Imagine a locally governed school district that awarded $3.6 billion of taxpayer funded contracts for private corporations to manage various campuses that became among the lowest-rated schools in the school district. Imagine if such contracts were based solely upon a promise that student outcomes would improve and without penalties for lack of performance. In these circumstances, the State would likely publicly chastise the school district for mismanagement, replace the existing school board, terminate the school district's administration, and pass a law prohibiting school districts from contracting with private corporations to manage campuses. The filing of criminal charges for the “misappropriation of public funds" could also be a realistic consequence. view article

In this blog I respond to Chait’s grossly unfounded opinions in the New York Magazine article entitled Unlearning an Answer with data, peer reviewed research and by highlighting the work of scholars who have conducted extensive research about charter schools. I will also recognize when the predominance of the research supports his opinions.  Political support for Charters is waning among Democrats Chait writes that “political support among Democrats has collapsed.” Chait is right on this point, it’s true political support amongst Democrats has dropped. In a recent meeting I was shown internal polling from the last election that indicates this fact. I also saw in the same data that Republicans are bigger fans of vouchers than they are of charters. view article

A popular charter school in Baton Rouge is pushing ahead with implementing higher standards for promoting its students to the next grade after a recent favorable legal opinion from the state Attorney General.  “We believe that we are on the right track and that we are following all of our contractual requirements,” said DeAnna Rowe, executive director of BASIS Baton Rouge.  The Attorney General’s opinion, dated Dec. 8, found that BASIS is not required under its operating contract to get the approval of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system before it can put into effect its education plan, which includes administering a high-stakes test to students in its upper grades, starting with this year’s sixth-graders. view article

The Beaumont ISD school board voted Tuesday night to officially allow Los Angeles charter school operator Green Dot to take over King Middle School. Green Dot Public Schools will take over King Middle School for the 2021-2022 school year. King Middle School is the fourth school in the district to be taken over by a charter school. view article

New complaints from state officials could knock Epic Charter Schools’ accreditation status.  State schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister and Oklahoma State Department of Education general counsel Brad Clark on Thursday alleged Epic has shown deficiencies in civil rights obligations and timely financial reporting.   Some issues are publicly surfacing for the first time against Epic, a virtual charter school system that has grown into the largest school district in Oklahoma. view article

Parents on a local advisory council for a Longview ISD charter partner organization have been told not to speak directly to any media.  The Texas Council for International Studies is the nonprofit organization operating LISD campuses as Senate Bill 1882 charter schools. TCIS manages Longview High School, Foster Middle School, Judson STEAM Academy, Hudson PEP Elementary School, Ned E. Williams Elementary School and South Ward Elementary School. SB 1882 is legislation that gives financial incentive to districts who allow partners to operate campuses as charter schools, and all Longview ISD campuses are SB 1882 charter schools.  Part of the district’s agreement with TCIS includes a local advisory council.  The first meeting of the council was Oct. 29, where the 10 community members who serve on the panel were revealed. view article

A local advisory council for a Longview ISD charter partner organization is made up of 10 parents who were selected by campus principals.  Thursday’s first meeting of the Texas Council for International Studies committee also included updates from each campus.  TCIS is the nonprofit organization operating Longview ISD campuses as Senate Bill 1882 charter schools. TCIS manages Longview High School, Foster Middle School, Judson STEAM Academy, Hudson PEP Elementary School, Ned E. Williams Elementary School and South Ward Elementary School. SB 1882 is legislation that gives financial incentive to districts who allow partners to operate campuses as charter schools, and all Longview ISD campuses are SB 1882 charter schools.  Part of the district’s agreement with TCIS includes a local advisory council.According to the contract, the operating partner “will appoint a local advisory council composed of residents of the district. The council will meet monthly and will rotate meeting locations among the schools. Meetings will be opened to the public and provide opportunity for public comment.” view article

Repost! - js - The Texas Legislature has been experimenting with public education students for 25 years. The experiment directs a separate system of taxpayer funded, privately managed charter schools (“State Charters”) to recruit students from locally governed school districts. The experiment is based upon the premise that school districts offer limited high-quality schools for low-income students and therefore, State Charters are needed to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education. Like most publicly funded experiments involving private corporations, State Charters have targeted the recruitment of the most vulnerable students in the public education system, low-income and minority families. But despite the State diverting over $25 billion of taxpayer funding from local school districts to fund its separate system of privately managed schools, State Charters are enrolling African American students at low- performing schools and displacing African American students by closing low-performing schools at an alarming rate. view article

Betsy DeVos traveled to Kentucky to sell her used goods (schmattes is the Yiddish term): charter schools and vouchers.  For DeVos, a pandemic is the perfect time to push school privatization. Day in, day out, for 30 years or so, DeVos has been promoting charters and vouchers.  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – School choice supporters should “insist” that state and federal policymakers back measures like public charter schools and scholarship tax credits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Monday…

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