Students protested at Sacramento Charter High School, operated by St. Hope’s Charter chain, led by former mayor Kevin Johnson and his wife Michelle Rhee. They were angry about Teacher firings over the summer and arbitrary rules, like requiring students to wear long pants when the temperature reached 100.
Charter operators can’t push high school students around as easily as little kids.
Here’s some history about Sacramento Charter High School.
“Founded in 1856, Sacramento High School moved several times. In 1922, construction began at its current location on 34th Street. It opened at this location in 1924 and continuously served the growing neighborhoods of Downtown Sacramento, Midtown, East Sacramento, River Park, College Greens, Tahoe Park and Oak Park until 2003.
“The school was closed by the SCUSD School Board in June 2003, over the objections of many students, parents and teachers. The new charter high school, which opened in September 2003, kept the same school colors, purple and white, and the dragon mascot but not the Visual and Performing Arts Center (VAPAC) which had been one of the school’s unique features for many years. Sacramento Charter High School is governed by a private Board of Directors from St. Hope Public Schools.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Peaceful protests are the first step and hopefully the last step to reclaim our government from the frauds, crooks, liars, and con-men.
But if those greed driven corrupted autocrats ignore the public protests, the next step is taking a page from the U.S. Founding Fathers starting from when they wrote the Declaration of Independence.
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CLICK HERE to see a longer, embedded video (from THE SACRAMENTO BEE) about this situation with the walkout protest at Rhee’s charter:
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2018/09/st-hope-charter-school-students-have.html
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Oh, and here’s the local Sacramento TV news coverage:
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Fox40????
I don’t think we can trust most of what any FOX reports as news.
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“FOX40 attempted to reach school administrators however, calls and messages sent to St. Hopes. the non-profit which runs the charter school, were not returned.”
We never hear from the “sponsors” of Ohio charter schools either. They’ll be a story about a charter school and they’ll identify the contractor who runs the school but only as an entity – “so and so sponsor”. Never any individual’s name and the sponsors never speak to media.
Sponsors are paid to manage these schools. I’m not clear why we never hear from the individuals who work for these places. They’re essentially public employees- they are paid wholly out of public funding.
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The more the names are named the more complete and better off our knowledge of these situations will be.
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Sacramento HS was one of the first high schools in California. I’m not confident in saying it was the first, but definitely one of the first 3-5.
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Just because they keep the colors and the name does not make it the same school. Sacramento High School closed in 2003.
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This has been a recurring attitude by charter operators, and corporate ed. reformers in general:
“Teachers are just ‘The Help.’ ”
“Teachers are easily replaceable.”
“No one cares about teachers having any longevity on the job.”
Well, as has been evidenced again and again and again, students and parents have objected vociferously to this high churn approach to school staffing.
Bill Gates or someone said that computers or computer programs would eventually take the place of teachers in the same way that automation has largely replaced other occupations, such as travel agents.
The thing is that, unlike the way that travel agents relate to customers, students and parents have a personal relationship with their child’s teacher. This is especially true when the same teacher teaches multiple siblings. Students and parents get wind of a certain teacher’s reputation, and look forward to that child being taught by that special teacher next year, or in two years, or three years or at some point in the future. Over the years, veteran teachers become an important, and at times, a seemingly irreplaceable part of that school’s community or family. These teachers draw parents and students to that school. Veteran teachers provide consistency and stability to a school’s culture.
However, the corporate ed. reformers reject that notion. They view teachers to be like the man or woman who works the drive-thru at a fast food place that one regularly buys food.
Do you care that the man or woman at the window who usually takes and gives your order is now gone?
No, I didn’t think so. Why, it’s the same way with teachers, doncha know? I mean do you even know that man or woman’s name who’s working the drive-thru? No, and when you think about it, you really don’t even need to. Now, do you? Again, it’s the same way with teachers.
Last month, Eva Moskowitz was met with huge protests when it was discovered that 70% of Success Academy High School teachers were not returning.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2018/07/30/read-success-academy-ceo-eva-moskowitzs-letter-to-parents-after-dramatic-staff-turnover/
Her response was dismissive and condescending to the parents and students making such a protest:
“Oh, I know you people might be a bit sad when they find that their favorite teacher won’t be coming back, but don’t worry. We just hired a whole bunch of new, but equally great teachers, so why don’t y’all just STFU and be happy that you still get to attend a school run by ‘The Great and Powerful Me?’ “
(Okay, that’s not an exact quote ;-), but that’s the gist of Eva’s response.)
Of course, the response to THAT would be, “Oh wonderful! So we’ll meet these ‘great teachers,’ develop a relationship with them, integrate them into the school community, bond closely with them almost as if they’re family … and then a year from now, all or most of them will be gone the same as happened with last year’s teachers? And then you’ll keep repeating this YEAR after YEAR after YEAR? No thanks.
Of course, a key part of this — besides keeping the salary costs down — is union suppression. High turnover prevents any budding thoughts of unionization among a school’s teaching staff.
