Texas Governor Greg Abbot selected Dallas school board member Mike Morath as State Commissioner of Education. Morath is one of the privatization advocates who wanted to turn Dallas into a so-called “home rule district, which was meant to clear the way for charters.
Now Morath is cleaning house, replacing experienced high-level staff with newcomers whose experience is strong in the charter industry.
Among others, Morath hired the former chairman of the Kansas City school board as deputy commissioner in charge of governance. In his former life, he was known as Airick West. Not only does he have a new job, he has renamed himself A.J. Crabill.
“The Dallas Morning News recently reported Morath had named AJ Crabill, a former chairman of the Kansas City (Mo.) School Board, to the position of deputy commissioner for governance. Crabill was known as Airick West during his time in Kansas City. He and the commissioner have declined several requests for interviews and questions about how Morath met Crabill and the circumstances surrounding his hiring in the last several weeks.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
. Morath is one of the privatization advocates who wanted to turn Dallas into a so-called “home rule district”
Prolly meant the “home wrecker district”
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There is a VERY interesting article in the Spring edition of “The American Prospect”. “Hedging Education – How hedge funders spurred the pro-charter political network. It is especially interesting to me as the article focuses on how this got started in Indiana. I believe that if you can find a copy you will likewise find it very intriguing.
This issue focuses on the hedge fund manipulators so there are several articled that I found intriguing AND enlightening.
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Can one get hired in government without adherence to the ed reform line? I don’t think so, judging by how dominant this “movement” is and how they all sound the same.
Dissent is probably a career-killer at this point.
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Dissent, or just questioning the status quo has always been a “career killer”.
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It’s the same in Ohio:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2016/04/18/1-choose-education-chief-with-care.html
It’s actually a critical piece from The Dispatch, which is amazing considering they’ve been the biggest reform cheerleaders. When THEY start asking questions you know it’s bad.
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Good piece on how DC was heavily influenced by tech companies (who are big donors) when pushing tech careers in schools:
“Skeptics, however, aren’t convinced that there’s a real shortage — and suggest that tech companies are simply eager to bump up the supply in order to keep their labor costs down.
They note that salaries in the IT industry have not increased, in real terms, since the late 1990s — unlike salaries in other fields, such as petroleum engineering, where the labor market was undeniably tight. Furthermore, only about two-thirds of students who earn college degrees in computer and information sciences take jobs in that field within a year of graduation, according to an analysis by Hal Salzman, a professor of planning and public policy at Rutgers University.
“Finding genius is difficult in any industry,” Salzman said. But overall, he said, “there’s no shortage.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/hour-of-code-schools-obama-113408#ixzz46HulmfvB
My eldest son works in the field and he says there’s no shortage. They all know it’s spin.
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What happens when we have a charter bubble and it bursts? I can’t wait to see the clean up from that one.
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What did it take for the colonies to fight a revolution against the most powerful empire on the earth, and how much must the people suffer today before the suffering is so horrendous and corrupt, they react again?
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Several of the panels at #NPE16NC addressed the topic of how to fight back against privatization and de-professionalization of teaching. The remedies? Organize, vote, run candidates of our own, share the information, use social media – all good, common sense ideas that ought to work.
But what to do when:
There is no elected school board
The local media – print and broadcast – attack and undermine public schools (though not in well-to-do suburbs)
The mayor is a charter supporter
The superintendent is a Broadie “scholar”
The governor is a charter supporter who will do “whatever if takes to raise the number of charter schools”
The governor appoints the state Board of Education
The majority of the state board is composed of privatizers who advantage charters
Outside dark money pours in to support the privatization agenda on ballot questions and for the election of officials
And this is in “liberal” Massachusetts, whose schools have long enjoyed recognition as some of the best. People aren’t apathetic; taxpayers are vocal about wanting to fund their public schools; some superintendents are speaking out; some local (elected) school boards are in revolt; parents are indignant; students are walking out. Even the state auditor has publicly urged the legislature to make policy based on the facts contained in her damning report on charters, not on ideology. None of this sems to matter to those in power.
Rev. Dr. Barber’s speech left me in tears because losing this struggle will destroy our childrens’ right to a democratically controlled public education system, and I am afraid we will lose the fight.
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That’s what Abbot is doing in Texas. He is putting puppets in place to man the assault. Texas needs to embrace opt-out. It is the only way to defend public schools. Refuse to play the game.
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Christine, we will win. Say it again ten times and return to the struggle.
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Diane, the conference lifted my spirits! But I’m going to need two conferences a year if this keeps up.
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These are some very dubious people. Who’s next? Ted Nugent–he’s a big pal of Greg Abbot’s, which is evidently one of the only things required for a high-paying job in the education bureaucracy in Texas.
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