Many of the readers of this blog were disappointed, as was I, to see that the new Superintendent of Public Instruction in California, Tony Thurmond, appointed a task force to review charter law in which six of the 11 members are or were connected to the charter industry. We know how hard that industry has opposed any regulation or accountability. We know how many billionaires have used their influence to support the charter industry, both financially and politically. We know that they spent millions to defeat Tony Thurmond, and they lost. Many of us were disappointed in the task force’s composition, because we had supported his candidacy, believing that he would fight charter abuses.
The task force is expected to analyze the fiscal impact of charters on public schools. I wrote several critical posts, because I didn’t like the optics of having this review conducted by a committee in which a majority of the members were associated with the charter sector.
If I had had Tony Thurmond’s phone number, I would have spoken to him first to understand how this happened. I didn’t have his number.
This morning, Tony called me. He had my number.
He assured me that the task force will present recommendations for reform of the charter law. He assured me that he is personally in charge of the task force and its work product. He asked that I (we) (all of us) judge the task force and him by results.
I told him that I thought that was a reasonable request and that I would suspend judgment until I see what the task force produces.
I reminded him, though he needed no reminder, that California has one of the worst charter laws in the nation. It is a law that the charter industry has fought to keep weak and to allow bad actors to proliferate. I pointed out that it is wrong to allow a district to authorize a charter in someone else’s district, without its consent, especially when the authorizing district is hundreds of miles away.
California has more charter schools (more than 1300) than any other state, in part because it has such a large population. It has also seen more charter closures (more than 300) than any other state, including charters that opened and closed on the same day or within a few months. Under current law, a charter begins by applying to a district. If the district says no, the charter operator appeals to the county board of education. If the county says no, the charter operator appeals to the State Board of Education. Under Governor Schwarzenegger and then Governor Brown, the State Board of Education has rubber-stamped charters, no matter how awful their record or their application.
California charter law is in desperate need of reform. Tony knows that.
The charter sector is not going away; but it should play by the same academic, ethical, professional, and financial rules as public schools, and it should not drain resources away from the public schools. Charters should be audited and monitored to the same extent as public schools. Certification requirements for charter teachers and principals and superintendents should be no less than for public schools. Only educators, not entrepreneurs, should be allowed to operate charters. Charters should open only in districts that approve them and need them, and when they close, their students and property should revert to the public schools. Charters should enroll the same demographic as the district in which they are located. If I had my druthers, charter chains would be banned, as would charters managed by foreign entities. That’s my view.
I pledged to Tony that I would withhold judgment and see what his task force produces.
I think that is fair.
He promised that there would be charter reform.
I normally do not report on private communications, but Tony encouraged me to report our conversation.
Let’s watch and wait and hope that the task force produces the reforms that are needed.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Would that more leaders would reach out to experts and critics and communicate as well. Here’s hoping for an honest effort on the part of that task force.
Would that more elected officials would communicate with their constituents, Steve.
Although I moved from California after retiring from a position as a counselor educator, I continue to follow California education developments with interest. (I invested more than 16 years of my higher education career in school counselor advocacy leadership.) I appreciate how you have handled this development with Tony Thurmond. Both your pushing on the issue of the formation of the task force and your reporting on his outreach to you show integrity and good judgment. I hope it all does work out for the best. There is so much wrong with the current “reign of error,” with charter school proliferation and abuses a major part of it. Best wishes.
I think we’re all wondering who decided on what the makeup of the task force would be and the backgrounds of its members. Did you find out how those decisions were made? I would like to know how those “recommendations” will be created. In other words, will there be a vote on each recommendation? If that’s the case, then the charter people will have control over the decisions. Also, I hope that the deliberations will be made public in some way or other.
Wish you, most respected Educator, and some of our other great investigators like Carl Peterson, would go to his office and talk with him about all this, face to face. It is not a solution to filter info through Diane who is neither a resident, an educator, nor a taxpayer in our state. This is no way to do ongoing governmental business.
Ellen Lubic Just as a single response, I am a California resident, just south
of LA, and I endorse Diane’s participation in this discussion. CBK
I always appreciate your measured comments, Catherine…glad to know that you are a California educator.
Ellen Lubic If I can help from RSM, I’d be glad to. CBK
Catherine…please contact me at elubic@aol.com so we can follow up
Diane…I am glad Tony Thurmond has respect for you and that he finally got in touch with you. He does not seem to have the same respect for California voters, the union, and the teachers who are in shock at those majority members of the Charter industry he chose to be on this important committee. It is the California votes who donated to his campaign and to whom he owes a duty of transparency. If this does not exist, and if he bypasses us, the next election will be telling for his future as a legislator. His last minute intervention in the LAUSD strike settlement, along with our Mayor Garcetti, surely did not show results that most teachers and their supporters had hoped for. Please, from your position in NYC, keep us informed as to how this elected official from California is using his position to improve education in our state. Seems like the only way we will get any info.
BTW…Mayor Garcetti;s choice for LAUSD BoE is Ms Repenning, a charter school supporter despite her political hype. Garcetti’s wife worked for Richard Riordan’s charters as well..so we know where the mayor stands. Jackie Goldberg for BoE
Carl Petersen wrote an article saying that LA and CA should have ranked choice voting. It is absurd to have a runoff when one candidate got 48.5% of the vote, and the runner up got 13%. If there were ranked choice, where people cast votes for their 2nd and 3rd choice, Jackie Goldberg would be the clear winner. I expect she will win the runoff anyway but urge everyone to be engaged and vigilant.
Yes…Carl and Sara Roos and I have been plugging ranked voting for the past couple of weeks. The primary had Jackie winning at almost 49%. She needed 50.01% to avoid a runoff. The next two lower candidates only got about 13% each…so that their votes combined did NOT come near her dominance. It is ridiculous for taxpayers to have to spend millions on a runoff election. And the moment this came to light Broad deviously donated $100,000 for the charter candidate, Repenning, and this was using SEIU as a pass through…otherwise known as a form of money laundering it seems to bypass the IRS laws.
The Broadies will donate multi millions to Repenning, which they held back from the primaries, to be assured of a charter candidate to support in the runoff. It is such a dirty game, overcoming the true choice of the public.
The fact that so many people are running for the LAUSD board seat hurt Ms. Goldberg.
But the law is the law and so I hope that Ms. Goldberg does have an election and gets a home run!
Nor were teachers in Oakland happy with the results he helped produce from our strike. Tony is turning out to be no friend of educators, sorry to say. And we worked hard to make him win!
Look to Gavin Newsom.
He picked the members of the task force.
Diane How refreshing. But also, you say:
“Charters should be audited and monitored to the same extent as public schools.”
I would say MORE SO–precisely because their foundations include elements of profit-making, private investment, and ownership, no matter WHAT double-speak language they use to refer to themselves, e.g., public-private or educators as entrepreneurs<–when we buy THAT, we’re lost.
Also, lower in the note, you say: “Only educators, not entrepreneurs, should be allowed to operate charters.”
While I think you are right in this, I also know how the capitalist-only model, and the warped consciousness it can inspire, e.g., its embedded potential for inspiring greed, can infect even the minds of good teachers. While if you look at public school systems, the potential for fraud and greed-inspired activities and policies is severely diminished–it’s a systemic issue? So If we have charters, MORE consistent oversight is needed.
Also, financial oversight is one thing, and oversight of CURRICULA is quite another. BOTH need some stringent guidelines, especially where critical-democratic development (a broad ranging civics) is concerned. CBK
Hi Catherine King:
I really do not know your profile, but I really admire your analysis.
Regardless how integrity of a leader can be, you need to be neutral in judgment and in strict rule or regulation. Regarding this aspect, I completely agree with Dr. Ravitch’s list of suggestion of her viewpoint.
