Peter Greene noticed that Reformers have turned ttheir attention to rural communities, where they have a hard time getting established.
Imagine a guy or woman from New York or Chicago or New Orleans arriving in a small town or a rural community and telling the locals what they need to “save” their children from the local schools.
Greene explains why their pitch usually falls on deaf ears and why they don’t welcome corporate chains.
He gives four reasons why the charter operators get the cold shoulder.
Here are two of them:
“My children went to school in a tiny village where the two central institutions were the elementary school and the volunteer fire department. In rural and small town areas, grown adults still identify themselves by what high school they graduated from. Sporting events, school concerts, art displays–these are attended by all sorts of people who are not actual parents of the participants. Launching a charter school in this setting is about as welcome as having a guy move into the house next door and inviting your children to call him “Dad.”
“Rural Schools Run On Tight Budgets
“One does not remove a few hundred thousand dollars from a rural school budget without really feeling it. Most rural districts are lean operations already, without fifteen jobs like Assistant Vice-Superintendent in charge of Paper that can be easily absorbed. Transportation may be a huge chunk of the budget, and there really isn’t any way to tighten that particular belt. The minute a charter starts “redirecting” tax dollars away from a rural district, that district will feel the hurt.”
But he does have one example where a charter works. Let him tell you.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Charters would also be rejected by many smaller suburban districts where the local school is valued and the center of community life. These parents know that quality public schools are both a public and personal asset reflected in property values. There is no incentive for them to believe a scheme from a privatizing carpetbagger. They would realize it would result in diminished capacity in the public schools that provide them with value.
Greene talks about locals establishing a charter school when a community feels the need. In a neighboring county, the city of Destin in Florida has been sending their high school students to Fort Walton Beach for many years. The affluent Destin parents have repeatedly asked for a high school in their town, but the request has been rejected. A group of parents recently announced they plan to open a charter high school in Destin. I hope they realize how difficult it will be to replicate a high school curricula and locate adequate space. As of now they plan to move ahead with their plan.https://www.mypanhandle.com/news/breaking-news-destin-high-school-plans-announced/1460962158
Yup. Try opening a charter school in an affluent suburb and watch the fur immediately fly. One of my cousins lives in the Radnor school district in suburban Philadelphia. A few years ago a charter application was submitted to the Radnor school board. After several standing room only school board meetings filled with angry residents the application was withdrawn.
However, even in the suburbs beware determined privatizers. Neshaminy SD rejected an application from a Philadelphia charter chain multiple times only to be overruled by the PA Supreme Court and ordered to allow the charter chain to open a franchise in the district. I believe the charter is scheduled to open next year and it will almost certainly blow a gaping hole in the school district’s budget in the process as Neshaminy is a district of about 8,500 students with just a single high school.
Ohio was fleeced out of $1 bil. by charters. There’s an on-line data base showing how much each district lost to charters and how poorly they performed in comparison to public schools. But, evidence doesn’t matter in Ohio where Fordham plies its brand of “philanthropy”. Charter operators give money to the GOP and citizens can’t even rely on the GOP attorney general to recover money taken by charter fraud.
“After several standing room only school board meetings filled with angry residents the application was withdrawn.” You hit on the exact reason why poor-student inner-city schools have been such useful “give us big money for reform” targets — parents who, for different reasons including work and language barriers, are not likely to show up for meetings make the school reform invasion process so much easier.
“where a charter works”… the Pennsylvania school Greene identifies only survives until it’s further impoverished by concentrated wealth. Then, families will drive to a Walmart monopoly store and buy the Gates/Z-berg, for-profit schools-in-a-box.
Big “L” libertarians are behind defunding of both public universities and K-12. Gates’ Frontier Set program includes two state higher ed systems. Gates’ grant money bought the agreement of universities to “collaborate on curriculum and delivery” along side the tech billionaire, IMO, the path to schools-in-a-box.
The answer is a 70% state and federal marginal tax rate on the wealthy who are getting a free ride on the backs of Americans who actually contribute to GDP, and who produce far more than they get in return.
Charters also have practical problems in less populated areas. It’s impossible to sustain the ed reform myth that “choice” won’t impact the system as a whole in smaller districts. Charter expansion means immediate cuts in a district so small that there are 8 or 9 students in advanced science courses, or 12 people in a senior year foreign language class. They simply don’t have the students to fragment into privatized silos. Every school will be tiny, and every school will be under-enrolled and under-funded. The students remaining in the public schools will have fewer options- fewer advanced courses, less arts and music.
