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Florida: Governor-Elect Appoints a Public School Hater as Commissioner of Education

By dianeravitch
December 11, 2018 //
10

Republican Ron DeSantis was elected Governor of Florida in a close election, besting Andrew Gillum. DeSantis is a Tea Party extremist who has pledged to continue Rick Scott’s ruinous policies towards the environment and education. His choice for Commissioner of Education is Richard Corcoran, Out-of-office speaker of the House, whose wife runs a charter school. Corcoran supports charters, vouchers, and every possible alternative to public schools. He sponsored legislation to award bonuses to teachers based on their high school SAT/ACT scores. He has no education experience.

The League of Women Voters of Florida published a strong statement opposing his nomination.

The League sent this letter to The State Board of Education:

Dear Chairwoman and State Board Members,

With the impending departure of Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart, the League of Women Voters of Florida reminds you that as members of the State Board of Education you not only have the opportunity, but a constitutional responsibility, to conduct a national search to find the person who is best suited to oversee Florida’s system of public education.

Article IX, Section 2 of the Constitution of Florida was overwhelmingly adopted by the people of Florida in 1998. That provision created the Board of Education, consisting of seven members serving staggered terms to oversee Florida’s system of free public schools.

By enacting that provision, the people of Florida made it clear in the Constitution that it is the Board of Education — not the Governor — that has the responsibility to appoint a Commissioner of Education. Further, the Board of Education members’ terms of office were purposely staggered to ensure that as governors change, the Florida education system would be insulated from the disruption caused by political patronage appointments of a Commissioner of Education.

At a minimum, Floridians expect you to carry out a due diligence process aimed at ensuring Florida’s students that an individual of the highest possible caliber oversees public education. We urge you to take this important duty seriously and not simply “rubber stamp” a politically motivated choice.

Under our state’s current constitution, the Governor retains input to the process by filling vacancies which occur as Board Members terms expire, however, the Board must carry out its constitutional duty and make appointments based upon merit, not political patronage. While members of the Board may ultimately concur with the recommendation of the incoming Governor regarding who to appoint, the Board of Education should decline to opt for an expedient political patronage selection.

In sum, the Board should be guided by the constitutional statement that imposes upon the State a “paramount duty” to make “adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.” Included in such a paramount duty is the selection of the best person possible to lead the effort. Finding such a person mandates that the Board conduct a national search and not just grant perfunctory approval to a political patronage appointment.

Florida’s children deserve nothing less.

Patricia Brigham
President

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Florida

Arizona: The Charter School Scam of the Month, Perhaps the Year

By dianeravitch
December 8, 2018 //
1

I previously reported that Arizona legislator Eddie Farnsworth was making a bundle by selling his for-profit charter chain to a nonprofit charter chain for millions of dollars, and that he had selected the members of the board of the new nonprofit and would get a contract from that board to manage the charter schools. All in all, a triumph of self-dealing.

Now new details have emerged about what a sweet deal this is for Mr. Farnsworth.

An Arizona legislator selling his state-funded charter school business will receive money from consulting work, rent and a loan to the chain beyond pocketing $13.9 million from the $56.9 million transaction itself.

The Arizona Republic reports that Gilbert Republican Rep. Eddie Farnsworth will make $78,000 of interest by loaning the Benjamin Franklin school chain $2.8 million for operating cash and be paid $79,600 in rent and an unspecified amount for consulting work.

Farnsworth declined to discuss the deal’s financial particulars but said he’s run Benjamin Franklin for 24 years and that he’s entitled to benefit from the transaction.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman says Farnsworth is legally pocketing the money but that it’s not right.

A nonprofit whose directors Farnsworth recruited is acquiring Benjamin Franklin.

What’s new? Well, the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction was just elected, and she thinks this whole deal stinks. The previous state superintendent, Republican Diane Douglas, didn’t seem to care, didn’t raise any objection.

Kathy Hoffman, an educator, was swept into office with the blue mini-wave in Arizona a few weeks ago.

Categories Accountability, Administrators, superintendents, Arizona, Charter Schools, For-Profit, Privatization

Florida: Richard Corcoran Likely to be Next Commissioner of Education

By dianeravitch
December 5, 2018 //
9

Richard Corcoran, speaker of the House of Representatives, is likely to be selected as the next Commissioner of Education. Corcoran is a huge supporter of vouchers and charters. His wife runs a charter school. In Florida, conflicts of interest don’t matter. The Legislature frequently passes legislation to benefit members and their family members, especially in education.

He is also author of a much-ridiculed plan called “Best and Brightest,” in which Florida pays a bonus to teachers based on their high school SAT scores, the test usually taken when they were high school juniors or seniors.

As noted in the previous post, Florida is a citadel of school choice but is a model of mediocrity on national tests.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Charter Schools, Florida, School Choice, Vouchers

D.C. Chooses Lewis Ferebee, Superintendent of Indianapolis, to Lead the Schools

By dianeravitch
December 3, 2018 //
17

Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia announced today that she had chosen Dr. Lewis Ferebee as the next chancellor of the D.C. Public Schools. Dr. Ferebee is currently superintendent of the Indianapolis Public Schools. From what I know, he has worked amiably with the reformer group Mind Trust, which is intent on characterizing as many schools as possible in Indianapolis.

