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Nevada: Angie Sullivan Is Outraged

By dianeravitch
October 16, 2014 //
13

Angie Sullivan is a teacher who regularly emails a long list of legislators, education advocates, journalists….and me. Here is her outraged commentary about Democrats who collect money from teachers and betray them and refuse to fund public schools. And her outrage at her own state union for supporting Democrats who don’t support public education. In many other states, the Democrats act no different from Republicans in their fealty to privatization and high-stakes testing. See New York and Connecticut as examples.

Angie writes:

http://nvsos.gov/SoSCandidateServices/AnonymousAccess/ViewCCEReport.aspx?syn=%252b5BK3Q5X1G11p0Ui3uhoKg%253d%253d

I think it is time for CCEA [Carson County Education Association] to pull away from NSEA, the state. This political endorsement process is very tragic. I have never seen such a mess and so many bad decisions on too many levels to even speak about here.

To me it was a simple year – no TEI [The Education Initiative] – no endorsement, no money. Doesn’t have to mean we are not friends – just have to focus on TEI.

That would mean NO to almost everyone except about 5 people.

So Oct 10th my union gave $10,000 to Justin Jones to keep the Nevada Senate Democratic? Surely we could NOT have given it to Justin based on his education voting record or actually doing anything productive for public schools.

If I thought the Nevada Senate Democrats would act like this:

http://nhlabornews.com/2014/07/stop-the-attack-on-public-education-aft-welcomes-democrats-for-public-education/

I would be the yellow dog democrat Ive been my whole life. Straight ticket. But the abuse I have received over the last few years has opened my eyes to just how sick my party and union can be.

Justin is no good as an education candidate. The End.

I have begged and pleaded with my union and others to stop rewarding democrats and any others “because the other side is so much worse”.

What could be worse than ALEC legislation?

What could be worse than championing privatizing by charter?

What could be worse than loss in pay, benefits, and retirement?

What could be worse than threatening teachers like we are dogs?

What could be worse than no funds, no revenue, no plans to fund?

What could be worse than not supporting the TEI? In fact campaigning — by strategy — to do the opposite?

I’m supposed to be frightened by vouchers? Parent Trigger co-sponsored by Jones is worse than vouchers. Parents voting to kill their neighborhood schools?

Why do we insist on rewarding this bad behavior? In case Justin Jones wins, he does what to us next? Carry out his threats to “do something about evaluations”?

I have to put up with that.

What kind of favor does Jones deserve taking $10,000 from my union and $10,000 from Students First too? Both?

Who gave him this NSEA money? A committee who votes for endorsements as a clump? Murillo? Does Ruben get special favor from Justin Jones for himself?

Have we asked the members?

So Jones gets the money and to publish we love him . . . but the voter flyer excludes his name? So he got halfway endorsed? We gave him money but do not encourage anyone to vote for him. ok.

And what about all the candidates who we denied – because they wouldn’t be positive about TEI? What do they think when we give money now . . . to those with some mysterious perceived power?

CCEA needs to have more power and control over government relations in the south. The tail needs to stop wagging the dog and the dog needs to stop hiding in Carson City. And if a candidate from any party brings ALEC education reform or votes against us – we need to kick them out.

These education democrats like Justin Jones are not real – they need to be ousted from our endorsements. DFER (Democrats for Education Reform) are simply conservative democrats pushing a privatizing agenda on public schools. They are worse than a Republican — because they have infiltrated, bribed, and been bought privatizing reformers.

Proud to have a child in a charter – and trying to pass this as a democratic value?

http://www.dfer.org/blog/

As a teacher, I can continue to be disappointed.

Someone needs to get some backbone and stand up to these privatizing democratic bullies – because kids deserve advocacy – and a lot better endorsement system than this willy nilly NSEA parade – what a nightmare.

Angie.

Categories Democrats, Democrats for Education Reform, Funding, Nevada, Teachers, Unions

Nevada: Big Business Wants a Poorly Educated Workforce

By dianeravitch
October 16, 2014 //
9

Nevada has one of the most underfunded and inequitably funded school systems in the nation. Nevada has a ballot measure, called “The Education Initiative,” or TEI, to raise money for the schools. Guess who is opposed to it?

According to politico.com,

“BIG BUSINESS FIGHTS NEVADA BALLOT INITIATIVE: Nevada businesses have poured more than $2 million into defeating an initiative on the November ballot that would tax businesses to raise an estimated $700 million a year for public education. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Nevada Resort Association are among the biggest opponents of the initiative, called Question 3. The tax would apply to businesses with more than one million dollars in revenue each year and it would apply a 2 percent tax to a portion of the businesses’ revenue.

“- The Nevada AFL-CIO was initially a sponsor of Question 3 – but dropped its support. The union cited concerns that it could cost members their jobs and raise the cost of living in the state when it voted to not support the initiative [http://bit.ly/ZoNAFt ]. The Nevada State Education Association is the initiative’s other sponsor. NSEA – which collected nearly 150,000 signatures to put Question 3 on the ballot – argues that the funds can be used to reduce class sizes, purchase technology for the classroom and make other improvements to Nevada schools. Supporters had raised over $1 million to support Question 3 as of the most recent filing deadline, and total spending on both sides is expected to be significantly higher. More from the Star-Telegram: http://bit.ly/1vodMhi.”

