Jeannie Kaplan was an elected member of the Denver school board for two terms. She is a steadfast critic of the “reforms” in Denver in recent years. She says they have failed. but reformers never think twice or admit failure. At each school board election, “reformers” spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to win a seat. The current board is tilted 6-1 for “reform.” She expects that this faction will take total control in Noovember, leaving no one to ask questions about their failed agenda.

People need to vote. If I weren’t a compassionate fellow who enjoys righting wrongs, then I’d say the following: You get what you vote for. On the other hand, children don’t have that vote, therefore I continue to fight, blog, post, yell, scream, and even kevetch!
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People did not vote for this. Look how much money was just given to the Colorado Department of Education. Johnston took over and then was re-elected. I read his term is ending and he will not be up for re-election next year.
http://northdenvernews.com/stunning-revelation-bill-gates-has-spent-2-3-billion-on-common-core/
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By the time Denver realizes that kids are the losers to so-called reform, it will be too late for many of them. Just using the word, “reform” is misleading. It is more like deform than reform.
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How will our democracy survive? Right now it feels as if the entire country is mired in self serving corruption. Now is the time for every person of honor to stand up and save our children from the destruction if their future.
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Help!!! something does not smell right about this. The St. Louis Post Dispatch felt it necessary to almost hide some rather unusual news..tucked into a tiny corner of their tiny Saturday edition…Very powerful people made sure that when the St. Louis school district elected the wrong people to the board, that there was a state takeover in 2007. (google pubdef, 2006 for background on the murder of former special ed student Tim Bacon). The 3 member takeover board moved quickly to get rid of the longest serving superintendent of the previous four……she tried to block Texas Can Charter schools…she had the courage to stand up to a lot of abuse…….By the way—-the “wrong” people who were elected to the board starting in 2006, were outspent by huge margins—Antonio French of pub def said 7 to 1. I have watched education reporting in St. Louis for close to a decade…….this might be the single most disgraceful combination of mangling the actual history and…..just…..correct me if I am wrong…..I am feeling a lot of emotion regarding what appears to be something very sinister…….Elisa Crouch is the reporter…..not sure if reporting the 30,000 donation to a school board candidate is bragging or saying huh?
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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/city-school-board-candidate-lands-contribution/article_30469eb0-e91c-5b97-bd4e-b979fd5686a2.html
ST. LOUIS • Charli Cooksey, whose organization helps disadvantaged middle school students get into rigorous college prep high schools, received a $30,000 campaign contribution this week to boost her efforts to get onto the city’s elected school board.
The donation is by far the largest any St. Louis school board candidate has received in at least a decade, if not ever. It comes at a time when some are speculating that the elected board could regain control of St. Louis Public Schools as early as 2016.
The Washington-based Leadership for Educational Equity, which works to empower Teach For America alumni, donated the money to Cooksey’s campaign on March 24, according to a filing with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Cooksey, the executive director of InspireSTL, is one of five candidates running for two school board seats in the April 7 election. She is a former Teach For America corps member who taught two years at Carr Lane Middle School. Incumbents Katherine Wessling and David Jackson are on the ballot, as well as Natalie Vowell, Thomas Oldenburg and Joey Hollins.
The contribution to Cooksey’s campaign caught Jackson off guard. He has served on the board since 2007 and rarely raises funds. Vowell is the only other candidate who’s raised cash — $33, according to a campaign finance filing.
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“It’s telling me personally someone doesn’t want me and Katie to be re-elected,” Jackson said, referring to Wessling. “There are some powers-that-be that are promoting this young lady.”
In 2007, the state stripped the elected board of its power and gave control to the Special Administrative Board, whose three members are appointed by the mayor, governor and aldermanic president. The intent was to bring stability to the district, which had become a revolving door for superintendents and was failing in the areas of finance and academics.
All three have areas improved, though academics still suffer, and the district is now provisionally accredited. The elected board continue to meet monthly at Carr Lane Middle School, but without the ability to set policy or oversee the superintendent.
Last spring, the State Board of Education extended the life of the Special Administrative Board through June 2016. Then in December, the SAB wrote a letter to the elected board indicating it was willing to work on a transition plan. This has yet to take place.
“I want to be prepared for when and if that day comes,” Cooksey said, explaining why she’s running. “If power does return to the elected board I don’t want the same chaos to occur.”
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/city-school-board-candidate-lands-contribution/article_30469eb0-e91c-5b97-bd4e-b979fd5686a2.html
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“If power does return to the elected board I don’t want the same chaos to occur.”
Yep, she wants the edudeformer’s and her special chaos to occur.
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