The controversial Woodlands Prep Charter School, led by Gulenist Sonar Tarim, is in deep trouble.
Larry Lee reports that the proposed school is seeking yet another extension, and the charter commission is running out of patience.
For some reason, the charter operator decided that a small rural community was the ideal place for a new charter, but the local community was outraged.
Tarim may have to find a state that is more hospitable to charter schools or a different district where the local residents have no voice.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“For some reason, the charter operator decided that a small rural community was the ideal place for a new charter”
The charter operator undoubtedly figured the local people were all a bunch of stupid hicks who would not question or challenge anything.
Obviously a big miscalculation.
This is good news for the people of Washington Township. Charters in rural communities are unwanted and unneeded competition. The school budgets are already so low that further dilution of the budget would have devastating consequences for students. Other communities should watch and learn. A community that unites and defends their schools can make a difference.
Advocates for students in PUBLIC schools. Amazing.
Don’t let anyone in DC get wind of this- they all believe no one supports public schools, or, to use the pejorative ed reform term, “government schools”.
I told my son this morning “please continue to work hard in your failing government school!”
Absolutely ludicrous that we’re paying hundreds of public employees to undermine public school students and parents with these smears. Pure politics. Public school kids came SECOND to ed reform’s ideological goals, again.
There are no failing schools in Washington County. It is a successful B+ system.
I love the cluelessness of the national ed reform “movement” too. The country doesn’t consist of DC and its suburbs.
My local “government school” is run entirely by Republicans, because it is located in a place that voted 70% for Donald Trump.
It’s such a freaking echo chamber they’ve managed to convince themselves that some mysterious band of traveling liberals have managed to get elected to school boards in places that are overwhelmingly conservative.
“My local “government school” is run entirely by Republicans, because it is located in a place that voted 70% for Donald Trump.”
As my students would say, ” feel you.”
I would answer that differently. An enormous majority of my students come to school under the assumption that even rascist Obama jokes are perfectly fine, that socialism is our biggest threat, and that students should all be converted to fundamentalist Protestantism. Perhaps the reason we do not have charters is that the aim of the charter movement is already realized in the society as a whole.
You really have to read ed reformers to see how completely they have excluded public school students.
Here, an ed reformer/voucher cheerleader tells us Ohio’s massive voucher expansion is a “win/win”:
https://fordhaminstitute.org/ohio/commentary/edchoice-ohio-legislature-looks-lost-art-compromise
Public schools “won” because the ed reformers in the statehouse narrowly avoided destroying their schools.
Public school students and families can’t expect anything positive or worthwhile from these people- the absolute BEST we can hope for is they will refrain from deliberately harming our students and schools. That’s considered a “win” in ed reform circles.
And public school students don’t even get the most shunning in ed reform. Here’s what you’ll really never find- a public school PARENT.
In ed reform there are 1. charter school parents, 2. private school parents and 3. government schools. Somewhere along the line there our students disappeared, and our kid’s parents never even existed.
Tarim may have to find a state that is more hospitable to charter schools or a different district where the local residents have no voice.”
The Fordham Institute calls those locations “charter school deserts.” It even offers mape to show the locations.
always and forever looking for new ground