Staffing will be a problem too. Eva Moskowitz can churn thru teachers every two years because she has an almost unlimited supply of fresh 25 year old recruits. We have to retain teachers- we can’t burn them out and throw them away.
Too, charters can’t open and close randomly in less populated areas. A rural school can’t absorb 200 or 300 additional students at a moments notice, without harming their own students.
As usual, ed reformers are selling charters with a “no risk! all reward!” pitch that has nothing to do with reality. They refuse to admit that there are TRADE OFFS that come with “choice”- they are selling this to the public as “you can have solid public schools AND a charter system AND vouchers”. In a lot of places that’s nonsense.
To not reveal the risks of privatization is to mislead the public. They have an obligation to admit they have no earthly idea how this will shake out when they take it nationwide.
I feel like I can see the post-privatization questions already- “why did no one predict all these unintended consequences?” Because ed reform is an echo chamber and allows only cheerleaders in its ranks.
Pause and think before you pitch your existing public school system into the trash on the advice of visionaries who didn’t and don’t attend public schools and don’t know anything about your community. These folks aren’t offering any guarantee that the privatized system they replace your public system with will be any better. In fact, they won’t even contemplate that there IS downside risk. That’s delusional.
Also, a high school is far more complex to replicate than an elementary school unless most courses are cyber courses or some type of video distance learning. You are not going to able to offer calculus to eight qualifying students and hire a teacher to do it. The same can be said for other specialized or advanced courses. That is why public schools are far more efficient and cost effective. Sometimes districts form a consortium for expensive vocational tech or special needs courses. One small district may not be able to afford a teacher of the blind to meet a need, but three districts working together can offer the program when they pool eligible students.
I would just ask people to look at the PUBLIC school side of the equation when ed reformers roll into town with the marketing pitch.
You’ll notice something if you listen to the pitch- students in existing public schools are not even considered. There’s no analysis of the risk to an existing solid public school because public school students are simply not part of the ed reform discussion.
They are taken entirely for granted. The pitch will go something like this “of course, public schools will EXIST, but you will have choices!” Think about that. How cavalier they are about your schools and your students and ask yourself if you should be taking advice from them.
Here’s a typical rah rah opinion article disguised as “news” in the mouthpiece of the echo chamber, The 74:
https://www.the74million.org/vouchers-virtual-schools-armed-volunteers-what-floridas-new-education-reform-trifecta-could-mean-for-school-choice-in-the-sunshine-state/
Read that and look for anything that improves, supports or advocates on behalf of any student in any EXISTING public school in the state. There’s nothing.
It’s not just that the echo chamber are convinced they don’t have to offer anything of value to existing public schools, they don’t even discuss them, other than (in this case) arming teachers. That’s what you get, folks. Teachers with guns. That’s all they got for 85% of families in Florida.
DeVos is the same way. Public schools aren’t even mentioned at the federal level unless she’s scolding them about drug addiction or violence, or selling them ed tech garbage.
That’s how they see your students and your schools. As drug-addicted delinquents who are an easy mark to purchase gimmicky crap. You’d be nuts to hire any of these people as “consultants”. They literally oppose the continued existence of your schools, let alone in any way “improving” one.
The right wing Sinclair Broadcasting is selling DeVos in 22 states (so far) by running her propaganda as if its objective information. (Media Matters, 1-25-2019. The tap dancing of David Brock’s M.M. to make CAP’s privatizing, O.K. and Devos’ not, puts on quite a show. We can thank Tom Daschle, George Miller, John Podeta and Neera Tanden for the show.)
“Reformers” act like public schools do not exist. Here’s an article that looks at the reported choice options in Florida. While all the schemes to move students out of public schools are listed, the fact that most Floridians are opting for traditional public schools is ignored. By calculating the “unmentioned,” it is revealed that 80.5% are still in the local public schools.http://accountabaloney.com/index.php/2019/01/25/news-flash-when-given-a-choice-floridians-overwhelmingly-choose-district-managed-public-school-options/
Greene’s touted charter example is very, very vulnerable. (1) Pennsylvania’s oligarch-bought politicians could pass a law like the one in Ohio, stating tests have to be given by computer which means the school has to purchase specific software compatible- hardware and all software updates the supplier demands. State congresses can make whatever demands they want, pricing specific schools out of the market. (2) When the Frederick Hess and Fordham types decide competition should move in on a charter, the competitor can move in delivering all kinds of fancy inducements to students, driving the original school into insolvency. Then, the competition can move out of the location, forcing families to Z-berg/Gates schools-in-a-box, available for sale at Walmart.
