A daily reader of this blog, Chiara, has often made the point that once charters enter the political discussion in a state, there is no more attention to public schools. It is all-charters, all-vouchers, all the time, even though 93% of the children in Ohio (her state) attend traditional public schools. The legislature loses sight of the education of the state’s children and concentrates only on the small percentage in choice schools.
In Washington State, the legislature has been consumed with charters, even though they enroll only 1,300 students. The state’s highest court ruled they are not public schools and are not entitled to public funding. So the discussion this past session was devoted to how to fund those schools.
At the same time, the state court ordered the legislature to fund the public schools (which enroll 1 million students) equitably and adequately. While wrestling with the charter issue, the legislature did nothing to fund the schools that educate the overwhelming majority of children. It was all-charters, all the time.
Seattle parent blogger Dora Taylor says that the charter claque in the legislature plans to hold general funding hostage until they get charter funding.
This is shameful. Bill Gates shows where his priorities lie. Winning means more to him than the education of 1 million children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
choice schools = the power of the corporate charter schools to select the children they teach, get rid of any children they don’t want and the choice to treat the children they do keep like they are criminals in a Kingon prison.
The power of choice is the corporate charter schools—not the children and not the parents who were fooled to think they had a choice until they had none.
After all, they give $$$$$ to buy politicians. Wonder where the DFERs come from? Follow the $$$$$. They have not-for-profit foundations, which they really set up FOR THEIR OWN PROFITS and parties. It’s sick.
A good DFER description: follow the money!
Thanks for the post, Diane.
Keim is the Executive Director of the Washington Association of School Administrators. He weighs in on this issue, as well:
http://billsblog-wasa.weebly.com/blog-entries/a-thorn-by-any-other-name
Should the court throw-out Washington’s latest charter bill, I’m confident we will see additional legislative attempts to pass a charter law.
But wouldn’t that lead to the same result, with the WA State Supreme Court again ruling that the latest attempt at charter-saving legislation is also un-Constitutional?
The only real solution would be to change the WA State constitution? What does that involve?
Bill Gates should man up and build his own private schools with his own money if he thinks he knows so much about education to experiment on voluntary subjects. But no, he expends only what leverage it takes to pry open the public treasury and blow it on his toys.
You are so right, Jon. If Gates was truly interested in finding out “what works,” he would start his own school. There must be enough 1% children whose parents are investing in charters who could benefit from his plan. After all, don’t they all want the best for their children, too?
Gates already knows what works: Lakeside School. It is obvious that he thinks Lakeside is the way to teach children or he wouldn’t have sent his own children to the same 5 – 12 school he attended.
Read the description for school life at Lakeside:
https://www.lakesideschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=120815
If we apply logic to explain why Bill Gates doesn’t want the same type of educational environment for every child that he was exposed to and his children enjoy, what does that same about the real goals and agenda of Bill Gates for everyone else but his family and others who can afford the cost of a private school like Lakeside?
Tuition at Lakeside for this year is $30,850. Current expenditures per student in the U.S. public schools as about $12,000 annually. And the cost varies drastically by state from $6,555 in Utah to almost $20,000 in New York — none of the public schools come even close to what it costs to support school life at Lakeside.
Ah, but it’s so much less risky using other people’s money to experiment on other people’s children.
Jon–I stated the same thing a couple years ago on this blog. Another wealthy donor already created a school that Gates can model schools after for underprivileged children–Milton Hershey. In addition, we need addiction/treatment schools for students . There is need for alternative education but segregated-noninclusive charter schools
are not the answer.
Diane,
Off-topic, but wanted to make sure this catches your eye. I’m concerned that NYSED has been coordinating with Educator Voice/America Achieves and High Achievement NY (AA is part of HANY’s membership).
Every single teacher in NYSED’s recent advertising campaign is an Educator Voice fellow.
http://www.nysed.gov/video-gallery
All of the names come up as EV fellows– you reported last year that this group was funded by Helmsley, Bloomberg, and Gates. They went to work quickly! And for NYSED itself, no less.
Cross posted at http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Charter-Forces-in-Washingt-in-General_News-Budgets-Funding_Charter-School-Failure_Charter-Schools_Diane-Ravitch-160408-565.html#comment591736
with this comment which has embedded link in the comment there:
“It will be too late when the public wakes up.
“There are 15,880 school systems, and the media is hiding there reality that schools are being systematically privatized, state by state. Put ‘PRIVATIZATION’into the search field at here and see for your self. https://dianeravitch.net/?s=PRIVITIZATION
“Put Legislature in the search field,
https://dianeravitch.net/?s=legislature
and see how many states have already handed over the public schools to charter schools. Put charter school failure in the search field and judge for yourself what is happening.
https://dianeravitch.net/?s=charter+school+failure
“Tell others to goo there and watch THE END of our INSTITUTION of public schools, the ONLY way for our people to achieve income equality and the American dream
We have seen these type of obstructionist tactics used before it Congress by the Tea Party. It is like a legislative tantrum that holds everyone else hostage until they get their way. It is a way to allow the minority to rule, but the only way to stop them is to vote them out.