Later, I will give you some examples of my own Past experiences in Capitalism and Communism Education System in Vietnam from 1950 up to now, 2019.
I hope that You, Ellen Lubic and all concerned LA educators will absolutely demand a list of Dr. Ravitch’s suggestion in order to have VIGOROUS and definitely SUCCESSFUL EDUCATION SYSTEM in both PRIVATE Charter AND PUBLIC EDUCATION for all CALIFORNIANS IN RICH OR POOR background.
I love to repeat clearly Dr. Ravitch’s list of her suggestions as follows:
[start quote]
The charter sector is not going away; but it should play by:
1) the same academic, ethical, professional, and financial rules as public schools,
2) and it should not drain resources away from the public schools.
3) Charters should be audited and monitored to the same extent as public schools.
4) Certification requirements for charter teachers and principals and superintendents should be no less than for public schools.
5) Only educators, not entrepreneurs, should be allowed to operate charters.
6) Charters should open only in districts that approve them and need them, and when they close, their students and property should revert to the public schools.
7) Charters should enroll the same demographic as the district in which they are located.
8) If I had my druthers, charter chains would be banned, as would charters managed by foreign entities. That’s my view. I pledged to Tony that I would withhold judgment and see what his task force produces.
[end quote]
In short, you should believe that Educators always have their integrity and conscience except the FAKE educators WITHOUT NATIONAL CERTIFICATION and WITHOUT directly TEACHING K-12 minimum 20 years EXPERIENCES. Back2basic.
Very glad to hear this news!!
David…tried to contact you at your site but it did not go through…I did join however. Please get back to me at elubic@aol.com so we can be in touch…thanks.
I’ve sent you an email, Ellen. Thank you!
PS to Ellen – This was a surprise – the Contact form appears not to work if you access it using the WordPress app, but it works fine directly in a browser like Safari.
Can we find out who decided on the makeup of the task force and the rationale for those decisions? Also, how will final recommendations be made? Will they take a vote on each one? If that’s the case, then the charter people will have a distinct advantage. I also hope that there will be transcripts of the deliberations or at least some kind of public sharing of their how the final recommendations were made.
Educator…Since we know each other from our long interaction in our community, and your retired teacher status from many years as a teacher in the district, I beseech you to continue to ask these pertinent questions, but not of Diane, Rather, let’s get a committee composed of you, Carl, and a few others, to go directly to Thurmond’s office and demand a ‘sit down’ conversation with him. Does this new Charter dominated group operate under the Brown Act? No more secret meetings…nor more LAUSD Broad/Beutner dominated decisions behind closed doors. Even though the public is kept at arms length due to the media, meaning the LA Times, pro charter stance, we are finally awakening the lazy thinkers who pay for all of this, the taxpayers of California. I would gladly donate some bucks for a group to travel to Thurmond for a face to face discussion. I did not donate to his last campaign and work for his election, just to get filtered marginal info from my friend Diane who is 3000 miles away from our state. I am both angry and disappointed at his chosen group and his behavior.
I got the impression that the committee will make recommendations to him and he will make the final decisions. He must have heard from many people about this, and he knows that his supporters are concerned and watching. We elected him (I say “we,” because I sent him a contribution and thus helped elect him even if I don’t vote in CA) with the expectation that he would rein in the charter excesses. The task force is what it is. Now it is up to him to keep his promise to reform the law.
Did he comment on why a majority of the committee had charter connections? He needs to be fair to all sides clearly, but the side being regulated should not have veto power in a vote.
The Charter School lobby, CCSA, is has been reported to be the most powerful in our state. These are the reps Thurmond, or someone who influences him, has chosen to be on this committee. They have at least a 6 – 5 potential vote dominance. This is more than “unfair”, it may be illegal and certainly seems to be a politically motivated choice. True educators should be the dominant voices. Not the Prez of CCSA. I recommend that Scott Shmerelson, Educator (whose name I know and wish would reveal it), Carl Peterson as a parent rep, and Michael Matsuda, join forces and demand an interview meeting with Tony Thurmond ASAP. And that the result of that meeting be made public. We in California have had too many years of mendacious control by the vulture billionaires. Let’s be sure our new Guv in not under their thumbs, as well as other Dems we voted into office.
Ellen, I am retired and might be able to lend a hand. I try to maintain a middle of the road position in many of these arguments though, so I am not sure if my input would be welcome. You can look at this recent article on my blog. If you like it and others there, please feel free to contact me via the blog’s Contact page form.
https://eduissues.com/2019/03/10/my-smuhsd-board-report-on-ngss-a-lot-of-people-of-good-will-trying-to-deal-with-a-tough-problem/
I second those choices. Schmerlson is my board rep, I follow Peterson’s writings, and have seen Educator on this site often. These are knowledgeable people, and I trust them to do right by public education.
David…still did not get your email, please resend to elubic@aol.com
I am not a skilled enough techie to be able to contact your site…phooey.
Ellen,
Will do.
Oops, wrong thread, sorry.
No, he did not. His reasoning seems to be that if a committee with so many charter leaders comes up with reforms, the charter leaders won’t fight them. We will see.
Diane…we have learned the hard way in Calif and at LAUSD, that this rationalization is total BS….it looks like Tony is looking more to his political future than to saving our public schools. I am SO disappointed in him so far.
If he doesn’t follow through on his campaign promises, he won’t have a political future. He impressed upon me that he has not changed, that he will follow through and I promised to judge him by the results.
Thanks again, Diane. We need to hold their feet to the fire. I second Ellen’s suggestions that CA constituents in the know need to be directly involved also. Politicians can be masterful at deflecting the spotlight’s glare at the most critical times.
“His reasoning seems to be that if a committee with so many charter leaders comes up with reforms, the charter leaders won’t fight them. ”
Such reasoning is like stacking a committee to rule on cigarette advertising and sales withTobacco company execs so that Tobacco companies will accept the final ruling.
It’s absurd.
Who cares if the Tobacco…I mean charter ..supporters fight the final ruling?
When it comes right down to it, They are clearly going to fight ANY ruling that is not to their liking — most likely surreptitiously in smoke filled back rooms so the public does not know what is going on.
My two cents: I understand and agree with Tony Thurmond’s strategy of inviting charter leaders to sign onto his recommendations. He’s the leader of the group. I say give him a chance to make happen what he says he will. And look, we’ve been betrayed before, so many times, especially in California. It’s difficult to regain even a modicum of trust, but in this case, I think we need to trust Tony Thurmond. I am heartened that he called you, Diane.
Trust but verify. I never place my trust in politicians. Tony has to prove himself and he assured me that he would. We will see.
LeftCoastTeacher Yes, but Diane must know how the whole thing still brings up
images of Lucy and the football. . . . .
Leftie…please call me so we can discuss this…Ellen
Ellen,
Will do.
Okay, so after our phone conversation, and reading more comments, I maintain my position, but will amend and soften it just a bit. Keep the pressure on, but don’t portray friends as enemies. Nuance.
Thanks, LCT. We will watch and wait.
“No, he did not. His reasoning seems to be that if a committee with so many charter leaders comes up with reforms, the charter leaders won’t fight them. We will see.”
That was the first question that came to my mind.
Stacking the committee this way can be easily interpreted as a not so subtle way of saying who still in control.
That was good of him to call but I still question the motives. Negotiating tactic? We’ll see.
Thurmond is worried about you, your stature, and your blog, and he should be. You will hold his feet to the fire. Any chance the LA teachers will follow your lead and start pressuring Thurmond?
Ira…pressuring him for answers started on day one of his election. He kept hands off the strike until the very end. I just posted on FB at both BATS and at the Parent supporters of public schools, a call to read Diane’s blog ASAP and to post comments here and on FB. I hope all others who are invested in saving our public schools get involved by writing the media and calling and writing to Thrumond and our Gov Newsom that public education must be saved from the profiteers.