If you live in that city and can provide advice to readers in D.C. about Dr. Ferebee, please let us know. Perhaps my view from afar is unfair. Answer this question: Is Dr. Ferebee committed to public schools under democratic control? Has he resisted the Reformers? Will he steer a middle course in D.C., where the Waltons have opened a large number of charter schools and nearly half the DC pupils are in charters? Will reformers continue to have the run of the place? Will Dr. Ferebee insist on accountability for charters?

Categories Accountability, Administrators, superintendents, Charter Schools, District of Columbia, Education Industry, Privatization, Washington, DC

I Am Thankful for the Resilient Educators Teaching Children After the Fire in California

By dianeravitch
November 22, 2018 //
4

Educators from Paradise, California, are planning to start school on Dec 3.

They will not let their students down.

I am thankful for the school bus drivers who took students away from the fire, through the fire, to safety.

I am thankful for these dedicated teachers, administrators and staff, who lost their homes but not their sense of mission. They are heroes.

Since early last week, administrators, teachers and staff have been working out of makeshift offices in the city of Chico. Their first order of business has been locating the families of the more than 3,500 Paradise Unified students to confirm that they survived the fire, find out if they lost their homes and get a sense of their plans going forward.

As of Wednesday, they’d reached nearly 90 percent of the district’s students and none have been reported among the dead, said Butte County Superintendent Tim Taylor. But no one can be certain how many students will actually show up when classes resume, or where.

The students worrying officials the most are those who were already marginalized and living a transient existence, said Dena Kapsalis, principal of Honey Run Academy, a community day school that was destroyed in the fire.

“I am personally aware of dozens and dozens of students who are couch surfers, runaways or otherwise displaced,” Kapsalis said. “Those kiddos are very, very hard to find.”

Marc Kessler, a science teacher at the 600-student Paradise Intermediate School, said he and other teachers and administrators have been able to confirm that 90 percent of that school’s students lost their homes. Families are living in hotels, trailers, tents, said Kessler, who also serves as president of the Paradise Teachers Association.

Kevin Moretti, president of the Chico Unified Teachers Association, described the effort as “organized chaos.” As of now, he said, 150 students from Paradise have enrolled in Chico schools and are expected to start school when classes resume.

These and other displaced students are covered under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a 1987 federal law that, among other things, allows students who are homeless to enroll in school without having to show proof of residency or immunization records.

But Chico Unified can’t handle everyone, not even close. So, Taylor and other officials have spent much of their time this week scouring Chico and the surrounding area for classroom space.

Taylor said Paradise Unified in the immediate term will be a “hopscotch” of classrooms housed in portables and vacant commercial buildings. He said they are close to securing two large vacated retail stores that can be converted into classrooms.

HOW TO HELP THOSE WHO LOST THEIR HOMES.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Courage, Honor Roll

Missouri: State Board Rehires State Commissioner Ousted by Disgraced Ex-Governor

By dianeravitch
November 21, 2018 //
20

The Missouri State Board of Education rehired the State Commissioner ousted last year by disgraced ex-Governor Eric Greitens.

Margie Vandeven will resume the position from which she was unceremoniously dumped last year.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Education Reform

CTA congratulates Tony Thurmond

By dianeravitch
November 17, 2018 //
10

No one worked harder for the election of Tony Thurmond as State Superintendent of Public Instruction Than the California Teachers Association. The teachers knew what was at stake. In their view, Tony’s opponent, Marshall Tuck, promised to manage the decline of the state’s public schools, whereas Tony promised to fight for them.

Here is the CTA statement:

NEWS RELEASE
November 17, 2018

California Teachers Association
1705 Murchison Drive
Burlingame, CA 94010
http://www.cta.org
(650) 697-1400

Contacts at CTA: Mike Myslinski at 408-921-5769 or Claudia Briggs at 916-296-4087.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tony Thurmond Wins Historic State Superintendent Race — All Students Gain with His Victory
Despite Billionaires Bankrolling His Opponent, Thurmond Takes Tight Race at Last, Vows to Fight for All Students

BURLINGAME – Asssemblymember and former social worker Tony Thurmond will be California’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction. In an historic victory for the millions of public school students across California, Marshall Tuck called Tony Thurmond 11 days after Election Day to concede in a race where every vote mattered.

The most recent results from the Secretary of State are available here.

Despite being outspent by more than 2-to-1 by billionaires backing former Wall Street banker Tuck and his scheme to privative our public schools, Thurmond prevailed in what was the most expensive race for a state schools chief in U.S. history thanks to the work of thousands of educators, parents and public education supporters.