I would like to congratulate Greene. He has nailed the rural school experience. Presently engaged in writing an article to describe the beginning of my own rural school, I am very tuned in to the society Greene describes. Ball games may detract students from learning, but they are the link to the broader community and a place to create the nexus among citizens who otherwise might not come together. I do not recall going to a basketball game without seeing the man who probably had more to do with the fight against school consolidation that won us our school.
Greene makes many good points, and everyone should go to his posting.
I live in a rural midwestern town of under 1000 people, with a school that has graduating classes that average 40 students. Much of what is being described both by Mr. Greene and in the comments are concerns for rural schools all over the country. How do you manage to support music, arts, language and advanced courses when you have limited numbers of students participating and limited resources. How do you deal with teacher shortage in rural schools – our school has had a special education teacher opening for several months and has not received a single application. I served for several years on my local school board, in addition to be a substitute teacher and volunteer, so I am very familiar with these concerns.
I do however want to challenge this narrative that “Big City” out of state corporate charter school chains try to take over rural districts. In all of my years of living here and in working with two state school board associations I have never seen it happened. The charter school boogie man scenario in rural communities is an urban myth (with the exception of the online scams). As many have suggested it’s not worth the time because they are not profitable, but not in the way that many are asserting. It is extremely difficult to balance a school budget with fewer than 100 students. I have worked with a couple that are in the 75-90 student range, but it’s tough. So when you are dealing with such a small pool of prospective students even a teacher or parent initiated charter school would be difficult to sustain, unless it is a partnership with the local district, which happens often.
In addition to the work I have done at my local level I am also a teacher/administrator at a suburban independent public charter school in another state about 75 miles away. My school and the school in the town I live in are almost exactly the same size and share many of the same challenges, while at the same time having our own unique differences. Over the years the school’s administration and I have worked closely to problem solve, and brainstorm ideas. It is my experience that this is a far more common scenario than the corporate charter take over. Our school works with two different non-profits to provide support and guidance for other public schools, both tradition and charters, who are trying to navigate the challenges and opportunities of being a small school/district. Our only compensation for doing this comes through grant funding and goes directly to our school in the form of mileage and substitute teacher reimburse. The schools involved in this mentor work do it because we believe in small public schools (both district and charter) and we want to work together in a peer to peer model. I think many people would be surprised by the amount of collaboration and sharing that goes on between charters and district schools in many parts of the country.
Correction: “I am also a teacher/administrator at a suburban independent PRIVATE charter school in another state about 75 miles away.
Wrong Duane.
What is the school, if you don’t mind.
Your charter then is a horse of a different color than the vast majority. Can you please link the schools audited budget?
Peter,
Are all of the charter’s records available for review like a public school’s? Do Sunshine Laws apply to meetings? Does your school get to use selection criteria for students different than a public school? How is the board chosen?
Can your school use methods to get rid of students that the general public, if they had the right to be involved, wouldn’t tolerate?
Doesn’t your school fit the model of a government contractor better than a public school?
Linda – Yes all records are available on our website include board minutes, annual report, and yearly required financial audit. We do have an elected school board. By statute in MN it must be made up of a majority of teachers, plus parents and community members. With a teacher majority board there is true ownership and autonomy. The only limitation we have on students is building capacity, no other selection criteria is allowed. Currently 45% of our students receive SpEd serves, compared to the 13% state average, but we are not a SpEd school. We serve primarily an “at-risk” population, although we don’t see our students that way. Contrary to what you are implying, most of our students have be “counseled out” of their home district because they don’t want to deal with them. We receive the same dollars as the district schools, with the exception of levy dollars (we can’t get those) and we only receive 90% of the SpEd dollars.
Click to access A_Primer_on_Minnesota_Charter_Schools.pdf
Peter,
Why was your charter school needed? Was the local public school terrible? How many schools in your town?