Generalizations and hyperbole is not a solution. We need immediate action as follow up
A teacher on FB just mentioned the SEIU is pro charter as is their rep…so the group is 7 – 4 pro charter. NO way Tony can rationale that this is a fair minded group with a preponderance of CCSA/SEIU members.
I’m an LAUSD parent and a lot of us have been emailing and calling both Newsom and Thurmond. We are not fools and haven’t gone away because strike is over. This is just the beginning. I will keep emailing and calling both.
Yup, Ira.
I’ve lived in CA all of my life. I worked in elementary education as a teacher and school site administrator for 30 years. It feels wrong when the vast majority of kids are in public schools that this task force is majority pro charter members. Public schools deserved more respect than this – I find it hard to believe that anything significant will come from this committee. This smacks of politics and I worry that our kids will lose once more.
I will hope that constructive results will happen, but I won’t hold my breath. I would like to know more about Governor Newsom’s role in this.
Yup, Don.
This is more than just “optics”.
Far more.
The selection of the committee says a great deal.
This has a direct impact on the outcome and judgement should NOT be reserved until the final ruling.
If people wait around for the final report they will be stuck with the result.
The time to put pressure on Thurmond and the governor he works for is NOW.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice…won’t get fooled again.
Love you more than ever Poet…with your direct clarity, right on.
Poet’s got it right. We can’t afford to wait and hope. Like Boots Riley said at our rally, “all the changes that were made in history did not come from hoping the right leader gets out there or gets into office or the right superintendent. It comes from the leaders, elected officials and superintendents being scared of y’all.” Another words, we the people have to lead and not wait and hope that our “leaders” will do the right thing. They sure didn’t do right in LA or in our Oakland strike!
I will keep my opinion to myself.
Okay…I will write this…BEWARE.
I don’t trust politicians (mostly lawyers). They speak and write gobble-de-gook.
I’m with you Yvonne.
Politicians don’t deserve second ( and third (and fourth chances))
That they believe they do is just absurd.
If this fellow were serious, he would INSIST on an immediate change in the makeup of the committee BEFORE any deliberations and reports so that it ( much) more accurately represents the public that it is supposed to be serving.
That he did not do that speaks volumes.
The public has been burned so many times from these “assurances” that I am really surprised that anyone would take them seriously.
Thanks for your responses. Glad to know I am not alone re: my studied opinions.
And I am not getting money and/or perks from anyone or any org,, too,
Yvonne
Though I don’t always respond, I ALWAYS read your comments because you have a BS detector that is second to none.
And what Thurmond is spewing is pure unadulterated BS.
Wouldn’t experts like academics (education policy experts), statisticians, and yes – educators – make a better-suited task force? A reassuring call does not change the fact that there is an obvious conflict of interest at work here. Members of the charter lobby and administrators of charter schools should not be assessing themselves. It’s just plain obvious.
Exactly, Mimi…this is why these appointments are so suspect. Our state and local officials have too often been selected and/or dominated by the Eli Broad group of billionaires who want all schools to be privatized for investment profiteering. Academics voices hold little to no sway with this ‘power though wealth’ group which includes, Bloomberg, Broad, Waltons, Anschutz, Peterson before he died, etc., It is the ALEC mentality of overlords who rule. Broad has been THE dominant force at LAUSD for decades…and his long history of selling them land and imposing his choice of Supts.like Deasy and now Beutner, keeps the district in chaos since he BUYS the BoE seats for his supportive views. Garcia, Melvoin, Gonez, and now the felon Rodriguez, seats were all bought by Broad and Co. to privatize the district. I am a public policy academic and so are others who fight against this…but we only have words, not cash. Follow the money.
I’m repeating comment above: “Did he comment on why a majority of the committee had charter connections? He needs to be fair to all sides clearly, but the side being regulated should not have veto power in a vote.”
Thurmond apparently has no response to this. It sounds to me like “thanks for getting me elected but now you can all shut up and let the “serious people” take over.” I’m not placated by empty promises. Why is failing charter school Green Dot even on there? Remember this from Feb. 13? Los Angeles: Will LAUSD Close Down Failing Charter Schools? https://dianeravitch.net/2019/02/13/los-angeles-will-lausd-close-down-failing-charter-schools/
YES Kim…right on. We who are in the midst of the cesspool of LAUSD ed problems and continue year after year to battle to save our public schools remember the deception from so many elected and appointed officials. We are beyond jaded and know that this new misadventure with Tony Thurmond has deeper roots than those he poses to Diane. Where is Newsom on all this? Where do Broad and Beutner fit in? Did these three join with Tony in appointing this majority PRO charter school task force? This happened last year when Beutner was appointed to lead a Blue Ribbon task force on LAUSD (over the many voices to the BoE to have a public/parent/teacher group investigating) which resulted in placing Beutner in line for Eli to get him hired to charterize the district. Is this another way to supercede all the teachers strikes and the union in order to charterize ALL of California’s public schools while breaking the backs of the union? I am leaning toward believing this scenario rather than Tony’s hedging.
Not one parent – especially those on State and Federally mandated Special Education Community Advisory Committees. Who’s the client here? the children! Get parents of disabled students on this task force and they’ll get an earful about who they’re NOT serving. I tried for years to get on state advisory committees for CA and the folks in Sacto did not like LAUSD (I was a member of their Sped CAC for 20 years) or special needs parents muddying the issues they were concerned about. Parents are only wanted for signing off their compliance paperwork, nothing more.
Great point. Other stakeholders, including parents and public school teachers, should be represented on the committee.
The right wing and DINO’s work relentlessly to present the issue as labor vs. do-gooding billionaires.
The California Charter Schools Association just concluded its annual meeting. Its featured speakers were Arne Duncan and Steve Perry. Perry once referred to teachers unions as “roaches.”
https://www.ccsa.org/posts/ccsa-celebrates-new-leadership-new-look-and-kids-first
http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/05/dr-steve-perry-final-debunk.html
Sonja, In charter world, SPED students are an afterthought. Charters abide by an elimination model. They serve the students they want and make the rest go away.
When was the last time you heard any politician or choice cheerleader advocate to invest more in IDEA protected children? I’m not holding my breath.
It’s a waste of taxpayer money to create bureaucratic oversight of a parallel contractor school system. Billionaires created the contractor schools. Citizens can tear them down and can tear down lying politicians.
Citizens should ask for a recall election because they were clearly deceived in this case.
Agree, Poet.
👍
There are a lot of SCAMS re: college. So sick.
Here’s just one:
TV stars and coaches charged in massive college bribery scheme
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/03/12/breaking-news/actresses-huffman-loughlin-charged-in-bribery-scheme/
Thank you, Diane, for your tireless work on behalf of our public schools.
You can said that many millions of times over, Bob.
What is happening is that state legislators, long stymied by Jerry Brown’s intransigence, are aggressively pushing for charter regulation. This because their districts’ education dollars are being squeezed like grapes by charter schools’ presses. After a few decades of being bent over a log some have seen the light and are fighting back, making life uncomfortable for the Governor and the State Sup.
Along comes the CCSA and its overtures to Newsom and Thurmond…both will be running for higher office in 4 years.
It’s about the big campaign bucks, people, and putting one’s political career before the needs of children and communities.
Newsome’s and Thurmond’s campaigns will both be cashing million dollar checks three years from now. Plain and simple.
I can guarantee this to both of you, Newsom and Thurmond, and to you, Garcetti: we are going to rip your political careers to shreds if this load of BS goes through.
