Carl J. Petersen wonders if the LAUSD school board will hold failing charter schools accountable?
Predictably, it turns out that the charterization of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) did not provide the miracle that was promised. The District has the highest number of charter schools in the country, with approximately 18% of its students in these publicly funded private schools. In the just-released list of 110 underperforming schools in the LAUSD, 20%were independent charter schools. Are we diverting $591.7 million from our public schools to get basically the same results?….
The list of underperforming charters includes schools run by large, influential charter chains like PUC, Kipp, Green Dot, and Camino Nuevo (whose chief of operations, Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, is running in the District 5 special election). This will make any attempt to hold these schools accountable extremely difficult. Will the Board put “Kids First” and face this opposition head on?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
We know Charters are about Ka-Chinging for $$$$$$ at the expense of our young and our country.
Diane and others have posted so much about those awful charters.
One more time…
Charters are about the “haves” and the “have nots.” Ever notice how the charter schools for “have nots” are treated vs. those who “HAVE?”
Jim Crow is well and alive via Charters.
I found this post disturbing because so many cities, not just Los Angeles, have jumped on the charter bandwagon only to find out that the results are dismal, and public schools face financial shortfalls due to squandering funds on privatization. There is no evidence that privatization gets better results than public schools, and the disruption and lost revenue harm public schools. Testing and data collection are not substitutes for effective programs. Once the charter lobby sets up shop, education is no longer about what is best for students. It becomes about what is profitable for corporations, education becomes a political decision, not a rational one.
Correction: ,and education becomes a political decision, not a rational one.
There is no local control anymore. Even if the district voted for closure, the charter school, with CCSA’s blessing and $$$, always appeals to the county and/or state board. And the county/state board almost always reverses the decision. Do district schools get the same due process? Of course not. The system is completely rigged in charters’ favor.
The LAUSD Board will not regulate charters unless UTLA keeps the pressure on. We are so blessed to have Alex Capitol-Pearl and his team leading UTLA. I trust we will keep forcing charter funded board members like Melvoin to do right by LAUSD students with collective actions that involve parents and students, and not let the billionaires dominate the dialogue. The list of possible actions is long, but I personally am ready to go right back out on strike, and whip up enthusiasm among my colleagues for a strike again, if the need arises. Of course, the next important step is to elect Jackie Goldberg to the board. I am going out on some precinct walks soon to help get Jackie elected. Join me if you’re in L.A. When we fight, we win.
The LAUSD Board will not regulate charters unless UTLA keeps the pressure on. We are so blessed to have Alex Capitol-Pearl and his team leading UTLA. I trust we will keep forcing charter funded board members like Melvoin to do right by LAUSD students with collective actions that involve parents and students, and not let the billionaires dominate the dialogue. The list of possible actions is long, but I personally am ready to go right back out on strike, and whip up enthusiasm among my colleagues for a strike again, if the need arises. Of course, the next important step is to elect Jackie Goldberg to the board. I am going out on some precinct walks soon to help get Jackie elected. Join me if you’re in L.A. When we fight, we win.
Thanks to people like Carl Peterson, Diane Ravitch, the B.A.T.S., and many highly visible unions like UTLA, more and more people are starting to question the wisdom of putting public money into more charters. I read an article saying this issue is becoming a problem for DFER types like Corey Booker, and may derail his presidential ambitions. I can only hope!
Carl’s article has triggered some future concerns for LAUSD as Beutner prepares his “reimagining” plan to create 32 mini-districts. It’s been made clear that this will essentially be a portfolio model. Will “low” performing schools be shut down? That’s been happening in Chicago and Oakland? But, while these are district schools, why is it that under enrolled and low performing charter schools remain open? The point being that charters get two opportunities for appeal to entities that include charter supporters. But district schools have no such option.