wonderful to have someone with Maureen’s experience to advise them.

Kudos to Maureen for having the courage to run.

More teachers should do it.

If the legislatures are going to decide how to reform schools and how to evaluate teachers and principals, there must be experienced educators there to bring reality to the table.

 

Categories Ohio

ALERT! Washington State Results Have Not Been Finalized!

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
11

I promise this is the last thing I will post about the charter referendum in Washington State until there really is a final tally.

Someone sent me what she thought was a final tally but it was NOT a final tally.

The votes are still being counted.

The election is close. The charter advocates were ahead but there are still hundreds of thousands of uncounted mail ballots.

We still do not know whether Bill Gates and his friends have won.

I won’t send out any more bulletins until there is a verified final count.

This one is meant to say: Don’t give up hope.

The fat lady has not yet sung.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Reform, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Washington State

Washington Charter Proposal Passed in Close Election

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

This just in from the Washington State Secretary of State:

November 06, 2012 General Election Results

Initiative Measure No. 1240 Concerns creation of a public charter school system

Last updated on 11/06/2012 11:26 PM

Initiative Measure No. 1240 Concerns creation of a public charter school system
Candidate Vote Vote %
Yes
 952,279 51.24%
No
 906,101 48.76%
Total Votes 1,858,380 100%

I renew the Bill Gates Challenge.

Bill knows that charter schools do not get better results than public schools. He knows that they are often more segregated than public schools.

Yet he and his friends spent $10 million to push them in his home state.

Bill, now that you have won, over the opposition of almost every parent and educator group in the state, I challenge you to enroll your own children in a charter school.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Reform, Washington State

Privatization Leaders Praise President Obama

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
4

I received the following news release from the National Alliance for Charter Schools.

They of course were crowing about the passage of the ALEC-inspired initiative in Georgia, where the governor will be free to open charter schools everywhere across the state without consulting any local school board.

I knew Nina Rees when I worked in the George H.W. Bush administration. She is smart and personable and very, very conservative in her education views. She subsequently worked for the Milken brothers, who own K12, the for-profit virtual charter corporation.

Then she worked as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation in the George W. Bush administration.

She was co-chair of the education policy committee for the Romney campaign, whose agenda was a flat-out privatization program for education.

And now she is praising President Obama for his leadership in the charter movement!

 
From: Nina Rees <Nina@publiccharters.org>
Subject: Public Charter Schools Win Big in Election

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Dear charter school supporter,The 2012 election is an important moment in the public charter schools movement.In two states, voters sent a clear message that they want public school options that are unique partnerships between teachers, parents, and students and that respond to the specific needs of their communities.Voters in Georgia rejected the status quo and created conditions that support the growth of high-quality public charter schools that are accountable for student achievement. Now, charter applicants who are rejected by school districts will have access to a fair appeals process.In Washington state, where votes are still being counted, voters are on the verge of making their state the 42nd with a public charter school law. If the results hold up, families and children in Washington will have the chance to attend schools that are as innovative as the companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing that drive the state’s economy forward.In addition, the re-election of President Obama maintains leadership for charter schools at the national level. In his first term, President Obama created an environment where charter schools could thrive through the incentives in Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, Promise Neighborhoods, and other reform programs. Over the past three years, almost half of states have revised their charter school laws to support growth and quality. Over the past four years, enrollment in public charter schools has risen by almost 1 million students. Today, more than 2 million students attend these unique public schools that serve the needs of students and their parents.

With the support of voters in Georgia, Washington and other states, and with the leadership from elected officials in state houses and Washington, D.C., the best days are ahead for the public charter school community.

Regards,

Nina Rees
President & CEO

© Copyright 2006 – 2012, The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
1101 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 1010. Washington, DC 20005.
(202) 289-2700
Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, K12 Inc., Obama, Privatization, Romney, Mitt

Georgia Charter Referendum Passes Easily

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Voters in Georgia passed an amendment to the state constitution enabling the governor to set up a commission to approve charter schools over the objection of local school boards.

The margin of victory was 58-42.

This is an ALEC-inspired model law, meant to strip away the powers of local school boards.

It had major financial support from Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, Alice Walton of the Walmart fortune, a member of the Gap family, charter school operators, and other supporters of privatization.

Critics fear that charters will restore racial segregation.

One certain result is that public schools’ budgets will be cut to pay for charter schools of uncertain quality across the state.

Chalk up a big win for the rightwing privatizers.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Georgia, Privatization, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst, Walton Foundation

California: Prop 30 Passes, Prop 32 Loses

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Governor Jerry Brown led a successful campaign to raise taxes to fund the state’s public schools and universities.

His Proposition 30 passed with heavy support from Los Angeles County.

Had it not passed, the cuts to education would have been devastating.

Hats off to Governor Brown and Superintendent Tom Torlakson for fighting to increase taxes to pay for educating the state’s children.

Due to prior anti-tax activism, California is now 47th in the nation in education spending.

Proposition 32, which was intended to hobble labor unions’ political activities by eliminating automatic dues checkoff for political contributions, was defeated.

Categories Budget Cuts, California, Education Reform
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