In addition to Rhee’s charter in Sacramento, and Eva’s in NYC, high teacher turnover was also key part of the protests countless other places, including:
— Douglas County Colorado
(NOTE: The Douglas County (DougCo) schools were not technically charter schools, but DougCo’s public schools. This was back when the DougCo school district was run by corporate ed reformers elected to the DougCo’s school board, who adopted a charter-style, or corporate ed. reform-style management, which predictably led to the same high teacher turnover. High turnover was one the reasons — though not the only reason — that those corporate board members were unanimously thrown out of office in DougCo’s last election.)
— Newark, New Jersey’s Marion P. Thomas charter school
https://www.bobbraunsledger.com/newark-charter-school-fires-half-of-its-teachers/
The latter, btw, is the same school where the school’s CEO sent kids out of the school during school hours, leaving them totally unsupervised. They did this because the kids were not following the schools draconian dress code. The school’s CEO just let them run loose in a crime-ridden neighborhood. This was discussed here:
Also, with the latter, the teachers’ leaving were all the result of terminations.
https://www.bobbraunsledger.com/newark-charter-school-fires-half-of-its-teachers/
Two years prior, the same CEO fired half its teachers at the end of the 2015 – 2016 school years. Indeed, 50% its teachers didn’t leave on their own for varying reasons, including termination, or non-renewal of a contract — as happened in the Success Academy high school recently.
A full half of this charter school’s teachers were out-and-out fired. Un-freakin’-believable!
Think about this. So many of the key ed. reformers send their kids to rich kids’ private schools: Eva Moskowitz (Heschel); Arne Duncan (Chicago Lab School); Michelle Rhee (Harpeth Hall) and on the list goes.
These schools operators pride themselves on the longevity of the teachers on their staffs, citing how so many of their teachers have spent decades teaching at the respective schools. Those teachers are an integral, indispensable part of that school’s community. They’re like family.
Can you imagine what the parents in those schools would do if they showed up on DAY ONE of the school year, only to discover that the school leaders summarily canned 50% of the school’s teachers, or if 70% of them were not returning for whatever reason (including being fired)? Those parents would go thermonuclear. The school leaders know this, so they wouldn’t dare.
In short, it’s fine and dandy for privately-managed charter operators to subject the charter kids to high teacher turnover, but when it comes their own kids’ education, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PULLIN’ THAT SH#% WITH *MY” KIDS!
Here’s an article from the corporate ed. reform think tank Fordham Institute, which makes the oxymoronic claim that high turnover is the necessary means to achieving … low turnover.
Check out this word salad.
https://edexcellence.net/articles/the-case-for-some-teacher-turnover-in-charter-schools
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Fordhams’ CATHERINE WORTH (former TFA, of course):
“The goal is the same: develop and retain as many high-quality teachers in our classrooms as possible. Part of this is accomplished by recognizing that not all teachers will be successful and that struggling educators can be detrimental to our students. (high) Turnover is therefore vital to achieving that shared goal (i.e. low turnover).
“And on that front, charters are leading the way.”
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Huh?!
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At the school in Lower Manhattan in which I serve, we have, for the three years preceding this one, suffered faculty churn of 20 to 25 percent; this year we churned a little over ten percent of teachers. Our principal, who is a self-professed “my-door-is-always-open” kind of administrator (and expression is bluntly literal, because his mind is mostly closed) doesn’t seem to have any sense that this is the sign of a troubled institution.
Last spring, when a valued and highly competent colleague of mine announced her departure, I approached the principal to discuss the problem of churn in our school, he glibly told me that faculty churn really isn’t an issue for schools, and that teachers are relatively easily replaceable.
I don’t know how one reasons with someone this ignorant.
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Your principal sounds like a great example of what an adminimal is!
Adminimal is as adminimal does!
Sorry couldn’t help myself with that obnoxious trite statement.
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Oh, he’s that for sure. As a result of all this, I am myself making plans to leave the school.
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I wish you the best of luck in the next phase of your career!
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Thanks, Duane.
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Oh, markstextterminal, you can’t reason with an adminimal for that is a logical impossibility. I wouldn’t even attempt it, lest your head explode. And then the adminimal would write you up for making a mess!
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Thanks Duane. The irony is that you are kidding but absolutely and exactly right about this.
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The democrats can reclaim their role in the United States if they can remember the two simple concepts: 1) democracy and 2) middle class.
Remembering that they work to support these two ideas, instead of taking money from billionaire plutocrats an oligarchs would end the nightmares such as Kevin Johnson/Michelle Rhee, as well as other parasites such as Moskowitz in New York.
LeBron James is more of a hero to the American experiment…a pioneer for the citizens of our great nation. While some sports figures, such as Johnson and Andre Agassi, sell out for greater fortune, others such as James stand up for what we value as a nation.
The billionaires wield a great deal of power, but their power is not limitless…it will take the power of the press, sports athletes, and actors….which, if working together can end the privatization movement that has crept into our public domains.
The democrats are well poised to make large gains in the midterm elections, but they must ask themselves, “Who do I work for, the billionaires, or the middle class?”
