Joe Robertson of the Kansas City Star reported that the newspaper obtained secret emails describing an effort by State Commissioner Chris Dicastro to wipe out public education in that city.
“Backed by two of the most influential foundations in Kansas City, Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and a state-hired consultant are planning the future of Kansas City Public Schools as a slate wiped clean.
“Revelations in emails obtained by The Star and dating to April show a state education department eager to create a new school system, even as the long-beleaguered but stabilized district was preparing to celebrate its best academic improvement in years.
“The electronic trail exposes a rushed bidding process, now criticized, that ultimately landed Indianapolis-based CEE-Trust a $385,000 contract to develop a long-range overhaul for the district’s failing schools.”
When the Kansas City Superintendent learned of the state commissioner’s covert plan, he said:
““It suggests a conspiracy against our success,” said Kansas City Superintendent Steve Green.
“Even as Green and his cabinet gathered in Jefferson City on Sept. 4 with Nicastro and staff to plead Kansas City’s case for provisional accreditation and a reprieve from state intervention, emails show Nicastro had other plans.”
This is not the first time Nicastro showed her antipathy for public schools and their teachers:
“The revelations follow on the heels of recent disclosures that showed Nicastro collaborated with an activist organization financed by multimillionaire Rex Sinquefield in crafting ballot language for a petition against teacher tenure.”
The Kauffman Foundation and the Hall Family Foundation have supported privatization of public schools as a path forward for the district.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here they are deciding on a media strategy:
In an internal email Aug. 21 regarding media interview requests for Gray, Nicastro wanted him to tread carefully around the question of charter schools.
“He needs to know to take a ‘middle of the road’ and/or neutral position on charters,” she wrote. “Charters are fine as part of the solution; they are here and not going away. They must be high quality. They will try to paint them as the outsiders, funded with private money, determined to privatize all public education, yada yada.”
Why do we have people running public education systems who are hoping those systems fail? We really need to stop hiring ed reform folks to run public schools. They’re hostile to public schools. They don’t have any interest in improving public schools. Their entire focus is opening charter schools.
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Chiara–do you think some of the actions are racially motivated? (even if subconsciously so?)
It breaks my heart. KCMO was where I had my first full time teaching jobs. I saw teachers working so hard against years of corruption and neglect from higher up, massive white flight and a huge poverty population.
I had a nervous feeling when I heard Sly (who I do like) present a speech about making KCMO schools a haven for technology and entrepeneurialism. I figure many politicians just see the history and figure they have to just come in and “clean it up.” Those of us who have worked in the schools and believe in public schools feel this is wrong (know this to be wrong)—-but I think to some it seems expedient and overdue, and with Obama not making any gesture of support for the integrity of a public school institution for the sake of a public institution (AND I suspect for union busting purposes), it falls that way without thought, resistance or incident in the minds of leadership.
The reason I ask about the racial motivation is because of the private foundations possibly involved (or that we know to be pro-charter).
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Which charter school provider does Nicastro want to use for unaccredited districts?
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Chris,
It isn’t stated outright which charter operator(s) would be selected to run the unaccredited schools partitioned off as a part of an achievement district. (See 2014 pre-filed MO SB493)
However, it’s interesting to note that one of the funders of the CEE-Trust proposal is the Kauffman Foundation.
According to the Ewing Marion Kauffman School’s (EMKS) recent sponsor review (http://musponsorship.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Kauffman-2013-Sponsor-Report.pdf) one of the areas of improvement was “The roles of the Foundation and the Board in relation to EMKS are not clearly defined and impact Board governance.”
Having a Foundation with a charter school relationship funding a report likely to recommend reforms directly benefitting charter schools doesn’t pass the smell test for me.
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“Revelations in emails obtained by The Star and dating to April show a state education department eager to create a new school system, even as the long-beleaguered but stabilized district was preparing to celebrate its best academic improvement in years.
The electronic trail exposes a rushed bidding process, now criticized, that ultimately landed Indianapolis-based CEE-Trust a $385,000 contract to develop a long-range overhaul for the district’s failing schools.”