You remember 2006-08? The shreddiing of the Governator and the Republican party being forced to go to ground [you honestly think that Democrat-leaning soccer moms control the CCSA?] You, Newsom, and you, Garcetti, rode in on unions’ coattails then and got the political equivalent a free lunch at union members’ expenses.
That ain’t gonna happen a second time. We’ll fry your political ambitions…
Bingo…nail on the head hit here, Steve..but we can’t fool ourselves. Parents, teachers, supporters of public ed voices are to these power mongers merely NOISE…ignored. And Tony is stalling Diane who has a nationwide base and recognition.
Ellen,
Tony is not stalling me. He asked that I wait and see what the task force recommends. I will.
In the meanwhile, keep up the fight against privatization. If the task force preserves the status quo or excuses charter malfeasance, I will shout against it from the rooftops.
The good news is that he knows we are watching. And will continue to do so.
The SEIU will pay for its betrayal.
In D.C., SEIU members are protesting against their own union, The protestors’ rebuke of SEIU, “What the SEIU preaches publicly is very different from what they do internally.”
It really is a disgrace. An anti-union union! Whodathunkit?
I really admire all conscientious CURRENT PLUS RETIRED educators in specific Dr. Ravitch Education blog.
Yes, UNITE WE STAND, DIVIDE WE FALL.
I hope that all provocative and inexperienced in politics contributors WILL JOIN WITH Dr. Ravitch’s list of her suggestions. Then gather ALL STATES where charter schools exit whether being failed or not, as being ONE STRONG UNIT OF AMERICANS from all cultural backgrounds with an absolutely demand A TASK FORCE to review charter law IN ALL STATES according to Dr. Ravitch’s list of her suggestions, as follows:
[start quote]
The charter sector is not going away; but it should play by:
1) the same academic, ethical, professional, and financial rules as public schools,
2) and it should not drain resources away from the public schools.
3) Charters should be audited and monitored to the same extent as public schools.
4) Certification requirements for charter teachers and principals and superintendents should be no less than for public schools.
5) Only educators, not entrepreneurs, should be allowed to operate charters.
6) Charters should open only in districts that approve them and need them, and when they close, their students and property should revert to the public schools.
7) Charters should enroll the same demographic as the district in which they are located.
8) If I had my druthers, charter chains would be banned, as would charters managed by foreign entities. That’s my view. I pledged to Tony that I would withhold judgment and see what his task force produces.
[end quote]
In short, all educators, in all states where charter schools exit, will definitely DEMAND A TASK FORCE to review charter law in each state which composes of ONLY LOCAL parents, public school teachers, and pro charter members THAT need to be fair to all sides clearly, but the side being regulated should NOT have VETO POWER in a vote. back2basic
From your voice to God’s ears!
Hi Guru Master Bob Shepherd:
I agree with you that “”from my voice to God’s ears””, ha ha ha…
I was a busy bee to repeat and to emphasize a list of VERY IMPORTANT suggestions from Dr. Ravitch to all readers who might need a quick reading, then fluently demand this for their own state to deal with corruption from Charter invasion to American PUBLIC EDUCATION.
There is a self-claim AMERICAN EDUCATOR who accuses me being a troll because I am 40 years being Canadian from VN.
She is very cocky in writing to a person that she says “”…long been the greatest champion for public schools and her highly educated and sourced views shape public opinion.”” with EXTRA WORDS
[START QUOTE]
Ellen Lubic
March 12, 2019 at 2:09 pm
… Diane who is neither a resident, an educator, nor a taxpayer in our state. This is no way to do ongoing governmental business.
[END QUOTE]
In short, besides her bad temper and attitude to accuse me being a troll and to dismiss all people from no privilege like me to the best historian like Dr. Ravitch.
What kind of a self claim AMERICAN EDUCATOR to be so arrogant and intentionally ignorant? Now, this shreds a light to empathize with all poor and uneducated people, plus all greedy arrogant small shop owners who being lured into PEANUT WEALTH and harm many upcoming YOUNG GENERATION through CHARTER CHAIN INVASION.
I deeply appreciate your words that made me smile and accept the true fact of ignorance in all busy bees without support and concrete plan to deal with a dangerous GAME IN POLITICS between greed and power. May
m4potw I’m trying to be helpful here . . .you say:
“In short, besides her bad temper and attitude to accuse me being a troll and to dismiss all people from no privilege like me to the best historian like Dr. Ravitch.”
I take it that her point is this: that THIS IS CALIFORNIA we are talking about, and politicians HERE will be more likely to listen to CALIFORNIA VOTERS than from someone in New York. That being said, I have no doubt that Ellen et al understand Diane’s power to gain the attention on the national scene.
Also, it would be good to be aware of the difference between “accusing” and raising a question. I wondered also (raised a question for myself) if you were a troll, and a reactionary/hateful one at that. CBK
FYI. May is not a troll. Ellen is not a troll.
I block trolls every day. You never see most of the garbage I filter out.
I also block comments that are hateful although some slip through.
I try to block smears directedat the teaching profession as such.
Occasionally I block comments that day the same thing over and over and over about how wonderfulprivatization is. People are free to express their views and I am free to block repetition. This is not a site to discuss the PRos and cons of privatization but to resist it.
dianeravitch Thank you for the clarification. Trolling is one thing. Well-meaning ignorance is another, mine or anyone else’s. CBK
The committee makeup should be changed to reflect the vast majority of the public (with kids in public schools) BEFORE it considers ANY vote on charter “reform”.
Let’s assume (as a hypothetical) that the kind of “reform” the public really desires is stripping charters of all public dollars. Though that may not be the case, it is certainly a possibility and well within the right of the tax payers who are funding CA schools.
What do you suppose the chance of such an outcome is with the current (6 — or some say 7 — of 11) makeup of the charter deckchair rearrangement … I mean “reform”…committee?
Zero.
The cherry picked committee is quite OBVIOUSLY intendedly to put a heavy hand on the scales to ensure that ANY outcome is going to be palatable to charters.
Isn’t that what Thurmond means when he “reasons” that charter leaders will accept the outcome if charter leaders are on the reform committee?
The fix is already in, folks, and I am actually quite surprised that anyone is buying into this fait accompli.
“The cherry picked committee is quite OBVIOUSLY intended to put a heavy hand on the scales to ensure that ANY outcome is going to be palatable to charters.” YES. This same charter-heavy ed. “counsel” game is going on in state upon state. Until we see educational committees made up of actual educators and many true public school advocates it feels naive to wonder about any other outcome.
Why say, “the charter sector is not going away?” It will if we the citizens want it to. That’s like saying privitization is not going away! What kind of loser mentality is that? I’m disappointed.
I wrote Thurmond via this CDE webpage to express my displeasure:
https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/cd/ap/mainpage.aspx
If anyone knows of a better way to reach Thurmond, please share.
Keep your letters and emails coming. All eyes on what this task force does.
I think a lot of us would like to keep an eye on the task force…
But most of us will be at work, teaching California’s children when that committee is meeting…
What could a charter school heavy task force possibly come up with that would past muster. Really? Big mistake. Easier to make policy than undo policy.
Hi Virginia Tibbetts:
I would like to expand and emphasize your expression.
[star quote]
Easier to make policy than undo policy.
[end quote]
Here are some expansion of your idea from the current situation in the world:
1) Easier to make CORRUPTION than undo CORRUPTION.
2) Easier to make PEOPLE being uneducated than undo UNEDUCATED people.
3) Easier to make TEACHERS being frustrated than undo FRUSTRATED teachers.
