Jack Hassard is a Professor Emeritus of Science Education at Georgia State University. A former high school teacher, he usually blogs about science education. But he has seen through the hoax of the Governor Deal’s constitutional amendment this November. The ballot asks voters whether the state should have the authority to intervene to help failing schools, yes or no. Readers of this blog know that this is a hoax, intended to deceive voters. The real purpose is to creat a special non-contiguous district consisting of the state’s lowest performing schools. They will be removed from their district and handed over to state control. The state will then transfer them to charter chains.
Every so-called opportunity school district has failed. This is a hoax and a fraud. The governor must know this. Since when were conservative politicians concerned about “saving” poor kids? Note that this reform is a substitute for reducing the poverty that blights children’s lives.
This is an ALEC-inspired program to erode local control and expand privatization.
Hassard explains that Governor Deal is taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s horrendous Citizens United decision that removed limits on political contributions. In this post, he describes the twisted trail of big-money that’s behind Governor Deal’s push to privatize public schools, which will create a money pot for entrepreneurs. Deal is pulling the wool over the eyes of the public.
You’re right, Diane. Their current public schools are doing such a great job.
Anthony,
Their current public schools need funding not competition with national corporations and scam artists.
Diane
Do you honestly believe someone like Bill Gates is involved in education for the money? Is he also trying to make money on getting healthcare and medicine to those in some of the poorest countries in the world? C’mon, you don’t believe that.
Yes, the vast majority are doing a great job. Are there some that can use some improvement? Yes, but that number is very small in the larger landscape of American community public schools!
I hope there are enough boots on the ground in Georgia to expose this fraudulent, ALEC inspired, misleading proposal on the state ballot. We have seen this same tactic used in state after state. I can understand how a governor can have the right to create a so called Opportunity School District. What I cannot understand is how the governor can legally turn over the district to charters. At this point the nature of the relationship changes. Families go from being a democratic participant in a democratic system to a consumer of a private corporation. How is this legal? Do they still have any public school option when this is done?
KEY POINT: ALEC inspired. And coming to a state near you.
Cross posted at Oped news.
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Georgia-Fraud-Money-Behin-in-General_News-Bottom-up-Top-Down_Charter-Schools_Citizens_Create-Havoc-160929-968.html
with this comment, which has many links at the site.
So, look at what the California Billionaires are doing to privatize education and be aware that this is a worldwide takeover of education by the oligarchs who KNOW that getting people as kids, wins the battle to take over any nation.
Anya Kamenetz wrote an illuminating and actually frightening article about Pearson’s ambitious plans to introduce for-profit education around the world. I quote the article at length because it is so important. I urge you to read it in full. It appears in “Wired” magazine.
Public schools are disappearing and with it the road to income equality as well as a democracy. Shared knowledge is a requirement for a democracy, and when Billionaire Koch can write North Carolina’s social studies curricula…..
See my series on privatization,, using information that Diane Ravitch provides about the state legislatures which are taking over the local schools, with nary an educator on board, and giving them to charters, with not a shred of oversight! Here is a link to Diane’s posts on charter school corruption .
Keep abreast at Ravitch Blog tor Go to the NPEsite and learn what you can DO as parents and as citizens!The Network For Public Education | We are many. There is power in our numbers.
Opportunist School District …
Two encouraging anti-OSD developments here in the metro Atlanta area…
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/09/27/new-class-action-lawsuit-opportunity-school-district-ballot-question-misleading-deceptive/
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/09/26/most-school-chiefs-dodge-opportunity-school-district-debate-not-steve-green-of-dekalb-calls-it-predatory-politics/
Thank you, Ed. That’s great news!