Diane, Our school was needed and is still needed to fill a void that is not being met by the district schools. Our school started 20 years ago to serve primarily seniors and “super” seniors (students who are past their cohort graduation date) to receive a diploma rather than dropping out or receiving a GED. At that time the local school district (the largest in the state, w/ 6 high schools) was more than happy to give us their cast offs. 15 years ago we evolved to serve 9-12 grade students. One of our big draws is small school, small class sizes (the local High Schools have 2500-3000 students). As I am sure you are well aware not all schools work for all students, so it’s not that the local schools are terrible, in fact they do a lot of really great things, they just haven’t been the best fit for all students, especially students who are behind in credits for a lot of reasons. The majority of our students have been to 2 or 3 other schools before they come to use, they are 2-3 years behind in math & reading, and fit multiple categories of “at-risk” and ACEs. We have a maximum of 185 students and currently serve more than 25 zip codes. Our focus is on experiential learning – project based and expeditionary, and it works much better for a number of students. Simply put we are an option for students and parents who feel that their previous school was not meeting their needs. We are not perfect, we don’t work for all students but we are proud to be an option for students.
Thanks for that explanation, Peter.
Peter, if your school has the support of the local district, if you seek out the kids who were unable to make it in the public school, if you help the neediest, if you have an elected board, if your teachers belong to a union, then you fit the mold of what charters are supposed to be—when first proposed in 1988.
Sadly most charters drain money from the local schools and cause budget cuts. Most are exempt from laws re nepotism and conflict of interest. Most belong to state associations that fight any accountability or transparency. Most choose the students who cost the least and are likely to get High test scores. Many are corporate chains that have. O local presence. The Waltons Funded one of every four charters in the nation in order to kill unions. Most have private boards that do not have open meetings.
Diane – We do not have a union, not because we are anti-union. Some of our staff are former district teachers who were union members. I grew up in a union house in a union town. I appreciate and support the work the teachers unions do, but as a teacher led school with an elected teacher majority school board we decided from the beginning that a union was not necessary. We have eliminated the management vs. labor issues by making decisions as a group with full transparency.
I’m wondering if it is possible for you to recognize that there are charter schools out there that have elected school boards, transparency, enrollment for all, licensed teachers, and most importantly fill the academic and social/emotional needs of some students who are not receiving them in their district school?
I am fully in your camp when it comes to corporate charter school chains, and the privatization movement, and actively work against them. However, to say that traditional district schools are the only option is not only naive, but potentially damaging to students. We need a dialog that is focused on the needs of students and not our own tribalism.
Peter,
Glad to hear about your school but it is an anomaly.
The charter sector is overrun with corruption, fraud, self-dealing. Schools should not get public money without public oversight.
Peter
I echo Duane’s appreciation for your description of the situation in Minnesota. For a discussion, context is important. Three states about which I know a little, have for-profit charter schools (and, I’m sure there are many more), Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Michigan and Ohio are each about twice the size of Minnesota and Florida is 3-4 times larger. What is the population ratio for states with systems like Minnesota’s and those with systems like Mich, Fla and Ohio?
It appears that Minnesota has honest government, easier to achieve with smaller populations. Ohio has Fordham and rich Republicans. The state has been gerrymandered. Charter operators fund the state GOP so, Ohioans can’t even get the Republican attorney general to recover funds in obvious cases of fraud.
A final observation- what is the special sauce that enables the Minnesota charter school described to pay competitive salaries, receive only 90% of revenue and to educate 3 times as many special needs students? The only variable I can think of is reduced insurance costs due to the vagaries of the insurance industry. The bricks and mortar costs are equivalent?
p.s. Public education is an antonym for tribalism.
Peter,
I shouldn’t have given Minnesota so much credit. Minnesota could easily end up like Ohio. The Center for Public Integrity graded state governments (2015) for transparency and accountability. Minnesota got a D-, the most common grade. The highest grades were C and C-. Only 3 states received those grades. 11 states received F’s, 9- D and 11- D+.
Peter, got to admit, you’ve got me thinking. Not in your camp yet, but I’m willing to listen and am open to your position as stated here. If I conclude that you follow Al Shanker’s philosophy, I’m with you. If not, I’m not.
Diane – Again, I agree that there are many problems with charter schools in a number of states, however, 65% of charters are independent and not CMO or EMOs. I would invite you to look deeper into that 65% of “anomalies” to see the positive work they are doing for students.
Laura – I don’t know if there is a “special sauce”, it’s about the decisions a school makes. We have flattened our hierarchy by only having one administrator, me, who also still teaches classes and doesn’t take an unnecessarily large salary. All of us have made the decision to take on additional “hats” in exchange for smaller class sizes and greater autonomy. We work hard to build partnerships with our local community to support some of our costs, but the bottom line is there is a budget and it needs to be balanced.