However, if all public educators strongly unite and follow the lead of the WISE LEADER like Dr. Ravitch with her 8 important suggestions, then we will have your expression to read as:
“Easier to make CORRUPTION than undo A FUTURE JAIL TERM”
Or:
It is EASIER for a new elected politician to make a CORRUPTED policy, and it is MUCH EASIER for all voters to smear HIS/HER, their family members, and all their connections for life = NEVER HAVE A SECOND CHANCE to have dignity in society for life. Back2basic
So many good comments here and completely understand and empathize with Ellen’s concerns about constituents. But the lesson I got out of this episode is that Diane’s voice is having much more impact than we might have thought. The idea that a California pol would call a scholar in Brooklyn to tamp down criticism speaks volumes. I thought my respect and admiration had peaked a long time ago, but it certainly went up today.
GregB Well-said. CBK
Greg and Catherine…definitely agree with you that Diane and her blog carry a great amount of weight within the political world, especially in California, as well as with the professional world of educators, and with the public which is the main funding source of all of the public schools and charter schools.Diane has long been the greatest champion for public schools and her highly educated and sourced views shape public opinion.
When I finally closed shop to sleep last night, there were 73 comments here, Early this AM there were over 90…so it is clear that this is a topic that has aroused the interest of so many.
After sleeping on it I have a new thought and would like your insights, California educator colleagues and California parents, taxpayers, and voters. We have a new Gov who has been within our purview for many years. What if it is Newsom who chose these task force members, and not Tony? Is that plausible? And if so, since this task force reports the results of their findings and opinions to Newsom, what does it mean as to his support of, or not, charter schools in our state? How would his views be substantiated, or not, by this group majority of charter leadershp?
So many good questions, Ellen. So many above my pay grade, especially since I live thousand of miles away.
I looked up Ann O’Leary—about whom I am especially leery—and found this in the Sacramento Bee: “Ann O’Leary, a former top adviser to Hillary Clinton with an emphasis in children and family policy, will serve as chief of staff. The choice potentially signals that Newsom will prioritize the expansion of early childhood education, a proposal he emphasized in the final days of his campaign above other key issues like housing and health care.”
You may well be onto something significant. Any who has worked in state or federal government knows how important and integral a chief of staff position can be. For a weak or malleable leader, they become the key to policy and politics. And the sign of a strong leader is to willingly admit mistakes and make consequential decisions to make amends.
Read into this what you will, but I think we three all draw the same conclusion.
Carol Burris and I met with O’Leary twice during the Clinton campaign to try to persuade her (and through her, the candidate) to come out against charter schools, but she was not interested. She agreed to oppose for-profit charters but was unwilling to consider opposition to charters in principle. We oppose charters in principle as a diversion of funding from public schools, which enroll 80-90% of children, depending on the jurisdiction. Any candidate who pursues the vote of the 6% who are in charter schools is making a bad bet.
O’Leary also spoke at the billionaire-funded PPIC this year.
This month, the think tank proposed a colossal overhaul of Calf. higher ed that would achieve an anti-democracy agenda in higher ed., “Coordinating California’s Higher Education System”.
Ellen Lubic Whatever is Newsom’s position on public schools (and charter schools), he needs to hear Diane’s and this blog’s position loud and clear and often. CBK
Dianne, did yhou get his phone number? A number of us in CA feel that since charters involve approximately 10% of the student population here, the representation on this task force should reflect just that: 10 % charter folks, 90% public school educators. Perhaps there is an opportunity to make some additions to the group.
Hi Hannah MacLaren:
I thought that we should mimic the power.
Yes, UNITE WE STAND, DIVIDE WE FALL.
PLEASE think carefully, would you respond to any students who try to get your number from a respectful person who you would give your number to only that respectful person?
I do not pick up any name or number that I do not care. That is reality. I would not spend my precious time to read any post, but I love to contribute my ideas in this specific Dr. Ravitch’s education blog regardless some readers ignore my idea.
I hope that all educators in all states will wake up to smell coffee. All LOCAL PARENTS, LOCAL PUBLIC EDUCATORS, and LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL EDUCATORS WITH NATIONAL TEACHING CERTIFICATION to be participants in A TASK FORCE to review charter law in each state.
Most of all, PLEASE FOLLOW Dr. Ravitch’s LIST OF 8 IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS. I would love to repeat as many times as all educators whether they are in public or private education system can memorize and talk fluently to all LOCAL politicians with their might and their VOTES in all future elections. Back2basic
[start quote]
The charter sector is not going away; but it should play by:
1) the same academic, ethical, professional, and financial rules as public schools,
2) and it should not drain resources away from the public schools.
3) Charters should be audited and monitored to the same extent as public schools.
4) Certification requirements for charter teachers and principals and superintendents should be no less than for public schools.
5) Only educators, not entrepreneurs, should be allowed to operate charters.
6) Charters should open only in districts that approve them and need them, and when they close, their students and property should revert to the public schools.
7) Charters should enroll the same demographic as the district in which they are located.
8) If I had my druthers, charter chains would be banned, as would charters managed by foreign entities. That’s my view. I pledged to Tony that I would withhold judgment and see what his task force produces.
[end quote]
Thank you, Diane.
Off topic- the recent cheating scandal that engulfed California’s private Stanford and
University of Southern California- IMO- fully expected. University values contrast with the goals of think tanks with students. The latter is what oligarchy builds.
A USC faculty dean who omits from her bio., a Gates’ organization Fellow position, while the organization brags about her placement, reflects what oligarchy builds.
The recent scandal in USC’s school of social work involving municipal and state political influence reflects a system oligarchy builds.
At Stanford, what the oligarchy builds is reflected in the practice of faculty c.v.’s posted or not posted, grants listed or not listed, university centers with funders listed or not listed. Faculty web pages may link directly to organizations unidentified as for-profits or non-profits. And, the pages may show or may not show outside sources of the faculty members’ income for “academic” work.
Schools that don’t value fidelity to education’s higher ideals or to the lesser, transparency of conflicts of interest, is what an oligarchy builds.
Many Universities have been transformed into little more than think tanks churning out completely fabricated “studies” for their funders.
This is true of what are supposed to be some of our Best universities: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, etc
With private funding of university research, there is just too much of an enticement to slant the results to please the funder.
Add to the list for review, Bloomberg’s Johns Hopkins, the Koch’s George Mason and, Brown University. One tell tale sign to look for, professors omit significant info, like at speaking engagements sponsored by Gates, they may exclude that they are Impatient Optimists.
Linda Another example is how the US is practically alone in NOT grounding the kind of Boeing jets that recently crashed. It seems the health of the company (our oligarchs) and its stockholders is more important to the FAA than the passengers who fly. We seem to have traded-in democracy, healthy civics, community, and culture for the broad sweep of “success” in terms of capitalist-only consciousness.
I have the feeling that the entire nation is crossing our fingers behind our backs. CBK
As a colleague of mine said, I tired of people saying “trust me”. Process matters and this process is wrong from the start. I am a high school teacher. I met Mr. Thurmond early in his career. I actually do trust him. BUT not to be our ONLY voice in this critical conversation. That committee can’t possibly produce meaningful reform without public teacher voice. It can’t. Thurmond comes out of “after school” work and, while that work in CA has been exceptional, he does not have a visceral understanding of the classroom. Not an indictment, just a fact.
Stephen,
This task force is about politics, not knowing the inside of a classroom. It is about money and who gets it. It is about raw political power. The teacher’s voice matters, but in this discussion what matters most is who gets the money and who gets the oversight, and who doesn’t get the money and who doesn’t get oversight.
Hmm, your response reads like “That’s cute, teacher. Sit down and let the big kids handle this.” Yes, this is about politics and this committee can’t possibly create meaningful reform when it is stacked for charter schools.
Steve,
Not at all. I spoke for myself. It took a day or so to figure out that it was Gavin Newsom who stacked the charter task force with charter advocates, not Tony Thurmond. You should raise hell. With the Governor.
