State Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond appointed an 11-member task force to study the fiscal impact of charter schools on public schools.
He did so at the request of Governor Newsom.
Four members of the task force are part of the charter industry.
Thurmond is amazingly evenhanded. In the race for the office last fall, the charter industry outspent him 2-1 and smeared him with negative advertising.
Ten percent of the state’s students are in charter schools.
The task force should be sure to read University of Oregon Professor Gordon Lafer’s Study of the fiscal impact of charters on three districts, called “Breaking Point.”
In the two recent teachers’ strikes, in Los Angeles and Oakland, teachers called for a moratorium on new charters until such a study was completed. Governor Newsom has been noncommittal on that demand.
The charter sector has operated with minimal or no oversight. To see how bad things are, read “Charters and Consequences.” There are storefront charters where students meet their teacher only once every three weeks. There are charters with graduation rates under 10%. Charters are allowed to open wherever they want. Charters can appeal a district rejection to the county, then appeal the county rejection to the state, where they usually got a rubber stamp. Charters may be run like chain stores, without oversight, just to make money. Until Newsom signed a bill recently, there were no laws profiting conflicts of interest or nepotism. The charter industry vigorously opposed any regulation or accountability.
One charter executive called the ban on conflicts and nepotism a “scorched earth policy.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I presume that it was the governor’s office who pulled the strings to create the imbalance on the panel- profit seekers from the charter industry given equal footing in representation as the entire teaching cohort in California- individuals who are limited in salary for the services they provide with no opportunity for profit. And, the parents, community members, taxpayers, students, local businesses and other education state education employees got just 3 votes on the panel.
How absurd.
It fits the privatizers’ narrative- the issue is labor’s interests vs. capitalists’ interests not the truth- it is a common good for the people issue.
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People need to contact the new State Superintendent about having a more balanced charter school panel — a panel that’s comprised of less than 50% of people (or of people allied with such people) — who spent $30 million to destroy him politically, an onslaught that the State Superintendent survived, so he wouldn’t have to put up with their attempts to quash charter school oversight and accountability.
Here’s Thurmond’s office phone number:
916-319-0800
Here’s Thiurmond’s email:
TThurmond@cde.ca.gov
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No more public school funds to charter schools!
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It is shocking that it has taken this long to study the fiscal impact of charters. Every single grant I have ever written required an evaluation in order to show that the money spent did what the grant claimed it would. We keep throwing free public money at private entities with abandon while we simultaneously undermine public education. It is only after egregious waste, fraud or embezzling is detected that states decide to take action. Privatization is reckless, wasteful policy for no better results.
States need to invest in public schools. Many systems already have far more options for students than most “one size fits all” charters. Public schools are far more efficient and effective, and they have built in transparency and oversight.
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After reading this article, I feel compelled to research a bit more about charter schools in my home state of Georgia. Honestly, I have been out of the loop in regard to exactly how these schools are popping up and being funded. Although I do have some experience with private schools and DoDEA overseas military serving schools, I admit complete oblivion to any depth of knowledge about charter schools. What types of regulation exists for these schools? I have a hard time believing that public tax dollars are going to fund these types of schools that may not directly benefit the families from which the funds come. This study alone should send off alarm bells as to who might be receiving these funds, their training, effectiveness and overall affect on the education system in their region. I applaud the efforts to bring this issue into light in California. I can’t imagine how I would feel if this were my hometown, where children from my community are not receiving resources because they are being diverted to a more “privatized” type of system.
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Georgia’s citizens should be looking at what Gates is doing to the universities that serve the middle class and poor in the state.
PPIC (billionaire-funded think tank) outlines the scheme for California’s state universities in a March 2019 paper by Paul Warren (higher education tab). It may match Georgia’s.
The Gates’ Frontier Set is also worth reviewing in relation to Georgia. Hechinger’s wrote the richest 0.1%’s spin on Frontier Set in the NYT in 2017.
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I am thankful to the L.A. and Oakland teachers unions and supporters, and to Sacramento for making this step forward happen. Since California has allowed so many charters to open, far past the original number allowed, there are too many, and there really ought to be a permanent ban on opening new charters in addition to improved oversight of existing ones. The problem of Wild West privatization should not have been allowed to get so out of control in the first place, let alone be allowed to continue to spread today. A moratorium would have at least been a moderate measure of sense. Instead leaving charter control up to the likes of Austin Beutner is not good enough. It will lead to more austerity for public schools and unrest in the state. Sacramento is finally working again; it needs to work quickly.
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Is Thurmond suffering from amnesia?
The charter industry throw $30 million dollars of the most despicable and false smears and slurs against during the campaign last year.
Just to refresh Thurmond’s and everyone else’s memory, check out this sh#% from Thurmond’s opponent and his opponent’s backers:
https://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2018/nov/05/students-parents-and-teachers-supporting-marshall-/false-attack-ads-claim-tony-thurmond-was-reprimand/
Now it’s like, “Oh, hey, I love you guys. Please make up 80% of the charter school task force.”
Dr. Ravitch’s comparison to the Tobacco industry making up 80% of task force to study the effects of tobacco is spot on.
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