Julian Vasquez Heilig has deep ties to the state of Michigan, as he is from Lansing, and he graduated from the University of Michigan. He has made his mark as a scholar of education policy at the University of Texas and now Sacramento State in California. Although he has established a reputation as a well-informed critic of charters, he could not pass up the opportunity to open a chain of charters in his home state of Michigan, where anyone can open a charter school and the financial rewards of for-profit charters are large. What’s principle when profits are so alluring?
The five charters will open this September, which is kind of quick, but then they are mostly online schools. It is no problem that Julian will continue to live in California, because, well, the weather is better.
It took only four weeks to have his request approved, so why wait to get started?
Here are three of his five new charters. You will have to open the link to read about the other two. They are doozies:
SELL Academy: SELL Academy will be primarily online and have a statewide attendance zone and serve grades 9-12. The school plans to implement an online real estate and sales curriculum through partnership with Trump University. The school aims to integrate sales into project-based learning experiences to allow students to develop critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of sales— including real estate deals. Tremendous! There will be a brick-and-mortar location at a Trump property to be determined later.
Perfect Graduation Academy for Boys: Perfect Academy for Boys will be primarily online have a statewide with a brick-and-mortar location on land to be purchased by school and then leased back to me by my Charter Management Organization at a “great” price. Perfect will serve grades 9-10. The school will be a single-gender charter school that provides a rigorous, college preparatory program for grades 9-12. We will have a 100% graduation rate for everyone that is still at our school after four years. I promise. Perfect Academy for Boys will offer an extended day, week and year religious-based educational program. The focus is on boys, because, well, you know boys.
Exodus Academy for Girls: Exodus Academy for Girls will be primarily online have a statewide with a brick-and-mortar location on land to be purchased by school and then leased back to me by my Charter Management Organization at a “great” price (see above). I am actually thinking I might sell this school before it opens or mid-year. I’m taking offers— I’m ready to exodus.
He says he knows that Betsy DeVos will be thrilled with his success and that he was inspired by her comparison of schools to Ubers and other disruptive innovations in ride-sharing. He wants to be part of the new economy.
Need I say that Julian will be leaving the board of the Network for Public Education as of close of business today?
(April Fool!)
No fair. I went “Wait! What!
You and Heilig together are DYNOmite for April 1 foolishness.
You are such a “nasty woman”! I said “is this the Onion?”
Very good!
Heilig is too busy “knocking out” his privateer debate opponents. I am sure he also has a conscience and is far to principled to play the charter game. Heilig also understands facts and real evidence and has no need for the “alternative facts” of privatization. Most of all, he understands that well funded public schools are the most equitable opportunity that students can get.
That was so cruel…funny but cruel….Heart stopping and cruel! So happy to know some people have principal regardless of dollar signs and the damage they cause our schools and children…NO more April fools jokes.:)
That prompted a real sense of panic, honestly. I’m afraid this public education supporter mislaid her sense of humor somewhere on or around 7 February…
Has Heiling responded to this?
Oops, I misspelled his name, sorry!
I’m in as long as I can start my own offshoot. Tulip Growers anyone? Let’s all pile on. I mean, it is SO easy.
I assumed this was a joke. ??
Deb,
A joke!
Shouldn’t have read this while taking a swig of Not Your Fathers Root Beet. Spitting a gut laughing and swallowing at the same time doesn’t work very well.
Beer, not Beet.
Splitting, not Spitting.
More Breaking news!
NEPC reports that “Secretary DeVos Has Secret Russia Meeting With Potential Grizzly.”
“BOULDER, CO (April 1, 2017) – As part of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s campaign to promote educational vouchers, she held a secret meeting last week with Boo Boo Medvedev, a Russian bear who is said to have close ties to bear leadership throughout the northern hemisphere.”
Read about it at http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2017/04/secretary-devos
Ha ha ha…
Although I know that today is April Fool, I was really upset to read the first half of this thread.
However, until I read Trump University and the name “Boy online school”, the 100 % graduation guarantee, “Exodus” Girl online school”, I laugh heartily.
Thank you for a perfect “”PERFECT online school” joke. May
He should take this joke one step further and put this info on a real charter school application. Which states would actually accept them?
If he gave the Ohio Republican Party, $, all of the schools would open.
In a NY Times Opinion piece: “Who Needs Charters When You Have Public Schools Like These?” The author actually points to successful Public schools in a high poverty area of Tulsa . Noting the positive effect of community based schooling.
I might take some issue with his highlighting of STEM as if it is a be all and end all , but it is generally positive. .
Of course the author can not resist taking a shot at Teacher wages by Comparing the $50,000 wage in Tulsa to Scarsdale NY. Without noting that the cost of living is 75% higher in NY and the cost of housing in down state even much higher than that. I doubt the schools in Scarsdale one of the wealthiest suburbs in the Nation are suffering .I also question even at the 120,000 wage how many Teachers live in that community with a median home value of 1,000,000