Hi stephen Hill wright
if you express that “”Thurmond comes out of “after school” work and, while that work in CA has been exceptional, he does not have a visceral understanding of the classroom””, then how about you, do you have a visceral understanding of the POLITICAL GAME?
IMHO, being an excellent educator, like being a high school teacher, would you be confident to have a deep knowledge and experience EQUALLY and above or beyond the same with the wise person who has been there and done many PRACTICAL and GREATEST researches in education and history many years ahead of you???
IN A REALITY, everyone has 24 hours per day and one brain with 2 hands and 2 feet to learn and to practice. Now, being born with talent or not and with humanity or savage, this will display a true human or sub-human according to a manner and attitude of a person toward other SENTIENT BEINGS.
IN SHORT, we must show respect for others who have an advantage and an opportunity to rectify a situation for a better policy for all students or a younger generation because NOBODY IS PERFECT. Back2basic
With the all caps and the royal we and some strange sentence construction, I really can’t tell make out what you are trying to say other than you are clearly telling me that since I am just a teacher I can’t possibly know what you fancy political people are talking about. I don’t think your comment addressed the issue that I raised at all.
It is not possible for this committee to produce meaningful reform if it is stacked with all charter people.
Actually, I bet Thurmond is a patsy in this, unable to counteract the appointments that Newsom’s advisors stuck on the panel. It’s certain that Newsom has been given promises of future payoffs…
We need to look at the Cal Dept Ed’s Board more carefully, to understand which members would be the driving forces behind the panel’s composition. Newsom probably just rubber stamped those Board members’ recommendations. Who was fingered to recommend SEIU 99’s political director? There’s some devious $#!t going on here.
The question I have for Diane is whether Thurmond let on to his not having any say in the selection process? If he is not responsible, yet chooses to not vocalize his opposition…well, that’s nearly as bad as appointing the people himself.
Here’s a thought: let things settle, then run a recall campaign against Newsom. What’s the worst that can happen, we’ll get a different DINO in the governor’s mansion?
Newsom’s career has been a carbon copy of Gray Davis’ [do little-to-nothing]…why not let it end on the same note?
If I were a CA resident, I would sign a recall petition because this stinks to high heaven.
As someone pointed out above, process DOES matter and this process is tainted from the get to.
I am really surprised that some people here do not recognize this.
This is not about giving people a chance or trusting them.
Thurmond already had his chance and squandered the trust when he stacked the committee with charter acolytes.
People should DEMAND that the makeup of the committee be changed to more accurately represent the public.
SDP,
It is not that simple. I learned last night from a “reliable source” who works in state government in California that Tony Thurmond did not pick the committee–or at least not the majority. The Governor did.
It actually IS simple.
The process was tainted and should be fixed before any decisions are made or votes are taken.
Accountability, though related, is a different issue and i will only say that if Thurmond really objected to the process, he should have done so at the start.
The central question that everyone has to answer for themselves is this
Is the process fair? Does it accurately represent the public interest?
If not, it should be changed now before anything further is done.
This kind of stuff has been going on far too long (and like the college admissions scam), it needs to stop.
I wasn’t in the room when it happened. I am simply telling you that Governor Gavin Newsom chose the task force.
He is the Governor. Tony Thurmond is not.
But Tony has to approve the recommendations.
Kissinger once said that the public memory only spans 3 months. And that was before the information/disinformation age.This is the time to make noise so that there will be another three months for the public to chew on.
Public education and the effect of the charter industry is front and center, now. Finally. I’m hoping Thurmond steps up to the plate and will give him that benefit of the doubt. But rather than sit back with fingers crossed, I think it’s important that the public continues to make it’s voice heard. Otherwise it’s more dust being swept under the rug.
I don’t think you had to be in the room when the committee was selected to know there is something wrong with the process.
The vast majority of CA students attend public schools and it is hardly an accident that a majority of the members selected have a direct t link to charter schools.
There is absolutely NO way that the selection process was legitimate and legitimately represents the interests of the majority of stakeholders (those with children in public schools)
And it is simply not possible to get a legitimate result from an illegitimate process.
As the old computer saw goes, garbage in, garbage out.
Or in this case, charter in, charter out.
But I have said enough.
I will let others decide for themselves if the process was legitimate.
SDP,
I certainly don’t think the process was legitimate. I don’t think it is right to appoint a committee to study needed reforms in charter law in which 6 of 11 members are drawn from the charter industry. I think the process stinks.
dianeravitch It’s the old methodology of “fox in the chicken-house” AGAIN. CBK
SomeDAMPoet: I have to agree–first, I doubt the imbalanced outcome was an accident. Second, even if it were, if those who are interested and know the problems were really in charge, the imbalance would have been corrected in some way: perhaps make the voting 70-30 needed, or something like that. And third, one way to view the argument that the charters will accept what the deciders decide is to think, of course they will. Giving the best possible light on Thurmond’s pass, perhaps he was forced in some way to not raise his hand against the otherwise obviously-mendacious mixture of members. CBK
Kissinger was right about the short memory of the public.
After all, Presidents of both parties now seek him out for advice on critical matters of war and peace (but mainly war) and everyone has forgotten that his bombing campaign in Indochina killed millions of innocent people.
Yes, Henry has benefited well from the publics’ short attention span. I, like you, have not forgotten his role in Indochina, Poet.
Diane
It is clear that you have had a problem with the process from the second you found out about it.
But this is why I find your response to Thurmonds phone call puzzling.
Why not fix the process first before allowing it to go forward?
It seems to me that letting the current makeup of the committee stand is almost certain to produce an outcome that will be considered illegitimate by the public (and probably rightly so)
If the public has little input (or at least less than is warranted) how will we ever even know what they would have decided about charters?
Without proper representation on the committee, how can we ever know, for example, if the public actually wants to go as far as to strip all charters of public dollars?
Thurmond is obviously very worried about your influence on this matter and for good reason.
You have the power right now to insist that the process be changed BEFORE it goes a single step further.
I strongly agree with this reply.
SDP,
You surely know that I have no control over the process by which this task force was selected. I didn’t choose the members. I assumed that a task force created to review charter law and the fiscal impact of charters on public schools would have independent experts, not a majority of charter allies. I don’t know of anyone else who has found this charter takeover as shocking and offensive as I.
Is it up to me to rectify the situation? I don’t have that power. Only Governor Newsom does. And he didn’t ask my advice.
Here is the list of California Dept of Education Board members, and a brief bio…all are female …one is a charter school leader **…. two are from the very small district of Elk Grove in No. California…none represent the second largest and most diverse district in the nation, LAUSD…all but Dr. Straus are from No. California
Dr. Illene Straus, Supt of Beverly Hills Schools, previously worked as a teacher and administrator in Santa Monica School District
Ms. Sue Brown, Elk Grove teacher, Cal State trained
Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, teacher/administrator, Rand Corp researcher, Stanford researcher/prof…very well known and controversial educator
Dr. Felize Ortiz-Lincon, educator
Ms. Patricia Ann Rucker, teacher, Elk Grove district
Dr. Nicolosa Sandoval- Chumash Ed director
Dr. Ting L. Sun, Charter Schools Leadership president**
Ms. Gena Q Cardenas, Student member
Readers here can draw their own conclusions on this important Board that creates education policy, all appointed by Gov Newsom.
If current info is correct, these are the Newsom appointed State BoE members who chose the Thurmond Task Force on Charter Schools. Please expand if you have more FACTS.
