Betsy DeVos just dropped $36 million on North Carolina to lure children out of their public schools and into charter schools. The state is not sure it can spend the money.
North Carolina will now have more than $36 million in federal funding to help increase enrollment in charter schools, particularly for children from low-income groups.
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Education is awarding the state an additional $10 million to support a statewide initiative to use charter schoolsto help meet the needs of educationally disadvantaged students. This comes on top of the $26.6 million federal grant awarded last year to increase the number of charter schools across the state.
It’s a financial windfall that has caused charter school leaders across the state to apply for a share of the federal funding.
“The reality is — let the elephant out here — that we’re going to have difficulty spending this money perhaps,” Joseph Maimone, a member of the N.C. Charter Schools Advisory Board, said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We’ve got to really think about how difficult it’s going to be to use up the entire grant.”
State officials say they’re confident that they can spend the $36.6 million.
Charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools that are exempt from some of the rules that traditional public schools must follow, such as providing school meals and bus service. Charter schools have a lower percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches than traditional public schools.
There are 198 charter schools open in North Carolina serving more than 100,000 students. Enrollment has surged since state lawmakers voted in 2011 to eliminate the state limit of 100 charter schools.
Supporters say charter schools provide families with more education options. But critics say charters siphon money away from traditional public schools and increase school segregation.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
SICK! Citizens United SUCKS.
How many Russian OPS are in this country working to take down America via education, health care, jobs, clean energy, science, math, literacy, and anything else that will make America the laughing stock of the entire world?
We all know that dpt works for Putin. How many others are being paid by Putin?
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How many americans are part of the feeding frenzy? Forget Russia.
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Criminal behavior and nothing is being done to stop it. All politicians are in on the scams.
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in on the scams or choosing to be “blind” to the scams
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Unfortunately, in education bribery seems to get the privatizers exactly what they want. It is the same formula we have seen for over a decade. If they throw enough money at the politicians and give free rein to eager privatizers, they will undermine public education. It is a recipe for disaster. It also bypasses any means of local control to stop the privatization plunder of the common good.
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The supply of money for charters is likely to outstrip the demand…but may also draw into the state some of the worst of the worst rip-off charters and charter management organizations. This is exactly what Devos wants, in addition to hoping to get more NC residents on-board with TRUMP by throwing money were the votes may be. I wonder if the Gülen Charter Schools will get any of this gusher within in NC and more generally across the country.
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N.C. has the country’s biggest Catholic parish (Charlotte). Following Christ would lead the congregants to form a coalition with Moral Mondays’ Rev. Barber.
Art Pope’s Republicanism mocks Christianity.
If money directs the conscience of the church’s leadership, the parishioners have an obligation to stop the leaders from unholy alliances with the GOP’s social Darwinists.
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The Cristo Rey Catholic school chain ($12 mil. grant from venture “philanthropist” Bill Gates’ foundation) “targets 2021” for a school in the Raleigh area.
The work study portion of the Cristo Rey model describes students working 5 days a month for companies in jobs like data entry and filing. Their pay is returned to the school. Does Christ judge the scheme as that of prosperity Catholics driven to destroy public education and its roots in social justice, anti-discrimination and democracy?
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(1) Catholic schools have fewer unionized teachers and other workers.
(2) A question- Do union workers employed by the companies that hire Cristo Rey students have a view about student indenture for an education that taxpayers fund?
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And as more public money flows into those charter schools, watch as the pay of the CEOs and administrators (the CEOs families) goes up while teacher pay stays the same, $10 to $15k less than public school teachers while charter school teachers work longer days and burn out at higher rates.
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It is laughable that ed reformers continue to insist they are “agnostics” as to schools.
CLEARLY prefer private and charter schools over public schools, and that fact is reflected in everything they do.
There is simply no interest or effort expended towards students in public schools. They offer those students absolutely nothing of value, yet they utterly dominate the federal government.
Bush then Obama then Trump. It’s been 20 years since we’ve had a US President who supports public schools or public school students.
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Go to the US Department of Education and read any of DeVos’s speeches.
Compare how she lavishes praise on charter and private school students and depicts public school students as drug-addicted, violent bullies.
It’s basically state-created, anti-public school student propaganda and you’re all paying for it. The purpose of this is to convince people that they must “escape” public schools to get away from other public school students. Just a nasty, nasty campaign.
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DeVos was appointed by Trump. She’s part of a stable that included Steve Bannon, Steve Miller, Acosta, John Kelley, Manafort, Giuliani,….
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North Carolina taxpayers should be chomping at the bit. At least she isn’t running for president.
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