This is only the beginning for Washington. The next session will be devoted to charter funding. After that there will be numerous sessions devoted to charter expansion. By then there will be enough charters for lawmakers to focus exclusively on “charter reform” and the lobbying for “portfolio cities” will begin. Then come the sessions devoted to vouchers, because you can’t have charters without vouchers or the religious school lobby gets upset.
Meanwhile, the only time they’ll turn their attention to public schools is to introduce a new testing regime or to cut funding.
You won’t see public schools mentioned in local media anymore, you lawmakers will be too frightened to advocate on their behalf lest they risk the wrath of the “movement” and
you’ll wonder why you’re paying a huge group of people in state government who seem to have no interest in the public schools that exist.
The disfavored, unfashionable public system becomes the last priority. Just a neglected backstop for the “choice” schools, a safety net.
I am afraid your “crystal ball” is accurate. The only hope is for citizens to vote out some of the hardcore charter zealots. Enough people need to see this in order to fight it.
I am among the many here, including Diane, who have been aware of your insistent point that the charter industry has sucked all of the oxygen out of discussions of the schools that still serve the majority of students and to which charters return their “rejects.”
Keep pounding on that point.
The State of Washington is not really an extreme example, except for the clear role of charter supporters and their well-endowed PR and legal teams in trying to overturn the court ruling against charters.
I am afraid you are correct.
Washington State has a weak Governor (D) and we have a majority of Democrats in the House. DFER and others put fear into these individuals.
I believe this explanation is spot-on:
http://www.federalwaymirror.com/opinion/375875481.html#
With a majority of Dems in the House and a Democratic Governor…a charter bill got pushed into law. I’m starting to feel hopeless.
Public schools should probably all convert to charters. They’re political orphans and it won’t matter if the federal and state politician mania for privatization ends at some point- it will be too late for the public systems.
It’s either convert to charters or end up as the safety net system for “choice” schools. They can accept the role they’ve been assigned or have some influence on how this plays out- allowing politicians to create a “market” that puts them at a disadvantage just means a slow death.
HUH?
Let’s see. The writing is in the sand… Maybe, we should also give up on stopping global warming, because why fight?
And, since lies are the new truth, we should stop asking journalists to stick to the facts and to end their nattering about celebs and talk about issues that matter, like food insecurity.
Hillary Clinton is giving speeches where she promises to “support” public schools.
She sounds identical to Obama when he ran. I swear I cannot listen to these false promises for yet another cycle. She’ll be advised by the same 150 people who are influential in “the movement” and backed by the same set of billionaires.
They should pass a law limiting campaigns to 6 weeks. I could recite these promises from memory and so could 95% of voters. I don’t need a year-long review every 4 years
If you define charters as “public schools,” she would have her bases covered in perfect “lawyer speak.”
She just got booed in NY for saying what a nice guy Cuomo is – to a group of teachers, NYSUT: http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/09/new-york-teachers-boo-hillary-after-she-praises-states-governor-video/
#tonedeaf
Just shows you how little importance is being placed on an education agenda. Hillary would never have praised Cuomo if she was up to speed on how he is hated by NY teachers. Guess we know how much credence to give any shout outs she gives to teachers.
Gates already has a school where he sends his own kids… Lakeside HS, a private school that spends triple per pupil than public schools… On students who overwhelmingly already have their beds met.
“On students who overwhelmingly already have their beds met.”
Trying to picture that. I’m sure their parents wouldn’t approve!
Maybe it’s time for a protest at the gates of Gates’ house’s gated “community”. Sign me up.
If things keep playing out this way, it should once and for all put to rest any questions about the intentions or altruism of Gates and his Foundation. This nasty and crude effort does provide an excellent opportunity to expose him and his wife.
“. . . to expose him and his wife.”
Don’t know about his wife but please don’t do that to him.
Someone asked “will the Supreme Court vote the same way again?” WA has been run by a group of judges that legislate from the bench–for many the ruling against charters was the last straw (it was the only one that I agreed with). Big money from Gates and Allan are promoting removing 3 judges from the bench and replacing them with conservative ones. No one seemed interested until this happened.
Since the Rep party platform is against Common Core it seems ironic that they would get in bed with big money to get charters.
I frequently pass onto several of my legislators copies of Dianes posts regarding charters. I really think I am getting no where.