More info…Ting was Prez of CCSA…and Ortiz-Lincon lives and works in Long Beach and is a STEM educator, trained at UCLA
I am sorry, but based on the facts, you are 87.5% wrong when you state unequivocally that all California’s School Board of Education members were appointed by Governor Newsom. Only one, Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (Professor Emerita, Stanford), out of eight members, was appointed by Gov. Newsom (he announced the appointment in his State o the State Address, replacing Prof. Michael Kirst, also a Stanford Professor Emeritus). All others were appointed by former Governor Brown. This information is available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ms/mm/
I expected a more thorough, fact-based research from a self-described UCLA scholar. Therefore, it is very disappointing that you did not check this important fact as it seems to be a central argument for your implication that Gov. Newsom is somehow pro-charter.
I’m curious what Stanford professors think about the absence of posted c.v.s for some professors, reluctance to identify funders of university centers, 37-page professor resumes that exclude grants received, professor links that go to sites that may or not be for-profit sellers of product (how can the public tell?), the ethical scandals in the school of business reported by media a few years ago, etc?
Ellen,
I believe that Gov Newsom appointed only one member of the state board, Linda Darling-Hammond. The state board did not appoint the charter task force.
Bravo SDP and Ellen Lubic.
Both of you are certainly childish in political game of POWER and GREED.
PLEASE give all readers in this blog your CLEAR, FAIR and PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS and SUGGESTIONS that can lead to WISELY UNITE WE STAND or IGNORANTLY DIVIDE WE FALL.
Here is a true example: a well known money collector representative of a gas distributor in 1968 in VN. In an occasion that he had 500,000.00 in cash in a small town where robbery took place and stopped him on the way to his car. He is very witty by throwing all cash on the ground far from his way out. YES, HE ESCAPED IN A SECOND TO DRIVE AWAY.
Of course, the leader and group of followers kept being busy to pick all money on a ground for their own greedy gain.
In short, if a representative shouted out for help and forgot certain policeman in a small town who received a bribery and looked the other way = he definitely would be in a state of severe injury or dead for sure!
Could all provocative educators and all SHEEP in agreement with provocative leaders be ready either mimic a technique from Charter master mind according to Ellen Lubic’s INFO? How many EXCELLENT and WISE PhD degree people to offset CA Gov Newsom?
I try my best to repeat the WISEST SUGGESTIONS from Dr. Ravitch with a positive hope that Ellen Lubic, CBK and Greg B get together to CULTIVATE CA PARENTS, educators, and politicians in both Public and Private Education the ULTIMATE and WISEST 8 SUGGESTIONS from Dr. Ravitch. Best wishes to you on this fight for CA PUBLIC EDUCATION. May
May…as I recall from years past, you are a Viet Nam native who now lives in Canada. I am curious as to why you think you can direct the thinking and actions of valid American educators who comment on this blog. You give strange examples of situations that have no relationship to our very real education issues, and like Trump, you deflect our time and attention away from serious problems. And now you have the temerity to call us “childish” because you do not understand what this is all about.
Are you a troll?
Please define yourself and your agenda for writing here. Your endless effusive flattery of Diane, whom we deeply respect and know personally, seem suspect to me.
I stopped posting here because of trolls and others who are not trained educators and allied parents, and who do this intrusive writing, perhaps as a hobby or a time filler..
My listing of the names of the Newsom BoE group which seemingly chose the Thurmond Task Force members, is taken directly from the State of California online Dept of Education government source and serves to identify those actual people who could be contacted for answers, as others of my colleagues brought up on this stream…I am a public policy specialist, and a professional researcher, and posted this list for my edification and that of my colleagues.
BTW…Diane knows me very well and I am part of a small group in So Calif she has called her “brain trust”…which is both an honor and kind of an affectionate joke.
Please leave me out of your comments. I neither seek nor welcome your approval and worry at the damage you perhaps are intent on causing those of us who use our real names here.
Ellen. Are you seriously to copy from Trump to accuse whoever as being a troll due to being upset? I do not hide my name either nor who I am.
I really DO NOT RESPECT people with degree nor with any privilege in life.
I ONLY RESPECT PEOPLE who are intelligence, knowledgeable, compassionate, experience in history. Most of all, I really respect for other human beings with sincerity from words and actions.
Would you think that you have an authority to ban me from Dr. Ravitch’s blog because I tell the truth that you are being a busy bee?
In short, I will NEVER HAVE A WORD ABOUT YOU FOREVER. You are not worth it for my precious time. You deserve being ignored by Thurmond and all other authorities who can harm you because you are intentionally ignorant with degree and NOT WITH YOUR TRUE BEING AMERICAN EDUCATOR as you claim. Au revoir
Ellen,
May has been a reader here for years, like you. She is not the only person who lives outside the US who reads and comments here. I welcome comments by her and by readers from Germany, England, Canada, and other countries. It makes the blog more interesting to welcome commentators with different views.
m4potw Good idea. I would tell parents that, though some good education can and does occur in charter schools, as members of a free democratic-republican culture–where it will remain that way only through the close connection of education with our founding documents, namely as PUBLIC–they are in fact shooting themselves and their children in the foot.<–that’s what true about your really helpful “childish” comment.
Thanks for your suggestion, and do pass along to above to those you know are interested in a culture that doesn’t draw its intellectual, moral, political and spiritual sustenance from greedy oligarchs. CBK
Thanks CBK.
I was a bit mix up you with Carolmalaysia who is Grad 4 music teacher. But now, I remember a bit about you.
IMHO, the solid belief in humanity is very important for all to gather and to fight back the VIOLATION of American PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Although I truly respect all educators’ expressions to put down greedy and ignorant corporate like PRIVATE WASTE to the view of 90% population, I only admire the effective style in ACCURATE WORDS, BUT SENSIBLE with regulation in the danger of political games between GREED AND POWER.
In short, Please rest assure that I know who I am and I will STAY AWAY all arrogant people. Most of all, I will definitely NEVER MENTION or ANSWER TO a name of any person who is self-claim a hot shot and important than others. May
Hi Diane! I just saw your comment above about how it was the governor who chose the task force, not SI Thurmond. That is important. Maybe it should be its own post and not buried way down in the comments? The governor should be held accountable, and everyone should know who it was who appointed this biased, self-conflict riddled “task force.”
Mimi,
You will see that post tomorrow.
The Governor’s chief of staff- a former advisor to the Silicon Valley Fund, Ann O’Leary, should be asked if she had involvement in creating the list.
It wasn’t bad enough that a corps of establishment Dem women delivered Trump on us, through their arrogance and poor campaign strategies, they continue to be influential in decision making by politicians seeking tech monopolist funding.
The following were either informally or formally involved in the 2016 Presidential campaign,
(1) Anne Marie Slaughter -CEO of New America (funded by Eric Schmidt of Google). She is most famous for writing that women couldn’t have it all, which I speculate reaffirmed a bridge between neo-liberal and GOP agendas. (BTW- New America’s COO was part of Arne Duncan’s wrecking crew and is a Broad resident.)
(2) Neera Tanden and Laura Palmieri from the Center for American Progress, who talk a good game about improving opportunities for women while CAP promotes privatization which erodes the career that lifts the most women into financial independence. (O’Leary was also associated with CAP.)
More about O’Leary- she spoke at the billionaire-funded PPIC this year, so presumably there is some connection. This month, a PPIC paper proposed an outside “review council” take control of California’s entire higher ed system. Proposals from Gates-funded organization like CAP call for a new accreditation process and standards set by a third party. The goal as stated in the PPIC paper -taking control from diverse stakeholders who currently make decisions by consensus and handing over control of tuition, financial aid and state funding decisions to an external group.