You can’t negotiate with people who don’t deal in good faith.
These public schools were told that if they improved they wouldn’t be privatized. But that was never true.
No matter what they did this politician and the foundations were planning on taking them over. That’s the truth and they should have been told that.
Also, is anyone in government planning on reining in these foundations? It is ridiculous that we are dependant on a media email demand before we know what the plans are for our public schools. Why are these people meeting secretly? Does this state not have sunshine laws?
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Digging deeper, one begins to find a concerted effort of non-educators, toward a take down of Public Schools with the help of organizations that stand to rake huge profits from the failure of those schools… the dark claws of ALEC cannot hide their role in the shameful scheme. Unfortunately this isn’t just a local squabble, it is repeated everywhere, throughout the 50 states, DC, and every US jurisdiction. We, in Texas, are too familiar with this picture… and our future pays the price.
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Very true, and very well put.
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Diane: (please) post these comments.
Reforms in education will only be successful “if” the framework is modeled via Democratic principles. I will support “any” reform model that empowers teachers (i.e. public or private). The only way to reform education is to change how schools are organized and how practitioners interact in these contexts. When public schools re-organize (and it is actually a simple process); change will be instant! YEA!
This is an internal issue: from the “bottom-up” Superintendents. As advised–you must established a tapestry of interconnected professional communities. These entities must be “trained” to fulfill a role in your new Democratic system. It requires that practitioners become knowledgeable about theory/practice constructs; they must also be given training to mofify your district’s philosophical framework. When practitioners fulfill these requirements (while teaching); they must be provided with training to facilitate “Action (oriented) Research” so they can address problems occurring in their classrooms and schools. In addition to these fundamental training endeavors, practitioners must be trained to facilitate teacher-center & student-centered learning. Didn’t they receive this training in their preparation program(s)? NOPE! Therefore, we must (also) reform teacher-training programs to mirror the changes we initiate at the local level. When we reach this point in our evolution; then, we can have practitioners begin “fixing” (i.e. modifying) the curriculum we …
There is much to be done! The vision I propose “will” bring results. The sooner we begin–the sooner we shall realize the changes “we” all seek! My works are available via Smashwords .com. Read everything I have written and tell me it won’t work. I’m always open to new ideas. (INNOVATION at the push of a button?)
http://kennethfetterman.wordpress.com
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kennethfetterman
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Thank You — Diane; Best Wishes — KEN
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I guess everyone the so-called reformers have accused of being conspiracy nuts were just describing business as usual.
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Songs always pop into my head from things I read. This post has put Bob Marley’s “Natural Mystic” into my head. Not sure the exact meaning, but my subconscious conjured it up.
In fact, I sing it a lot these days after I read stuff about the public education reforms swirling about. Maybe it’s just my way of hoping there is something bigger than human forces pushing and pulling on how we should approach schooling for our young, and that this will all get sorted out in the best and real interest of children.
There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air;
If you listen carefully now you will hear.
This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last:
Many more will have to suffer,
Many more will have to die – don’t ask me why.
Things are not the way they used to be,
I won’t tell no lie;
One and all have to face reality now.
‘Though I’ve tried to find the answer to all the questions they ask.
‘Though I know it’s impossible to go livin’ through the past –
Don’t tell no lie.
There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air –
Can’t keep them down –
If you listen carefully now you will hear.
There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air.
This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last:
Many more will have to suffer,
Many more will have to die – don’t ask me why.
There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air –
I won’t tell no lie;
If you listen carefully now you will hear:
There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air.
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air;
There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air;
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air;
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air;
Such a natural mystic blowing through the air.
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of course it could be as simple as the fact that I was in a ska/reggae/funk band when I lived in KCMO. Maybe that’s why it popped into my head.
???
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Here’s a link to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about connecting-the-dots about what is happening in Missouri: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/missouri-s-chief-educator-is-a-lightning-rod-in-reform/article_9c72dc4f-9041-50df-a020-f43ec462b050.html
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