“The ideals of education, whether men [sic] are taught to teach or plow, to weave or to write, must not be allowed to sink into sordid utilitarianism. Education must keep broad ideals before it, and never forget that it is dealing with Souls and not with Dollars.” 1902, W.E.B. DuBois, educator and civil rights leader. Not […]
Thank you John Oliver for exposing how charter schools steal from children
“Fraud is a feature of deregulation, not a bug. When no one is looking, some people steal. Not everyone steals, but many do. That is why Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and California are scamming taxpayers.” — Professor Diane Ravitch The vile poverty pimps and privatization pushers of the lucrative charter school industry were infuriated when John […]
Drinking A Charter School’s Kool-Aid
As key partners of our school community, I wanted you to be aware of a pending new story and offer an explanation of the situation. A reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News has approached El Camino Real Charter High School (ECRCHS) on multiple occasions. His focus: a request made by LAUSD last October to […]
Putting Lipstick on the Prop 39 Pig
On June 21, 2016, the LAUSD School Board debated a resolution co-sponsored by Ref Rodriguez and Monica Garcia that would establish an “impartial group of District and charter school leaders” to make recommendations on improving “the process around successful co-locations”. Under the Improving the Policies and Practices Impacting Co-Located Public Schools resolution, the Superintendent would […]
Low Expectations and the Oversight of Charter Schools
With respect to the reimbursement of any cap and gown fees charged previously, it is the expectation of the CSD that GHCHS will provide notice to all affected parents of students in the 2014-2015 graduating class regarding options for reimbursement or other remedy.” – LAUSD Charter Schools Division Month after month, the LAUSD School Board […]
California charter school industry bill attempts to eliminate only source of public oversight
“…charter schools have used their public characteristics to qualify for public funding under state constitutional law, while highlighting their private characteristics to exempt themselves from other laws that apply to public schools.”—Professors Preston C. Green and Joseph Oluwole School privatization promoting Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC) EdSource has long been a source of both political cover, […]
A Parasite In Search of a Host
The ASNC Board moves to send a letter to the LAUSD in opposition to current plan for a Celerity Charter School to move into the Bushnell School.” -Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council The charter industry likes to argue that they are providing choices for parents. Unfortunately, this choice is sometimes made at the barrel of a […]
Looking For Solutions, Not To Be Placated
Placate: “to appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures” -Dictionary.com Executive Director Brian Bauer’s response to my inquiry fit a pattern that has become distressingly familiar. During my inspection of documents requested under the California Public Records Act, Bauer’s assistant had told me that, under Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) policy, I […]
California’s charter school law repeal movement update
“charter schools comprise a divisive and segregated sector” — Frankenberg, E., Siegel-Hawley, G., Wang, J. (2011) Voices Against Privatizing Public Education’s (VAPPE) grassroots campaign to repeal the 1992 charter school laws imposed on California by corporate reactionaries Donald Fisher and Reed Hastings has been moving forward. In addition to their online petition, they’ve established a […]
The LAUSD Board Strikes Out
Resolved, That the LAUSD Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles opposes the Broad Foundation plan and all initiatives that present a strategy designed to serve some students and not all students -Scott Schmerelson When a leaked copy of Eli Broad’s Great Public Schools Now Initiative was published by the Los Angeles Times, […]