Colleen Wood of 50thNoMore in Florida sent me this message. Colleen is a member of the board of directors of the Network for Public Education:
Diane – I wanted to share this with you:
http://www.yesformarionschools.com/about
This effort was started by Ray Seaman, a constant supporter of public education and a progressive leader in Florida, and is proof of what local communities can accomplish when public school supporters work together across party lines.
Marion County is extremely conservative, but the grassroots leaders have been building support for public education over the last 6 years or so. It has paid off. This referendum will bring 1 mil of funding ($14 – $16 million) to their schools and it was the motion to put it on this November’s ballot passed unanimously by the School Board and the all-Republican County Commission.
They’ve put in countless hours of work to try to combat the attacks coming out of Tallahassee, and they have rallied the community to support their public schools.
Thank you!
Colleen
PS: the referendum passedproducing another $14 million for the public schools of Marion County.
“Marion County voters gave a rousing yes to a property tax aimed at bringing an additional $14 million annually to the county’s public school system for the restoration of art, music and physical education programs, the hiring of teachers, and reduction of class sizes.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I interviewed Ray Seaman about this (as well as Colleen Wood about 50th No More) at http://www.floridaprogressives.com . Check it out!
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On the subject of the Obama children’s education vs. the “No Excuses” charter model that the above six schools follow (and on display on the video below) …
… here’s thought experiment.
Imagine what would happen if Barack and Michelle paid a visit to their school, snuck in the back of the class (the point-of-view of the camera) and witnessed this indefensible horror:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDnxRVPiMSg
I imagine Barack and/or Michelle interrupting this atrocity, screaming,
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“STOP!!! STOP!!! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!!! What the BLEEP do you think you’re doing to my child, and to the rest of these children???!!!
(to the teacher)
“What’s your name?! Where’s the principal?! We need to talk to her right now!!!!”
(taking Sasha or Malia by the hand, talk to her)
“We’re getting you out of this freak show before you suffer any more damage!”
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However, we all know that the teaching in this video does not and never will happen at…
Sidwell Friends (the Obama’s kids school),
or at Lakeside in Seattle (where Gates kids go)
or at the Montessori school (where NY State Ed. Commish John King sends his kids),
or at Chris Christie’s kids private school,
or at the Chicago Lab School (where Emanuel sends his kids and also where my own nephew and niece attend, by the way)…
as there is a difference between the education enjoyed by the children of the elite—including the Obama kids—and the education that “corporate reformers”, in their end game, are designing for “other people’s children—those of the middle and working classes.
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