Categories Funding, Nevada

Nevada: Can a 5-Year-Old Write a Fact and Opinion Paper?

By dianeravitch
October 6, 2014 //
31

Angie Sullivan teaches kindergarten in Nevada. She writes often about the harm done to 5-year-olds by developmentally inappropriate demands inspired by Common Core.

State legislators don’t think twice about piling on impossible demands. Apparently none of them have children, none was ever a teacher. They think if you raise a standard, no matter how out of reach, it will be met. The Legislature might start with themselves: they should take high school graduation tests and publish their scores. They should run a four-minute mile, in public. Why not?

Angie Sullivan writes:

https://m.facebook.com/KTVN2/posts/808196485870280

John Eppolito on News 3 – What’s Your Point

Rory Reid and Amy Tarkanian:

As a school teacher and a liberal Democrat – I also oppose common core. I have joined John Eppolito’s group.

I have to teach common core because I am mandated. And I do my Kindergarten job as best I can . . . but common core is crazy.

For Example: There are no writing standards in common core for Kindergarten. So they pushed down third grade standards to teach in Kindergarten. My writing standard for my at-risk 5 year olds is . . . write a fact and opinion paper. Yep – one standard, write a paper. There is not one good kindergarten teacher out there that thinks THAT should be the standard for five year olds who need to learn to hold a pencil and write their name first.

As a primary teacher, I also speak out against common core because it is not developmentally appropriate. Obviously, no one was involved from the Early Childhood Community in writing these standards.

Across the nation Kindergarten Teachers are protesting against common core. Something is very wrong when you push down standards for second and third grade and they end up in a Kindergarten classroom.

National Early Childhood Experts have spoken out:

Click to access joint_statement_on_core_standards.pdf

When I have tried to speak to Nevada Democratic legislators about my concerns – I was told I was annoying. I don’t give them anything to work with? My opinion is not valued.

Noted.

And it is not stopping me from speaking out for my kids.

The support my lawmakers profess for common core – renamed Nevada Academic Standards – is blind to the reality in the classroom. Teaching almost everyone far above the place they are able to learn – at their frustrational level – does not work. And that strategy is in direct conflict with best teaching practice which would demand teaching at instructional level.

We have to implement common core because everyone else is doing this? Have you followed the national trend closely? Common Core is dying.

http://unitedoptout.com

http://dianeravitch.net

When the Nevada Standards became political and mandated by legislators . . . and you took standards out of the hands of teachers, the education experts — what did you think was going to happen?

How do I change a bad standard in Nevada now?

I’m also a mandatory reporter. My at-risk students are being harmed. So I report – is anyone listening?

The testing connected with these standards is ridiculous and useless. And this is what we spend our limited funds on now? Millions of dollars spent to test and fail – rather than to support and instruct students.

And yes – common core and testing are a package deal . . . and both do affect curriculum – and it’s a lie to state otherwise
.

And all of the above leads me to fully believe this is about money and not about kids.

http://m.thenation.com/article/181762-venture-capitalists-are-poised-disrupt-everything-about-education-market

I am convinced that there has been a huge national campaign to invalidate educators and years of real education research — so that corporations can make a profit implementing junk science like common core.

Someone is making millions and billions — it is not helping my Nevada students.

Angie

Kindergarten Teacher

Categories Common Core, Nevada

Does Nevada Love the Common Core?

By dianeravitch
September 30, 2014 //
3

Fortunately, I am on Angie Sullivan’s email list, which has scores of recipients. Most seem to be teachers, legislators, and journalists in Nevada. Angie keeps all of us up-to-date with education events in Nevada. We learned first from Angie that the public schools in Nevada are poorly funded. In fact, the Education Law Center says that Nevada has one of the most inequitable funding formulas in the nation. Angie also let me know about the Governor and Legislature’s grant of $1.3 billion in tax incentives to Tesla to build a battery factory in Nevada. And now she reports on an effort to portray Nevada as the one place in the nation where there is no controversy about the Common Core. Angie takes issue with that claim. She is a teacher.

Here is what a reformer says about common core in Nevada.

Here is what a Nevadan says about common core.

Angie Sullivan comments:

“Echo Chambers are dangerous things unless you earn money making them. I commented on the first article but the comments disappeared.

“Ask a teacher in a safe place what they really think – if you can handle the truth.”

Categories Common Core, Nevada

Nevada: Big $$$ for Tesla, No $ for Schools

By dianeravitch
September 17, 2014 //
21

Nevada is giving more than $1 Billion in tax breaks to woo automaker Tesla to build a huge factory to produce electric batteries.

The deal is controversial but not among Nevada legislators, who expect it to produce economic benefits and 6,500 jobs.

Education also produces economic benefits and jobs, but legislators don’t mind underfunding their schools, increasing class sizes, and short changing the next generation of Nevadans.

