Nancy Flanagan, retired NBCT, has written a brilliant post about Governor Rick Snyder’s secret project called the Skunk Works. The goal of the project was to invent a brand-new cheap-cheap-cheap school called a “Value School.” Sort of like a discount store where you get a product that looks like the real thing, but it is a cheap copy.
Now that the Skunk Works is out in the open, people are stunned that the group consisted of entrepreneurs and software developers. The only teacher quit the group when he saw where it was going. Can you have education without teachers? It’s cheap but is it good education?
And the last line of her article is right on.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The eduskunks are being smoked out of their holes. This group had nothing to do with improving education in the state of Michigan. It was merely coming up with more ways to defund education and put tax dollars into private hands. Michigan has defunded education over 25 yrs. They continue to decline. No surprise. It is truly a strange time in Michigan. I give credit to Det. News for reporting this. Michigan is in desperate need of good investigative journalism.
Let’s see. If a Value School can be operated at $5000 per child, and the state foundation grant is $7000 per child, why that means there’s $2000 per child profit that can go to the entity managing the school to be distributed to stockholders in the entity and its management. Pretty steady income stream if you ask me. Where can I buy shares?
Not sure where to buy those shares but if you’re looking for an investment opportunity I have some great ocean front property for sale at Lake of the Ozarks in central MO. Hurry up before it is all gone!!! (although with global warming and rising sea levels maybe we’ll see some more opening up)
Great article by Nancy Flanagan. Nice quote by Garrison Keillor at the start too.
Kind of makes you wonder what other covert teams Rick Snyder is secretly funding with tax money? Canadian invasion working group? Install puppet regime in Indiana?
The Pothole that Ate Our Public Schools —
Eclectablog • AFP wants Governor Snyder to use cuts to education and state employees to fund road repairs
More Snyder shenanigans this time in Detroit. Be sure to read the informative comments.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130426/SCHOOLS/304260365/Duggan–Recovery-district-got-$6-million-in-DPS-loans
“Detroit — Administrators at the Education Achievement Authority took $6 million in loans from the cash-strapped Detroit school district without approval from EAA board members, according to the secretary of the recovery district’s board.