The Wisconsin legislature is considering a bill sponsored by two suburban Republican legislators that would allow a state takeover of the city’s lowest performing schools, which would be turned into charters or voucher schools. None of this is new to Milwaukee; it has had a charter sector and vouchers schools for 25 years. The public schools outperform the other sectors. Well, let’s see what happens? Does Governor Scott Walker and the Legislature listen to the citizens of Milwaukee or do they listen to ALEC and the Koch brothers?
The Milwaukee Common Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing the state takeover:
Milwaukee Common Council Adopts Resolution Firmly Opposing Kooyenga/ Darling MPS Takeover Proposal
Filed under: MPS Takeover
Introduced by Alderperson Tony Zielinski and adopted by the Milwaukee Common Council on June 21 2015
Resolution opposing the Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program proposal currently pending in the Wisconsin Legislature.
This resolution expresses the City’s opposition to the provisions of the Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program proposal currently pending in the Wisconsin Legislature.
Whereas, The proposed Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program currently pending in the Wisconsin Legislature provides that the Milwaukee County Executive oversee the turnover of up to 5 struggling Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) district schools to public charter or private voucher school operators; and
Whereas, The proposed program would diminish the power of Milwaukee City residents to control their public school district by allowing non-City residents to indirectly control the operation of certain City public schools by playing a part in the election of the Milwaukee County Executive who would have the authority to intercede in MPS operations; and
Whereas, Turning over struggling MPS schools to public charter and private voucher school operators is no guarantee of success given the fact than many public charter and private voucher schools have been no more successful than MPS in improving the performance of low-performing schools; and
Whereas, A change in governance of struggling MPS schools offers no promise to remediate the root cause of poor performance in low-performing public schools and seems a thinly-veiled attempt by the state to privatize public schools; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the City of Milwaukee opposes the provisions of the Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program proposal currently pending in the Wisconsin Legislature; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the City Clerk shall forward copies of this resolution to members of the City of Milwaukee’s delegation to the State Legislature and Governor Scott Walker.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I sure hopes this makes a dent in the take-over efforts.
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I wish it did too, but the Governor and legislative majorities are unlikely to give weight to the Common Council’s perspective. This is a glaring issue, but this indifference to local wishes and public input is not limited to Milwaukee and is not limited to education issues. I think Diane’s question is a rhetorical one.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/budget-surprises-items-inserted-little-or-no-public-input-b99516630z1-306849021.html
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My question was both rhetorical and sarcastic
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Extra credit for the sarcasm!
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STILES,
On the scoring rubric I was given “sarcasm” is one of the categories. The scale is 1-7 and since no one can get a 7 (hey, that’s what we were told during training) I give Diane a 5-Occasionally uses sarcasm to an appropriate degree that is fairly easy to detect.
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Duane,
I was told we could give some 7’s if we provided specific evidence to support the rating. Sounds like we have a fidelity issue in the professional development program.
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Walker should do just that.
Get his walking shoes and walk, better yet, run to the nearest exit.
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Ed reform gets much more extreme in Ohio:
“According to the amendment, which I’ve posted here, Youngstown (and any other district that’s in “academic distress,” but for the moment only Youngstown) would be taken over by a “Chief Executive Officer” who would have “complete operational, managerial, and instructional control” of the district.
That’s right. All those elected officials the people of Youngstown bothered putting into office? Forget them. Because, apparently, the problem with the elected board is they’re not making decisions fast enough? I really don’t get this.
Anyway, the amendment would allow this CEO to make all decisions. In fact, throughout the amendment, the CEO would be given “sole” authority to reconstitute buildings, put any whackadoodle in charge there, decide which schools get which resources, which schools get turned into charters, etc.”
I actually think this will go down to defeat. It’s a real overreach by ed reform lobbyists and ed reform has performed so miserably in this state that it’s probably not a good time to push it.
I;m a little surprised because there was a lot of rhetoric and slogans around “collaboration” and “cooperation” when they put in the “portfolio” plan that was fashionable a couple of years ago, in Cleveland. I thought they were adopting a softer marketing approach. This is kind of a return to the “you SHALL” approach in ed reform.
Anyway, we’ll see, but I’d bet 50 bucks this will be rejected by the public.
http://www.10thperiod.com/2015/06/ohio-senate-proposes-dictatorship-in.html
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It passed in the legislature last night chiara – http://wytv.com/2015/06/24/oh-senate-debates-plan-to-have-ceo-run-youngstown-schools/
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One truly crazy part is that the CEO can open any collective bargaining agreement and modify it after 3 years which because unions will be aware of this provision, the district can only plan 3 years into the future so there will be plenty of ongoing contract negotiations.
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And just how does this square with a major strand of rheephorm that inveighs against “big gubmint monopoly schools”?
I mean, when you want to turn local schools over to big gubmint, doesn’t that kind of eviscerate that line of thinking?
Or am I using the word “thinking” too loosely to describe what goes on in the skulls of the “thought leaders” of the self-proclaimed “education reform” movement?
So many questions…
😎
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Appalling voucher school story that came out today.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/parents-sue-military-style-voucher-school-for-abuse-humiliation-b99526501z1-309848851.html
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