From a New Jersey public school activist:
“I am very happy to report that the Stop Forced Public School Closures legislation sailed through the Senate Ed Committee with 4 yes votes and 1 abstention. This is no small feat. But we had a lot of grass-roots support and it worked!
Here’s a bit of the coverage.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Julia, you could allow somebody to annoy a committee which is stacked against public education anyway, but which has been moved to action by courageous activists who spoke truth to power, even at the risk of their livelihoods.
Or, you could annoy those activists, and censor their statements out of fear.
We’ve got too much fear going on already, and too little truth, to snuff any honest evaluation out. The committee is made up of elected representatives of the people. They’re the ones who need to be concerned for their image, not us.
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???
What happened?
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I dunno, Duane, because I don’t know the players, but it’s actually no big deal. You can see six more words in your email notice, if you’re following the blog. It appears they weren’t meant for publication. Or something.
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Why not wait and see how this story unfolds?
I agree that I don’t know all the context, except that I think the legislation allows the school closing process to occur ONLY if local school boards and community make the decision to do so, IF I am not mistaken.
If this is the case, it is a step in the right and a better direction.
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It is sweet music to hear you counseling delicacy, Robert. My previous posts crossed in the ether, or I might have done that myself.
I don’t want to fault SOS Newark for trying to be politically careful, becausethis will now need to advance in the legislature, and there’s another bill already on the move:
NJ Spotlight quotes many of the things we can hear Senator Teresa Ruiz say in that video, and also a few more from after the meeting:
““We can’t stand here and say that state takeover leads to success,” she said. “We just can’t say that.”
“The new bill would require that the state relinquish control of specific area of the district’s operation — be it finance, instruction or other defined areas – if the district met 80 percent of the benchmarks required under the state’s monitoring.”
“Currently, the law triggers consideration at 80 percent, but State Education Commissioner Chris Cerf still has discretion. Cerf has used that discretion in delaying return of at least partial control in Newark.”
“Ruiz said her bill would remove that discretion. “If you are meeting 80 percent, it’s automatic [return] — no discretion,” she said after the meeting.”
.http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/01/30/bill-to-give-more-local-say-over-school-closures-progresses-in-senate/
It’s a breathtaking story, with lots of heroes in it, and lots of battles ahead. No chance Christie would ever sign it, suggests the Spotlight.
Hmm. It looks today like he might not get the chance 🙂
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Thank you, Chemtchr, for your kind words.
While we are on the subject of delicacy, may I delicately and gently ask you if by chance you read my previous posts that were specifically addressed to you in the Arne Duncan piece and the post by the reviewer of “Reign of Error”?
Now, I’m not at all saying that it will, but I think it might stimulate meaningful dialogue, growth, and awareness.
Please know that here is no pressure for you to have read the responses; I just thought they might interest you . . . .
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Robert, please let me be clear that I consider you, particularly, an important colleague in this struggle. No criticism I’ve made of your writing suggested anybody should censor it but you.
I went back and looked over the Jennifer discussion. OMG, it’s up to 190 comments! A couple of charter promoters logged on and tag-teamed for a while. Yes, I had missed your last response. In fact, I had interpreted your statement about the civil rights movement differently. It reads,
“We had a vicious labor movement in the 1930′s. We had a violent civil rights movement in the 1960′s…”
I thought you were claiming that the labor and civil rights movements had been driven to engage in viciousness and violence, to support an argument for ramping up the violent-metaphor-level in our current struggle. I disagreed with that historical characterization. Your clarification does resolve my concern.
I did read your final comment on the Duncan piece, and was very reassured.
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Oh, for Christ’s sake, Diane! Put it back up, please, unless the request to censor it actually came from the author of the email.
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When the people win even a small victory, don’t expect much time to pass before we hear howls of outrage from the “choice not voice” [thank you, Chiara Duggan!] crowd.
Although they howl with outrage and indignation at even the simplest questions.
For example, please click on the link below to Jersey Jazzman’s website for some choice, er, intellectual rejoinders by the likes of Governor Chris “I am the victim here” Christie.
Link: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/01/yes-reformers-we-should-talk-about-your.html
Ah, the old double standard of the thin-skinned charterites/privatizers: we can destroy public education and the lives of so many people but don’t ever get cross with those of us who are sacrificing [?] ourselves in the pursuit of $tudent $ucce$$.
“Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.” [François de la Rochefoucauld]
😎
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It was a great Day for us parents. All eyes are on Newark and we are doing our best to keep our foot on the gas and keep things moving! Great job parents “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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Good going! Now we must be prepared or the artificial system will doom public schools again. Challenge them with your assessment. http://savingstudents-caplee.blogspot.com/2013/12/accountability-with-honor-and-yes-we.html
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I think it is a bit disingenuous for Save Our Schools NJ to only share their posts about the bill where no there is no discussion in the comments about the actual merits of the bill.
Here is Save Our Schools NJ’s original post about the bill passing: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSchoolsNJ/posts/708002582566238
Diane, in line with your usual welcoming of open conversation on these topics, I believe you should also include this one in your post.
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Cris,
I am not on Facebook (there is an “official” page for me that a graduate student manages for me, but I don’t have a FB account). So, feel free to post here whatever you referred to on FB.
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In the German movie, “Sophie Scholl” Sophie, (after being arrested) was talking to the Gestapo investigator about “conscience” and “freedom” and “truth” and the “individual”. The Gestapo investigator stopped her and told her, “What you are talking about has no connection to reality.” I would say that talking about the common good or what is best for kids (small classes, Finland, respect for teachers, etc.) has no connection to the reality of our current system either. We might as well be writing fiction. It will never happen.
One of my professors cut me off as a young idealistic man, “It doesn’t matter what you think. It only matters what those in power think.” That phrase will answer all your questions. Any small, local victory will be negated or subverted by those in power, and we are not in power, my friends. You simply can’t vote your way out of this.
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Your professor was wrong, Mike. The arc is long sometimes but it bends toward justice. Because we bend it.
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Mike, I disagree. We CAN vote our way out of the present madness fueled by greed. Voters in NYC did. Voters in Pittsburgh did. Voters in every state and city and town can throw the rascals put.
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Mike—
You are too jaded.
Yes you can vote your way out, it just takes well-informed voters and a strong leader who will stand up and speak out.
So instead of stating this negative, defeated prophecy, start talking to people.
Also, the German Gestapo has no place in today’s reality, now does it.
Move forward in your thinking.
Think, believe, dream, dare—-most importantly, talk to people without negative prophecies.
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And also, that was your professor’s issue.
At some point you have to begin to sort out the kernels of wisdom from a learned person’s personal baggage.
Be discerning there—don’t take comments to heart that are idiotic or reflect personal hang ups.
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You know, as I’m reading this, I’m thinking that if we can publish the actual language used in the bill/law to combat ALEC and the education profiteers, we could effectively shut them down nationwide. Since they are drafting the same legislation in our states, if one succeeds in one state, it should be easy to use that same language to defeat it in all the states, no?
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Lots of people (even well educated ones) still do not know what ALEC is.
I agree, though—if we showed people how the canned legislation actually reads AND that state leaders are using canned legislation that may or may not actually have anything to do with that state’s issues, it might wake more people up from the complacent haze that is so dangerously weakening to a state. It is an equation of ALEC plus complacent citizens somewhat asleep at the wheel that makes the perfect storm.
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