That’s a trick question. Privatizers fail again and again, and when they fail, they double down on their failure.
After they takeover public schools, their replacement fails (unless it kicks out the students it doesn’t want and keeps only the ones that get high test scores).
After the charter school fails, it either remains open or is replaced by another charter school.
Charter lobbyists fight accountability in the state legislature. Accountability applies only to public schools.
When a charter fails and closes, it is never restored to the public, which paid for the school.
Bill Phillis of Ohio writes:
The anti-public common school horde is conjuring up more tricks to undermine the public common school system
The school privatization movement is being driven by a gaggle of somewhat diverse troops but all, intentionally or unintentionally, are working for the demise of traditional public education. Billions and billions from philanthropic organizations, foundations, corporations and wealthy individuals are being invested in the advancement of privately-operated alternatives to the public common school.
Strategies and motivations of privatizers differ but the goal is to transfer the governance of public schools from school communities to private groups and individuals.
The original charter concept of a teacher/parent schooling collaborative, in a contract with the board of education of a school district, has evolved into an out-of-control lucrative business enterprise.
After a couple decades of chartering, it is clear this industry does not and cannot outperform the public common school. Public support for chartering is waning. But charter industry leaders are ramping up efforts to take over entire districts for the purpose of advancing chartering. They campaign for charter-promoter board members, often with dark outside money. The district board of education, when dominated by charter advocates, then turns the district over to private-interests.
Another strategy is the establishment of the portfolio model within a school district. In this case, the control of the district is transferred to local units (charters and district schools) that are essentially controlled by private interests.
HB 70 (state takeover bill of the 131st General Assembly) has features of the portfolio model. HB 70 transfers powers of the board of education to a CEO. If school improvement does not happen under the CEO (which it won’t) the district can become a bevy of privately-operated charters.
Ohioans need to wake up to the portfolio movement of privatization, as well as other such schemes.
William L. Phillis | Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding | 614.228.6540 | ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net| http://www.ohiocoalition.org
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It’s a trick question because privatizers never fail. As long as they’re getting public money into private hands, that’s the goal, so mission accomplished.
A charter only needs to stay open for a short time to provide return on investment. Public risk, private profit.
YES; “failure” of a school only means TIME TO MOVE ON TO WHEREVER THE “CHOICE” MONEY IS NOW FLOWING
“After the charter school fails, it either remains open or is replaced by another charter school.” if you follow Jay P. Greene at all, then you know he is encouraging this kind of “market” model where schools just form and then get eradicated….. chaos theory I guess — but he holds to that definition of Market. Canadian scientist explains why market model does not work in climate change either. “Waking the Frog”… Hospitals, schools, should not be disrupted constantly and exposed to these kinds of instability for Greene’s sense o market purity. If you are concerned , write to him; he has blocked me from commenting at his site articles.
Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
Share, share, and share again and join the fight to save OUR public schools from a small army of greedy billionaire autocrats and their evil minions.
These people will not stop as long as there is money to be made and billionaires willing to pay the for assault. We should refine our messaging to including language that portrays privatizers as “head hunters that put a price on children’s heads” and fake reformers trying to transfer wealth in a “hostile takeover.”
I am beginning to think we should just call them what they are: Corporate shills and privatizers.
Fail some more?
It’s a shame what’s happened in Ohio.
Here’s John Kasich opining on how all the problems in the state are the fault of public schools:
“Outgoing Gov. John Kasich on Monday mulled openly about the future of Ohio’s economy, saying that the state’s K-12 education system needs a “fundamental restructuring” that involves more direct involvement by the business community.
Kasich, speaking to the board of JobsOhio, the state’s non-profit economic development corporation, said Ohio children need to learn skills that businesses need so they can get good-paying jobs as adults.
“And who can do that better than business? Who can explain this to kids better?” Kasich asked.
The governor lamented that two of his proposals in recent years to directly involve businesspeople in K-12 education were shot down. One was to put two non-elected businesspeople on every school board in the state so they could offer guidance on school curricula. The other sought to require Ohio teachers to shadow a local businessperson before they could renew their teaching licenses.”
Kasich did absolutely nothing for public education. He leaves it in much worse shape than he found it.
It’s amusing how he’s rediscovered public education now- right in time to launch his national media/political career.
Ed reformers made this possible. They made it safe for politicians to do absolutely nothing except sit back and blame public education for all the ills of the country. They gave these people an all-purpose excuse – pick the problem and I’ll show you an ambitious pol who can foist it off on public schools.
