One of Governor Jindal’s “reforms” is called Course Choice. This is supposed to allow public school students to sign up with private vendors, using public school dollars extracted from their local school. Most of the vendors are online operators.
Course choice and vouchers were the centerpiece of Jindal’s plan to privatize public education, by funding these choices from the state’s Minimum Foundation budget. Unfortunately for the governor and his State Superintendent John White, the state’s highest court said that it was unconstitutional to spend the money dedicated to public schools on vouchers and Course Choice. The court decided by a vote of 6-1, which in the eyes of most people is decisive.
One of the state’s investigative bloggers discovered that some 1,100 students had enrolled— without their knowledge— in an online course offered by a Texas corporation.
How could this happen? Why were Louisiana dollars shipped to a Texas company when the students and their parents didn’t know they had signed up? How did the corporation get their contact information?
Will the legislature provide alternate funding for vouchers and Course Choice?
Will there be a legislative investigation of this curious “choice”?
An interesting detail. The state department of education is in a frenzy trying to identify the leaker of salacious details about their prized programs.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Check out the letter to the blogger, Tom Aswell, from the Texas company. Check out his title and their slogan at the end. Integrity NOT!
Thank you,
David Callaway | Chief Compliance Officer
FastPath Learning
Office : 512.419.7983 | Office Fax : 310.496.2826
Direct Fax : 772.264.8081 |
Northpoint Centre II
6850 Austin Centre Boulevard, Suite 320,
Austin, TX 78731
“Make it Happen, with Integrity”
I don’t know how true it is, but a colleague of mine told me there was a bill being heard in the Louisiana legislature that would REQUIRE every student to take at least one online course in order to GRADUATE! It is a scary time here in Louisiana! They don’t even try to hide how corrupt things have gotten. Our Department of Education has been overrun with bureaucrats who aren’t really educators, they are politicians (and bad ones at that).
Allie, this is not far-fetched. The tech industry bankrolls politicians who will require at least one or two online courses for graduation. This is not about better education, it is about making money for the tech corporations. It is pushed by Jeb Bush and his Chiefs for Change. Read this: http://www.pressherald.com/news/virtual-schools-in-maine_2012-09-02.html?pagenum=full
Ali,
I haven’t heard or read about that yet but around here who knows??? Just about anything can come out of Baton Rouge. The only BESE board members who try and keep the rest in check are Lottie Beebe and Carolyn Hill.
To keep up with Louisiana education and state politics I go to these blog sites. You may already use them but just thought I’d send them. Add the info on those to Diane’s here and you get a good picture of what is happening. I asked about what you had heard and will post the response from Tom Aswell or Micheal Deshotel here.
http://louisianavoice.com
http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/
I apologize, Allie. Fingers failed to spell it correctly. 🙂
That is, indeed, a state statute in Florida.
Recently all of us have heard of the big scandal of the IRS that caused the IRS director his job. Supposedly someone set aside conservative groups for extra scrutiny for tax free status. It has been all over the news and talk shows, politicians are outraged. How shocking!
Yet we have a “good old boys club” dealing with the Federal Department of Education that has initiated a policy called Race to the Top with no oversight or forethought that led to many scandals that way overshadow this IRS nonsense and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars!
Charter school scandals-
schools taking grants and closing, privateers charging their own schools huge rent on property that they own(some as high as 1000% markup), private managers charging huge amounts to run school (into bankruptcy), over estimating enrollment (10 fold), closing and not paying millions on mortgages, charging fees for enrollment, unauthorized personal reimbursements, embezzling, to mention a few.
Test cheating scandals-
Hundreds of thousands given to teachers while involved in changing test scores
AmeriCorps scandals-
Hundreds of thousands misspent in just one city and still receiving funds
Virtual school scandals-
Virtual for-profits charging more for operation in some states as other states, falsifying enrollment and completion records and this mess in LA enrolling students without their knowledge using private data information
And NOTHING is being done!
More on Louisiana Course Choice: The “Director” does not live in Louisiana. White gives the high-paying LDOE jobs to those who cannot even vote in the state. And this guy has former Enron ties.
http://theadvocate.com/news/education/6023369-123/story.html
I wrote a post on Louisiana Course Choice. It incorporates Aswell’s post:
http://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/i-am-louisiana-course-choice-and-i-enroll-without-parental-consent/
Allie you were correct! Thanks.
From Sue Lincoln of Southern Education Desk
“And this morning (Tues., May 21) the (Louisiana) House Education Committee will consider HB 648, which would REQUIRE every high school student to take AT LEAST ONE on-line or Course Choice offering in order to earn a high school diploma.”