The Néw York Times says that Nevada is paying about $200,000 for each job that might be created.

Did Tesla really need the tax break to locate in Nevada?

“Richard Florida, a global research professor at New York University and a frequent critic of development incentives, said the factory would probably have been built in Nevada even without the generous subsidy.

“They had the site picked out; they started on it,” he said in an email. Companies like Tesla “exploit that information asymmetry,” creating uncertainty in a potential host state, he said. “They know where they want to locate, and then essentially game the process to get incentives from states. It is wasteful and it should be banned.”

Angie Sullivan, a teacher in Nevada who keeps me informed, sent out this Roseanne Barr video as a reaction to the Tesla handout: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0hmfBtk0WaE

Categories Budget Cuts, Class size, Economy, Nevada

Nevada Teacher to Senator Harry Reid: We Need Your Help!

By dianeravitch
July 22, 2014 //
32

Angie Sullivan is a teacher-warrior who never gives up the fight for quality education in Nevada. She wants qualified teachers and adequate funding. She won’t back down. She wrote this letter to Senator Harry Reid:

“@TeachForAmerica: “You’ve done so much to help our country.” – @SenatorReid via video to our alumni at #ECVegas14

I have a HUGE HUGE problem with this! BIG Gigantic!

Senator Reid thanks scab labor by video at their big rally?

Teach for America that routinely union busts and funds campaigns against democrats with its war chests?

Their primary purpose is to fundraise and control the education privatizing conversation – developing reforming educational leadership with a few years of classroom experience. How do they do this? Install new graduates without teaching skill in at-risk schools and replace real teachers as fast as possible with “stars” who never intended to make the classroom a career.

Nevada has a Majority Leader but we are last in the nation in public education on too many levels to outline here. No money, no support, no help.

Me and my co-workers with actual teaching licenses worked for decades for my state in under funded conditions and get what? These frauds and Teach for America scabs?

Our conditions deteriorate, our tenure is demolished, our pensions are attacked, our supplies dwindle, our class size explodes, we aren’t allowed to teach anymore with all the crazy mandates installed, the crazy Department of Education Secretary applauds the attack, we are attached to scores for kids that can learn but will never score well due to disenfranchisement, and we are blamed by crazytown media for every social ill under the sun.

And that is what the Democratic Party has done to public education.

I haven’t even begun to list what the extremist left has done — but I’m sure those terrorists will shoot me down to exercise their 2nd amendment rights soon since they are allowed to access me as a government employee.

Enough is enough.

The answer isn’t to oppress women who teach kids to read with the same standards they have in Maine. The answer isn’t to abuse kids by making them do more and more testing – they fail before they ever set foot in public school because our community is suffering. The answer isn’t to allow Teach for America with 5 weeks of training to replace a teacher who is actually trained. And the answer definitely isn’t to fire us because democrats are on a witch hunt for “bad teachers”.

Here is the reality. Nevada has a poverty problem and importing a bunch of Harvard graduates who want to beef up their resumes as TFA teacher for a couple of years – is a drain on resources and doesn’t help at-risk kids.

CCSD is looking for 3,000 teachers at the same time it fires 300? Something is wrong. We are going to fill these jobs with “saviors” from elite colleges who become tourist teachers?

This video is a slap in the face to every fully licensed teacher in our nation.

You may celebrate this watering down and privatization of Nevada’s education – but me and my house will stand against you and them — because this secret combination is evil and subversive to the American Dream.

O God hear the words of my voice and help your Nevada teachers who love their students – let this and every other reforming and resource drain scam – stop – so that authentic learning can fill our communities.

All I can do is weep.

Angie

Categories Nevada, Teach for America

Edushyster Visits the National Charter School Conference

By dianeravitch
July 8, 2014 //
10

EduShyster (aka Jennifer Berkshire) girded up her loins and attended the riotously happy National Charter Schools Conference.

There she found that it was all about the numbers–growth, test scores, dollars:

“The numbers that are adding up, of course, refer to the growing number of charter schools, their students, and their scores (their scores!), not to mention the swelling ranks of advocates, politicians, actors, TV news personalities, pollsters and [insert unlikely charter supporter here] that have leaped aboard the charter express, now headed direct to achievementville. But what of the lesser numbers—the ones that are, well, less than prime—and hence, don’t quite add up? Was there anyone who would speak for them?”

Well, no. No one talked about the charter schools that folded. Or the Detroit Free Press exposé of $1 billion for charterrs that got no better results and had no accountability. Bet there was no mention of the UNO charter scandal in Chicago, and no talk of the nation’s biggest charter chain, the Gulen schools, somehow affiliated with an imam who heads a powerful political movement in Turkey.

What was not mentioned may be more important than what was celebrated. A growing movement to siphon money away from public schools to pay for schools where administrators get exorbitant salaries, teachers get low wages and turn over at a high rate, and kids are excluded if they have disabilities or don’t speak English, and the common good is forgotten.

Categories Charter Schools, Nevada
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