Drug abuse, gun violence, falling wages, unemployment- doesn’t matter. The all-purpose dodge is to blame it on public schools. Of course politicians grabbed it- it’s easy.
Chiara,
You convinced me. John Kasich is an idiot.
How many businesses fail every year? Why are they the capstone of AMERICAN life?
John Kasich isn’t familiar with Ohio school boards and Ohio public schools- he completely ignored them for his two terms.
What he would find if he ventured into a school board meeting is that there are plenty of “businesspeople” on school boards- I would bet a majority of school board members are owners, managers or employees of private sector entities.
This is the kind of dumb stuff we get that passes as “ideas”- .we get governors who want to put “businesspeople” on school boards because the governors are so out of touch and clueless they don’t know businesspeople are already on school boards.
Who does he think are on school boards? Unemployed people?
This is the kind of nonsense that passes for serious work:
“If Ohio schools can teach students high-tech skills that will be in demand in the future, he said, Ohio will be able to thrive “even if we don’t have the biggest population.”
Does anyone know what he’s talking about? My eldest son works in the tech industry. He took an ordinary high school curriculum, as did the vast majority of his coworkers.
Is there some reason he should have skipped a general curriculum and focused on job training? That’s ridiculous.
It’s both dumb and nutty to believe that taking english and math and history is somehow “archaic” or not preparation for work in ANY industry. This is just nonsense.
“Is there some reason he should have skipped a general curriculum and focused on job training?”
Well, yes. We don’t need people to think. We need them to take orders from their betters who will do the thinking for them. All the peons need to know are the skills to do what they’re told. They don’t need to think about why or how that’s worked in the past or whether it’s a good idea. When they want our opinions, they will give them to us.
The following is from a 2012 report on ALEC in Ohio by ProgressOhio:
“Given the controversy surrounding ALEC’s activities, Gov. John Kasich’s office has downplayed his extensive relationship to the organization. Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Gov. John Kasich, says the governor was formerly active in ALEC but stopped after leaving Ohio’s legislature. The group’s website says Kasich participated in the group during its formative years. Kasich’s spokesperson said that while the governor appreciates the group’s work, he hasn’t collaborated with it on recent legislation. While this may be technically true, it is far from a fair assessment of Kasich’s relationship with ALEC. An internal set of talking points created for an Ohio ALEC Scholarship fundraiser credits Gov. John Kasich as someone who “helped mold ALEC in its formative years.” Kasich’s influence is likely due to his unique history with the organization. In 1977, Ohio State Senator Donald ‘Buz’ Lukens took over the helm at ALEC and would go on to become its longest serving National Chairman. Lukens’ legislative aide at the time was John Kasich. If State Chair John Adams’ reliance on his legislative aide to perform extensive work on behalf of ALEC work is any guide, Kasich may have spent substantial amounts of time staffing the organization in its formative years before he would go on to win his own legislative seat and join the organization as a member. Kasich’s involvement doesn’t end with his time in the legislature. Gov. Kasich was photographed attending an ALEC meeting, where he is seen talking to private sector members.”
https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/John_Kasich
Donald Lukens’ scandal when he wore a white hood and “contributed to the delinquency” of an underaged girl (fill in the girl’s race and economic status) was a big media story that presumably ALEC would like to forget.
A training manual linked to Paul Weyrich (ALEC and the religious right’s attributed founder) is posted at Theocracy Watch.
When privatizers ** fail**
They get a public bail
And never go to jail
Public risk, private profit.
Answer: Buy property (home and vacation) and luxury items, invest winnings, peruse Wall St. Journal regularly to look for potential new scams—no rush, though, there’s time for the right opportunity to come along. Oh, and if they grifted enough, they get the bonus of being called “philanthropists” (very Sackler-esque) and community leaders.
They already took the money, so now all that is left is TO RUN!
Jonathan Chait (his wife works for charter schools), the NYT’s David Leonhard and, the Center for American Progress promote the ruse of privatized public education as “liberal” philanthropy.
They speak out of both sides of their mouths. They lament the decimation of the middle class and poor while causing a layer of profiteering on their backs with the sell off of public education.
CAP’s female executives advance the scheme of Bill Gates (their funder), which is policy that threatens the best-paying jobs available to middle class women, teaching. Neera Tanden’s haughty pretense at concern for women reserves a special place in hell for her. CAP’s founder (John Podesta) and CAP’s education staff deserve to join Tanden.