With regard to the Center For Public Integrity, that is a rating for the state government. I can’t speak to the rating system or their grades, but I can say that charters in MN are regulated through both the Department of Education and an authorizer. Here is that link again to better understand charter requirements in MN. http://www.mncharterschools.org/_uls/resources/A_Primer_on_Minnesota_Charter_Schools.pdf
When referring to tribalism I am continually amazed at how educational professionals who should be working to do what is best for students find ways to undermine each other.
GregB, I’m glad to hear that I have you thinking – that makes the teacher in me smile. Growth mindset. I am definitely on board with Shanker’s philosophy, with the possible exception of an all or nothing teacher union requirement. As I stated earlier, it’s not that I am anti-union, but if the possibility exists to have a teacher led school a union isn’t always necessary. I would also say that Shanker gets the majority of the credit for the original vision, but I think it is important to recognize that there are a lot of people who were a part of the concept who are still working hard to move education forward.
Peter,
Did the Wisconsin Legislature appropriate extra money for your charter? Where does the funding come from? From the district budget? If you didn’t get new money from the state, you are taking money from the public schools. Please tell me that Scott Walker and his Tea Party pals gave you a new revenue stream.
Diane, I live in WI but our school is in MN. In MN the dollars follow the student, not just with charters but with open enrollment as well. MN has had open enrollment since the 70’s, where parents can choose to enroll their student in any school district as long as there is space and they can get to the school. School budgets are based on the number of students you have enrolled and it can not be assumed that just because a student lives in your geographic boundary that they are your student.
I think it is very much a false narrative to say that charter schools in a state like MN, with open enrollment laws, are “taking” money from another school. As an administrator you build a budget based on the number of students you have enrolled, not the number of students who live in your geographic boundary. There are many reasons why enrollment fluctuates within a school and/or a district, the least of which is the introduction of an independent charter school (remember I am also opposed to privately run charter school chains). Schools lose students to home schooling, private schools, open enrollment, population fluctuates, local business climate, employment trends, and on and on.
Over the past twenty years the relationship between our school and the local districts has changed a great deal. In our early years the districts were more than happy to push their students who weren’t going to graduate on time towards us. Better to have the charter school tagged with not meeting graduation requirements than the district school right. In 2010 when the Republican Governor was making a presidential bid and “unallotted” 27% of all districts budgets (traditional and charter, because the dollars flow with the student) in order to appear as though he had balanced the states budget, everyone understandability held on to their students really tightly. As NCLB was coming to an end, we had a very large influx of students who were counseled out because they couldn’t pass the tests, and the home schools didn’t want to be tagged. In recent years we have developed a much more collegial relationship where teachers, counselors and even some of the principals are recommending our school to parents if they feel that it is a better academic or social/emotional fit. We have also seen more and more traditional district schools coming to our school to learn about things like project based learning, advisory, and experiential learning models. Hopefully you would agree that aligns with Shanker’s philosophy of charters being lab schools and sharing best practices.
I will say it once again, I believe there are a lot of problems with charters in many states, and I do not like being in the same discussion with them. Having said that, there are a lot of very dedicated educators who have started charters or work at charters who want to be innovative, want to have the kind of autonomy they couldn’t get at the district school, and want to serve kids in ways that they weren’t allowed to elsewhere.
Diane, Minnesota is far from perfect, but there are a lot of shining examples of schools, many do it as well or better than we do, that are working hard everyday to better serve students, families and teachers. Maybe if you visited some of these schools, talked to the students, parents and teachers you would have a different perspective. Just a thought.
Here’s my thought:
Betsy DeVos and the Koch brothers love the idea of “the money follows the child” wherever he or she goes.
Peter,
What percent of your school’s budget is from “partners”? They can be fickle about funding. Those who have reviewed the Koch’s money to universities found strings attached that (1) could stop funding immediately, at the whim of the Koch’s and,
(2) had the employer privileges of hiring and promotion. If the funders don’t like you but the students and staff do, who wins? And, what’s the funding backup plan?
What prevents Minnesota from the “Wild West” experienced by other states that have charters?
Condensing- “wearing lots of work hats” is easier when 40 students haven’t been assigned to a class? Chicken and egg?
While you are no doubt an excellent administrator, building an entire educational system on finding people singularly able to make miracles happen is unwise?