Our nation is only at risk because of the Johnsons and Rhee’s and Moskowitz’s…the sell-outs to the billionaires shaping the world in their own visions that by the way, does not include these turn coats. They are merely the tools that the wealthy use to shape policy.
1) Democracy
2) Middle Class
Not just remembering these words on Election Day…but throughout their days of “public service”.
These are the keys to reclaiming the ideals that our nation was founded upon.
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That’s right Diane, high school students care about fairness and justice, and have the will to fight and overcome repeated swats from Rhee’s broom. Keep high school girls away from her husband, Kevin Johnson, though. (Just kidding, sort of.) No, seriously, one must be proud of all the young people at St. Hope Charter Scam High in Sacramento. The adults might not care about the community enough to oppose privatizing profiteers, but the students do. They’re smart too, smart enough to know that their education is not dependent on the length of their pants!
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…or the color of their shirts, for that matter.
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By the way, Shana Tovah! This year, life will be better.
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https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/miseducation-of-sac-high/content?oid=14185
Per this 2/6/03 article, Sac Hi was closed under state law due to yrs of rock-bottom test scores which were not improving despite a number of reforms underway. Teachers/ principal note that too many reforms were set in motion at once; some were showing promise but had been given barely enough time to implement let alone effect a turnaround.
The public was made aware of Kevin Johnson’s offer to re-open as a charter he promised would be the same – including full support for the Visual and Arts Performing Center which made it unique – but even better. Nevertheless the closing was in opposition to major protest by the community; the Johnson offer appealed to many, but many others felt his organization did not have the backing or experience to fulfill its promises.
https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/revenge-of-the-art-school/content?oid=14915
http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2011/08/sacramento-visual-and-performing-arts.html
Click to access CER_FINALClosedSchools2011-1.pdf
But in fact VAPAC was not included in Johnson’s charter version of Sacramento High School. He decided instead to spin it off as a 500-student charter providing arts plus core curriculum courses… Not a viable model. VAPAC at Sac Hi was 350-400 student majors, supported by arts classes open to the entire student body. As an independent charter, “VAPAC would have had to cut its extensive list of arts classes nearly in half” — because it would have to duplicate the core courses that were provided by Sac Hi when VAPAC was part of the same school. VAPAC ended up losing its key teacher/ director Wm Zinn to another district. Ultimately it was chartered by a mother-son arts duo who thought to make a go of it as a 1000-student school. It closed after 4 years of struggle with district over hiring/ firing, budget, curriculum, & safety issues.
As Steven Singer says, “Unlike public schools where all the funding has to be spent on student services, most charter schools are run for profit. They are allowed to cut services for students and swipe the savings for their investors.
“Some charter schools don’t do this. BUT THEY CAN! Any day now they could cut little Timmy’s gym class down to twice a week so a shady group of business people in a smoke filled room could stuff a bunch of bills in their own wallets. Offering French AND Spanish? Adios muchachos. And bonjour to a fistful of dollars going directly into their bank accounts.”
Today, students at the charter Kevin Johnson established 15 yrs ago to replace Sacramento High School are protesting en masse, because they returned after summer to find many teachers & support staff of color let go [why? perhaps replaced by TFA-style white newbies to save $$?] — and a new dress code requiring long pants even in 100degF heat — and a new lock-out-at-end-of-day reg which eliminates after-school help from teachers.
As Steven Singer says in the above-cited article, “Even if you have a benevolent tyrant [charter school] who does nothing all day but try to do whatever is best for his or her subjects, that is a worse state of affairs [than a public school, which is held to regs established by democratic public input].”
“Eventually the tyrant will change. Absolute power will corrupt him or her absolutely. Or even if this bastion of human goodness is incorruptible, he or she will eventually be deposed, replaced or die.
“And there is nothing – absolutely nothing – to ensure the next tyrant is likewise benevolent. In fact, the system is set up to increase the likelihood that the next ruler will be as selfish, greedy and malevolent as possible.”
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These kinds of events are so mainstream that even TV series take it up. I have been watching the “The Fosters” series which is about a family with quite a few adopted kids, and one of the (married lesbian) parents is the vice principal of a charter school. The school gets a new, non-educator principal with strong business mentality, and she promptly fires the very well loved English teacher. Why? Because the kids are not doing too well on the standardized tests and the teacher refuses to testprep the kids “because they should not just memorize facts”. Under pressure, the teacher seemingly gives in a bit, and promises to give the students non-literary texts as well to read. But it turns out that the first reading he gives to the students is a paper titled “The corporate takover of American education” after which the firing is inevitable. .
The teens in the school get outraged by the firing, and they walkout. I think I am not spoiling it for anybody if I disclose that there is a happy end to this.
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The only happy ending is if the students refuse to return to the charter school and they “all” migrate to the local traditional public school where their beloved English teacher found another job.
The last scene shows an empty corporate charter school with litter blowing across the floors of the emptry rooms. The windows have all been broken and the old principal/CEO is on the run from the police for being found guilty of fraud charges.
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