“Congratulations to Tony Thurmond, California’s next Superintendent of Public Instruction. Tony has always been a winner in the eyes of educators who were inspired by his character and genuine support for all the students of our state,” said Eric C, Heins, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association. “It’s clear that educators played a pivotal role in this election. We sent a loud message to the billionaires and corporate special interests who spent nearly $40 million trying to buy the state superintendent’s office: Our public schools are not for sale!”

“Never underestimate the power of public school educators, who stood together in unity to do what’s right for our students. We phone-banked, texted, canvassed and volunteered for candidates like Tony who want quality public schools and an equal opportunity to higher education for all children. I want to thank all CTA members for their hard work in this election. We look forward to working with Tony to ensure all students succeed.”

“Electing Tony Thurmond as state superintendent and Gavin Newsom as governor were our top priorities. Tony prevailed in the most expensive race for a statewide schools’ chief in the history of U.S. politics because California voters know he will advocate for all students. The misleading attack ads against Tony by the billionaire allies of Marshall Tuck backfired as voters rejected their agenda to take money from our neighborhood public schools to give to their corporate charter schools. Both Thurmond and Newsom will treat our schools as community centers, not profit centers.”

###

The 325,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.

Government Action

Categories Administrators, superintendents, California, Teachers, Unions

California: Tony Thurmond’s Lead over Marshall Tuck Just Grew to 160,000

By dianeravitch
November 16, 2018 //
18

The vote totals have been growing.

The last report, published by the Secretary of State at 4:59 pm PST, shows a big increase for Tony Thurmond. His total is now nearly 160,000 more than Tuck’s.

https://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/superintendent-of-public-instruction

This is nearly a two-point lead.

The charter billionaires spent twice as much on Tuck’s campaign as Thurmond received, mostly from teachers and unions.

Passion beats money. Not always. But maybe in this race.

Wow!!

Categories Accountability, Administrators, superintendents, Billionaires, California, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Privatization

California: Tony Thurmond Vs. Marshall Tuck: More Than $50 Million Spent

By dianeravitch
November 15, 2018 //
22

I have been watching the website of the California Secretary of State to follow the close contest between Tony Thurmond and Marshall Tuck. The polls and pundits predicted that Tuck would win.

When the polls first closed, Tuck had an early lead, but millions of votes had not been counted. In California, mail-in ballots postmarked on the day of the election must be counted, and they are still being counted.

After election day, Thurmond went into the lead, then Tuck came back, then Thurmond opened up a lead of 65,000-85,000 votes. That lead has held steady over the past couple of days as the vote total grows.

The vote is not final, and the numbers obviously could change in the days ahead.

Thurmond is winning heavily in Los Angeles (the city that should be Marshall Tuck’s base, where the most charters are located) and in San Francisco, which is Thurmond’s base.

On October 28, EdSource in California reported that at least $50 million had been raised for the race, and that Tuck had outraised Thurmond by 2-1.

When all the reports are in, the total amount of spending will surely be even more.

Thurmond was backed by the California Teachers Association and labor unions, meaning that his campaign was paid for by the dues of working people.

Here is a partial list of Tuck donors, a veritable Who’s Who of the school choice movement:

Bill Bloomfield: $6.761 million

Bloomfield is a billionaire Republican mega-donor who has become a charter school advocate.

The Walton Family: $5.138 million

Walmart billionaires

Eli Broad: $3.2 million

The Los Angeles billionaire who believes in closing public schools and privatizing them into charters.

Arthur Rock: $3.2 million

A California venture capitalist and billionaire who gives millions to Teach for America

Doris Fisher: $3.1 million

A billionaire, thanks to The Gap and Old Navy; the family gives heavily to KIPP

Richard Riordan: $2 million

The former Mayor of Los Angeles

These were the totals as of October 28. We will have to wait a few weeks for a complete accounting.

Undoubtedly these donors could have given twice or three times as much, but must have decided that it might embarrass Tuck to have three times as much money as Thurmond. Twice as much should have been enough.

One thing is certain. This is the most expensive contest in history for the job of State Superintendent of Public Instruction, a job that pays $175,000 and has limited authority.

The symbolic importance of this race, however, cannot be overstated. If the charter lobby prevails in a deep blue state, it can prevail in every state. It already owns Governor Cuomo in New York (but lost control of the State Legislature, when progressive candidates ousted fake Democrats in the State Senate). It tried and failed to lift the charter cap in Massachusetts in 2016, routed in a public referendum, even though the Governor and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is in the hands of the charter industry.

So, we will continue to keep a close watch on California, where the teachers and the charter billionaires are in a face-off.

Categories Accountability, Administrators, superintendents, Billionaires, California, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Privatization

See-Saw: Tuck Back in the Lead by 13,000 Votes

By dianeravitch
November 12, 2018 //
20

Last post on this race until there is a clear trend.

There was an update later than the one I just posted, which showed Tony Thurmond with a substantial lead.

Tuck is now ahead by about 13,000 votes.

Los Angeles County is supposed to report late tomorrow.

You can check too.

Fingers crossed.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, California
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