To Ellen Lubic:
Here are all of your sincere confirmations from your own posts that I patiently collect in order to give you a feedback. Hopefully, whenever you stop being a busy bee to connect all people whom you and them recognize that Dr. Ravitch has long been the greatest champion for public schools and her highly educated and sourced views shape public opinion
[start quote]
Catherine King
March 12, 2019 at 2:15 pm
Ellen Lubic Just as a single response, I am a California resident, just south
of LA, and I endorse Diane’s participation in this discussion. CBK
Catherine King
Bob Shepherd
March 12, 2019 at 6:15 pm
Thank you, Diane, for your tireless work on behalf of our public schools
GregB
March 12, 2019 at 10:30 pm
…But the lesson I got out of this episode is that Diane’s voice is having much more impact than we might have thought. … I thought my respect and admiration had peaked a long time ago, but it certainly went up today.
Reply
Catherine King
March 13, 2019 at 5:23 am
GregB Well-said. CBK
Reply
Ellen Lubic
March 13, 2019 at 2:30 pm
Greg and Catherine…definitely agree with you that Diane and her blog carry a great amount of weight within the political world, especially in California, as well as with the professional world of educators, and with the public which is the main funding source of all of the public schools and charter schools.Diane has long been the greatest champion for public schools and her highly educated and sourced views shape public opinion.
[end quote]
In short, I hope that you must connect the right source. In other word, follow the technique from Broadie, and Gov Newsom but in a conscientious way of a true educator = being respectful, honest and intelligent. Please be calm and let your intuition to guide you.
IMHO, I would quietly follow the wise, and NOT to lead sheep by being a busy bee. May
Diane and all teacher friends…I cannot fathom what is going on with this person, May, who is not an American citizen nor a US resident , and is trying to take over our professional exchange and interpret for our very cogent Diane. I am very suspicious of her motives and have been for the years she has been doing this long distance palaver. I am outta here until and unless her excess is curbed.
Please contact me if you wish at elubic@aol.com to follow up.
Diane, you know from our long professional and personal association that I have great affection and respect for you, and have for so many years. Have used your publications as core books in my university teaching. Also I have such respect for the real pros who write here…have learned endlessly from you real educators and don’t want to lose touch, but as May says, I am a “busy bee” but not the naive fool she implies…too annoying to have to deal with this nonsense.
Yep!
Hi Ellen Lubic:
If you can be in my shoes, then you could understand a bit about me. When you are down and out from to live on a lap of luxury into in a life and death twice in a China sea situation; Most of all, you are in the top of being genius then suddenly, a mild stroke wipes out your short term memory, what will you do to be contented with your daily living?
However, I am lucky to have a solid belief in humanity in order to remain in a living with dignity and respect for other people who live and deal with SHARPS ABOVE, BELOW, AND ON BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE of their daily working and living.
I truly care for all conscientious educators who work hard to protect PUBLIC EDUCATION for many upcoming young generations.
Before I answer my pure motive to be with Dr. Rvitch, please remind yourself that UNITE WE STAND and DIVIDE WE FALL.
PLEASE READ AND THINK YOUR OWN WORDS from all posts in this blog that I patiently collect to give you a feedback.
Please sincerely ask yourself what is your motive to be a busy bee in doing connection and in pledging to contact people who respect Dr. Ravitch, BUT CBK must confirm to you that she endorses Dr. Ravitch to contribute her words in CA and LA PUBLIC SITUATION situation.
My pure motive is to repeat and to emphasize the WISEST AND PUREST COMPASSION from Dr. Ravitch to all readers who might be distracted from any greedy drone from private bribery corporate and from gullible and self claim smart busy bees with shadow knowledge of a dangerous POLITICAL GAMES.
I hope that I answer your inquiry about me and you can rest assure that I will cultivate all gullible SHEEP within my knowledge AND experience in 60 years of my honest learning and living with my dignity from me to the ultimate ENLIGHTENMENT ONE. Back2basic
To be clear, I meant ‘yep’ to the support of Diane and this beautiful blog. Good to talk to you again today, Ellen. We are all united.
Ellen, both you and May King are valued contributors. I don’t have to make a choice or adjudicate betweeen you.
May is a significant contributor to the cause of NPE. Ellen, you may have misinterpreted her kind heart through a misunderstanding in expression. Many of us feel very protective of Diane because she sacrifices so much every day.
You also work hard, which is appreciated. With so many attacking with so much money, patience becomes frayed. The billionaires count on us turning against each other. We’ll fight back by remaining one.
United we stand, divided we fall. You can be sure the Deformers are think8ng about how to turn us into a circular firing squad. I won’t fall for that.
It’s a pipe dream if the billionaires think they can best Diane Ravitch.
Thank you, Diane, and thank you, Tony Thurmond.
Hi Karen Wolfe:
I am May King, retiree in Canada. My mother is a teacher and an entrepreneur. I have diploma, degree in many different careers like pharmaceutical (in VN), PLUS electronic, finance, ESL, and sociology in Canada.
After 10 years in a mild stroke, my short term memory is intermittent. Luckily, my long term memory is excellent about 30 years in the past in VN. Saddly, twenty recent years has been tough for my short term memory. I recognized your name 5 years ago in Dr. Ravitch ‘s educational blog through a story of a bad treatment from Deasy in LA.
If you are in LA or CA, my suggestion may be valid. Here is a valuable list of Dr. Ravitch that I keep repeating many times with a solid trust that you will communicate with all LA and CA parents and students.
[start quote]
The charter sector is not going away; but it should play by:
1) the same academic, ethical, professional, and financial rules as public schools,
2) and it should not drain resources away from the public schools.
3) Charters should be audited and monitored to the same extent as public schools.
4) Certification requirements for charter teachers and principals and superintendents should be no less than for public schools.
5) Only educators, not entrepreneurs, should be allowed to operate charters.
6) Charters should open only in districts that approve them and need them, and when they close, their students and property should revert to the public schools.
7) Charters should enroll the same demographic as the district in which they are located.
8) If I had my druthers, charter chains would be banned, as would charters managed by foreign entities. That’s my view. I pledged to Tony that I would withhold judgment and see what his task force produces.
[end quote]
In short, I hope that you find this helpful and priceless list of all sensibly important demands to be fair for all citizens whether they are rich or poor.
Most of all, all conscientious educators whether they are fresh graduate or veteran or retired, should strongly unite with students, parents and all LOCAL VOTERS of all ages to have this list becomes true = TRANSPARENT + ACCOUNTABILITY + PATRIOTISM + NO PRIVATIZATION be allowed to LOOT local TAX PAYERS FUND for local common goods. Back2basic
You should not have caved so easily.
Andrea,
I believe that the task force is stacked in favor of charters. I believe that Gavin Newsom picked the task force, not Tony Thurmond. Just my hunch. I am interested in seeing whether Tony can push the final report so that it reins in charter abuses. Whether I “caved” or not is irrelevant. I am not in charge. I have only the power of my pen (computer) from afar.
The power of your pen, Diane, is very strong. Surely you must know that. Tony Thurmond knows that. I believe if you could carry on as you have been, raising awareness in your blog about this skewed task force, you could maybe force a change, just by the sheer power of your respected voice. But we will never know this, if you agree to wait for the results.
I will continue to complain that the task force was captured by the industry it is supposed to regulate.
Hi Nomikins:
I hope that you are a CA or LA resident. Whether you are veteran educator or retiree, you would agree that all rivers will meet at an ocean = tsunami ONLY happens from ocean.
Dr. Ravitch has the best sensible and lawful list of suggestion. you and each LOCAL district PUBLIC SCHOOL should unite PLUS gather with charters schools in Califonia to FOLLOW Dr. Ravitch’s suggestions in order to
“”raising awareness in your (blog) district about this skewed task force,””
you could maybe force a change, just by the sheer power of (your) ALL LOCAL VOTERS respected voice. – Surely you must know that. Tony Thurmond knows that local educators, parents, and students DEMAND this skewed task force BE CHANGED, and then YOU WILL NOT NEED wait for the results OF this skewed task force. Back2basic
Californians for Charter reform, thank you!!