One of the many dubious reasons given for the need of charter schools was they would foster competition. Since that is the case why are Gary Chartrand, Lenny Curry and Tallahassee handcuffing our public schools ability to compete?
It started with Tallahassee systematically under funding and hamstringing public education something they have done for over a decade now. Here is the thing you might forgive them for cutting budgets during the great recession, but the great recession ended 7 years ago and you could argue right now we are engaged in economic prosperity but when you factor in inflation we are almost a thousand dollars below the per pupil funding of 12 years ago. How is that acceptable?
To make matters worse. Tallahassee has limited how much money school boards can raise through property taxes while giving them a pittance of PECO funds while giving charters the lions share to charters. Then they exempt charter schools from hiring and building requirements while providing tax breaks and grants like they were water coming from a broken hydrant.
Also did you know Charters use both public money to advertise for their schools and are allowed to use district resources to recruit students?
Here is a post about charters using the district's computer system to recruit then board member Becki Couch's son.
http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-local-media-is-letting-us-down.html
They have stacked the deck against public schools, so how does that foster competition?
Tallahassee is anti-public education, I think we got it, and since that is the case something like 23 other districts have passed referendums to support public schools. The reasons given vary, safety, the arts, technology, construction and maintenance but the real reason is so they can compete against charters which don't have to supply basics like lunch, busing and covered walk ways.
So what happens when DCPS decides they need to have the resources to compete against charters? A charter loving mayor and businessmen with close ties to charters fight against them, giving one dubious reason after another. Why because they know if DCPS is allowed to compete they will blow charter school performance away.
You can't say you want public schools to compete with charters, something by the way charters were never meant to do, and then prevent public schools from being able to compete, well you shouldn't be able to anyways and if we had a decent mayor he would know that and ignore his donors and fight for our public schools.
Competition, saving children from zip codes, both just canards the school choice movement uses to sell their snake oil and to hide their true purpose which is to replace public ed.
It started with Tallahassee systematically under funding and hamstringing public education something they have done for over a decade now. Here is the thing you might forgive them for cutting budgets during the great recession, but the great recession ended 7 years ago and you could argue right now we are engaged in economic prosperity but when you factor in inflation we are almost a thousand dollars below the per pupil funding of 12 years ago. How is that acceptable?
To make matters worse. Tallahassee has limited how much money school boards can raise through property taxes while giving them a pittance of PECO funds while giving charters the lions share to charters. Then they exempt charter schools from hiring and building requirements while providing tax breaks and grants like they were water coming from a broken hydrant.
Also did you know Charters use both public money to advertise for their schools and are allowed to use district resources to recruit students?
Here is a post about charters using the district's computer system to recruit then board member Becki Couch's son.
http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-local-media-is-letting-us-down.html
They have stacked the deck against public schools, so how does that foster competition?
Tallahassee is anti-public education, I think we got it, and since that is the case something like 23 other districts have passed referendums to support public schools. The reasons given vary, safety, the arts, technology, construction and maintenance but the real reason is so they can compete against charters which don't have to supply basics like lunch, busing and covered walk ways.
So what happens when DCPS decides they need to have the resources to compete against charters? A charter loving mayor and businessmen with close ties to charters fight against them, giving one dubious reason after another. Why because they know if DCPS is allowed to compete they will blow charter school performance away.
You can't say you want public schools to compete with charters, something by the way charters were never meant to do, and then prevent public schools from being able to compete, well you shouldn't be able to anyways and if we had a decent mayor he would know that and ignore his donors and fight for our public schools.
Competition, saving children from zip codes, both just canards the school choice movement uses to sell their snake oil and to hide their true purpose which is to replace public ed.
I think it's funny how Curry ducks questions from T-U reporters about his own budget. (Lenny who never misses a chance to attach his lips to Corcoran's arse curiously was a no show today.) He wants an accounting for every single dollar spent by the School Board but he doesn't want to account for every single dollar in his own budget. Pension reform & the landing deal sailed thru council. Lot J will do the same. No questions asked outside of Dennis. Does anybody else not see the hypocrisy here??
ReplyDeleteIt's not the school board's job to answer every single one of his questions even though they have already done so. (He just doesn't like the answers.) Just like it isn't the mayor's job to answer questions he doesn't like from local reporters. It'd be nice if he did so but he didn't run on transparency in government. Oh wait he did.
I'd bet dollars to donuts that Lenny's master plan is to run out the clock on this referendum in 2020 unless he gets the deal his donors want. Even if he doesn't get favorable terms he will change the city charter next year to get an elected school board to do his bidding. If you think that's far fetched you haven't been paying attention. Duval has a general counsel who doesn't even know what the word 'shall' means. I wonder where he went to school?