“I am continually amazed” at the way people with self interest portray their situations as though they are not vulnerable to the American oligarchy and, who refuse to acknowledge the avenues of exploitation that the richest 0.1% adapt to all situations.
Linda, thank you for the complement. Not sure I will ever reach excellent, but I strive for continual improvement. None of us here are miracle workers, just believers like most other good educators that we can make a difference in the lives of our students.
I honestly think what prevents MN from becoming the wild west, is history, precedence, statute and a strong charter school association, that is run by educators originally from traditional district backgrounds, not business people, who want to make sure all of the concerns people like yourselves have about charter schools are addressed.
Just quickly, you can’t budget for partnership dollars, they are like any other type of soft money – grants, donations. If I build a partnership with a local manufacturer to provide supplies for a student’s robotics project, or have another agency donate to our student food shelf those are bonuses, but you can’t present a balanced budget to your board based on those things.
My only counter to the “when you have 40 students assigned to a class” comment is that in most cases the economics of 20 student classrooms can happen, it comes down to the priorities of the administration and the board.
Linda, I truly appreciate the civil dialogue. I doubt I will ever convince you that charter schools (at least the ones I am describing) have a place as an option for students, but I honor your commitment to your beliefs, while hoping you will continue to ask questions and seek answers.
I need to sign off for awhile, we are living in the middle of the Polar Vortex, and I need to decide if we are going to be closed for yet another day tomorrow. Peace.
Peter, the original concept for charter schools was to open schools inside public school districts but instead of administrators, mangers or CEOs in charge, the teachers would run the school and the teachers in those charters would still belong to teachers’ unions. Those public teacher run charters would have to be just as transparent as all public schools so the public knew where the money was going and what the teachers were doing with it. The original charter school concept was never meant to create competition for the public schools or make anyone rich.
Peter,
If your school’s closed tomorrow, you may want to spend the time identifying the amount being covered by “partners” and translate it to a percentage. My background is business. That knowledge is essential for prudent management. Worst case scenario is the method to determine contingency plans. If the partners supply little funding as a percentage, you’re still solvent when things so wrong. If they are a large percentage, the risks are great e.g. company donors move out of town, businesses are shuttered, the rich are capricious, etc.
Secondly, if your government funding is from the state, it’s foundation is somewhat more solid than local funding. School tax levies tend to be sold to the voters on the basis of a link to appreciated, community home values. The farther removed, geographically, the school is from the voters, the weaker the local commitment to spending on education.
Linda,
You have posted a lot about CAP and the Bipartisan Council. Could you write it up in one comment? Who is involved, who is funding it, what are they doing?
Sourcewatch- “BPC is a lobbying organization with a secondary role of providing a sinecure to out-of-office government officials.” In 2016, it had $20 mil. in revenues. The funding source is undisclosed. My opinion- recently, BiPartisan Policy Center decided the addition of higher ed as a topic could bring in deep pocketed donors. (Bill Gates and John Arnold sponsored the Sept. 27, 2018 event about the “changing landscape” in higher ed which listed only one panelist representing a university- the former Kaplan, now Purdue Global).
Three of the four BPC “education experts” are Rick Santorum, George Miller and Kenneth Megan (formerly he was with Third Way. Third Way calls itself centrist Democrat but I think they’re DINOs. Third Way said this about the U.S. in 2018, “Nordic style socialism won’t cut it” and, this about education, “Democrats must embrace ambitious new ideas fit for the digital age.”
BPC’s Higher Education task force directors are George Miller and Bud McKeon (both while in Congress promoted K-12 privatization). McKeon has so much baggage, I’m surprised an organization would select him as a lobbyist unless….
When Miller and McKeon joined BPC, it doesn’t appear that BPC had a K-12 lobbying arm and, it still doesn’t. Higher ed is relatively new to them. In their other topic areas, I deduce they give themselves a lot of wiggle room to move in whatever direction they see as advantageous. BPC banters about and, funds some notion of democracy but, BPC’s President’s opinion is, “democracy is essentially self-correcting”, nothing to see here. The Sept. 27 event gave BPC the opportunity to demonstrate democracy and they avoided it- no students, no professors and no community members at-large i.e. the states’ citizens who pay for public colleges were listed on the panel.
Privatizer and corporatist, Rep. Susan Davis was a panelist but, no one like Rep. Katie Hill.
Tom Daschle is a BPC founder and he chairs the CAP Board. Journalists have described CAP as blurring the lines of lobbying. Other journalists have criticized Daschle for not declaring as a lobbyist as soon as he should have. In D.C., influence is for hire. Bill Gates funds think tanks like CAP and he sponsors events at BPC. Tom Daschle is the intersection of the two.
If Tom Daschle, from his position directed CAP and BPC to work for the 99%, I presume Democrats would have more of a chance of electing representatives who serve their constituents and a President who appoints Supreme Court Justices who don’t belong to the Koch’s. Part of the blame for the 1000 Democratic seats lost I think is at Tom Daschle’s door.
“So when you are dealing with such a small pool of prospective students even a teacher or parent initiated charter school would be difficult to sustain, unless it is a partnership with the local district, which happens often.”
I do not understand what conditions would lead a rural area to want to partner with a suburban charter. Why would any rural area want to split its dollars? As Greene points out, most rural areas are strapped for cash. What can a charter offer?
“I think many people would be surprised by the amount of collaboration and sharing that goes on between charters and district schools in many parts of the country.”
I don’t doubt that you are well-intended. However, your statement that I’m quoting is delusional. Competition, not collaboration, is a foundation purpose of charters regardless of whatever high-minded deception is promoted and/or enshrined in statute. Here is the take from a leading research organization on the state of charter v public school relations after 22 years and 90 charters in my hometown:
“Fifth, Harrisburg’s charter policy has largely failed Philadelphia. The legislative intent of the charter law is to improve learning “for all pupils,” provide “expanded choices … within the public school system,” and to “serve as a model” to other public schools. However, policymakers have treated them as a replacement, rather than a supplement.” … this is the norm not the exception with charters.
I’m sure that most of the regulars to Diane’s Blog already know that the corporate movement to privatize education in the US doesn’t care what the people/voters think.
When the people/voters say no, the billionaires funding this war on the public schools spend HUGE sums of money to buy the elections for majority of school boards, mayors, governors and other elected positions where their minions then force corporate charter schools on communities that were against them while closing the public schools the majority of people in those communities did not want to see closed.
For instance, in Los Angeles Unified School District, the oligarchs spent $600,000 dollars to elect one school board member that would guarantee a majority that would support corporate charter schools while the candidates that supported public schools only came up with $17,000 … and guess who lost that election and who controls the school board for the 2nd largest district in the country.
The more I learn about these billionaire oligarchs, the more I’m convinced that the only option left is what Thomas Jefferson said about nurturing the Tree of Liberty.
Roy, I was referring to a rural school partnering, or in the case of some states creating an instrumentality with a teacher or parent initiated charter school. The suburban/rural partnerships I was referring to are about sharing ideas, best practices. Sorry for the confusion.
Forgive me, but I have no idea what “creating an instrumentality” means.
That’s stupid. Do you have a charter fire department? Do you get to choose a different fire department in Kansas? Did you know that when charters are sued, they defend themselves by claiming they are “not state actors,” but private contractors?
Is Boeing a public or private company?
Dr. Ravitch,
You need to look at charter schools on a state by state basis. In Wisconsin the vast majority of charter schools are instrumentalities of the local government, just like the fire department and the library. In other states, charter schools are not instrumentalities of the local government.
Whatever the reason for their opening, charter schools take money away from public schools, which must then lay off teachers, increase classsizes, and cut programs and electives.
How many fire departments in your town? How many police departments? If I want to open my own fire department in your town, will I get public funding?
Peter,
Minnesota’s lawmakers could change the whole charter set-up with their next vote. How many of the legislators belong to ALEC? ALEC wines and dines state congressional members and the wealthy backers contribute huge amounts to campaigns.
What’s your plan to offset that influence?
Good read- Princeton Prof. Gilens’ work documenting the U.S. as an oligarchy.
speduktr – In Wisconsin there are two ways to create a charter school. One is as an instrumentality of school district, which means that the school district is the authorizer of the charter. Often they look like schools within the school, or a small specialty programs such as Montessori, STEM, or project based learning. The other way is what is called a non-instrumentality, where another agency such as a university, a city, or in a few cases a for profit agency is the authorizer of the school.
Duane – Northwest Passage High School in Coon Rapids, MN. nwphs.org
Thanks!
What you are saying is that some charters are in essence a part of the public school district? And that NWPHS falls in that category?
I appreciate your clarifications.
Duane, in Wisconsin that is true with most charters. In MN where NWPHS is we are our own school district with our own elected school board.