Where Gary Chartrand sent his children and where he wants us to send ours.

Gary Chartrand the millionaire from Ponte Vedra is fighting against the sales tax referendum that would upgrade Jacksonville's schools. I thought I would show you where he sent his kids and where he wants to send ours.











He sent his children to the Bolles school and expensive and exclusive school with lots of electives, small classes and state of the art facilities, lots of state of the art facilities.

https://www.bolles.org/

Meanwhile DCPS has some of the oldest schools in the state and a ten year starvation agenda by Tallahassee has brought many to the point they need to be replaced and a billion dollar maintenance back log.



Chartrand sent his children to Bolles this is where he wants us to send ours.

 

He wants our children to attend dilapidated and falling down schools, Chartrand is the villain of the story.

To learn more about what Chartrand is fighting against click the link, https://www.ourduvalschools.org/

Lenny Curry, no plan for the landing, no plan for the jail but the school board better have a plan that I approve of or else.

Have we ever had a more feckless or corrupt mayor? I am a far left democrat but I didn't vote for him in the primary in 2015 because I thought he was pretty meh, but Curry makes him seem like a statesman. 

Lenny Curry has been demanding a plan from the school board before he will help agree to the sales tax referendum. This despite the fact he was not elected to run our schools, and they have had a plan for months. 

This while he had the city spend 18 million dollars to buy the landing so he can demolish it with nothing in the Que to replace it.  Nothing, no community meetings, no public input, and no plan, or you know the exact opposite of what the school board and superintendent have done.  

Now there is the jail, God save us he wants to move the jail out of down town.

From the Times Union,  

Construction of two new fire stations, building improvements for the Florida Theatre, a second payment toward upgrades at UF Health Jacksonville, and money to create a plan for countering the “generational” impact of sea-level rise are among the spending items in a draft capital improvement program for Jacksonville.

Here’s what’s not in the draft plan: construction of a new jail.

Mayor Lenny Curry said last December he wants to relocate the county jail out of downtown, but the draft version of the five-year plan through 2024 does not show any money for building a new jail, which would cost several hundred million dollars.

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190705/no-new-jail-in-jacksonvilles-construction-plans

This is the thing, Curry will tell the people of Jacksonville whatever he thinks sounds good even if it isn't true.  DCPS doesn't have a plan, they do. DCPS hasn't involved the community, they have. DCPS won't answer his questions, they have over and over again. Or he won't say anything, plan about the Landing, crickets, plan about the jail, crickets again as he hopes you are to busy listening to his lies.

He is fighting against the referendum because he would rather see our schools fail  than succeed, and he is willing to wish the economic future of the city for it to happen. 

Is the reason Gary Chartrand wants more money for KIPP because they owe him three and a half million dollars?

KIPP has three count them three charities that take care of it with combined assets as of 2017 the most recent tax returns available on Guidestar of  58 million dollars.

https://www.guidestar.org/search

Now that's not all cash, most of it is land and buildings, but I did find this interesting bit.



It says Due right, which means owed, I mean I think that is what it means unless the city attorney changed the meaning of that word too.

So what does all this mean? Heck if i know. I have degrees in poli sci and psychology because I wanted to take as little math as possible and all I know about tax returns is the only good thing about just paying interests on your student loans is that helps with them.

I do know however that having three charities seems hinky and KIPP plays every loophole available and I would imagine the people doing their taxes do as well.

To look at the KIPP's school three charities 2017 tax returns, click the links.

https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2017/264/046/2017-264046824-0ee20e3d-9.pdf

https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2017/474/726/2017-474726810-0ee6b79a-9.pdf

https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2017/273/004/2017-273004832-0ee81f2e-9.pdf

How KIPP plays the "get public money" shell game

If you wanted to open up a charter school, you could get hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and tax credits from both the state and federal government. It ends up being a nice chunk of change.

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/csp/index.html

If you go to KIPP's website it says it is running three schools out of its property.

KIPP Impact, KIPP Elementary, KIPP Voice.

https://www.kippjax.org/schools-programs/

They don't, KIPP Impact merged with KIPP Voice so KIPP Voice would have avoided its second straight D grade, you know because KIPP does such a great job when compared to neighborhood schools.

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/education/2017-06-07/duval-school-board-oks-new-charters-school-merger

You are probably asking why they would want KIPP voice anyway, at the time they started it they already had two K-up schools on their campus. Well friends its because of the grant money, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Money I doubt they had to pay back when they merged KIPP Voice with KIP Impact and this bares repeating because of their undeserved reputation of having great grades, to avoid a second straight D.

KIPP's ability to play the rake in public money game should make us all groan but it is especially egregious since  it's founder Gary Chartrand is fighting against the special tax referendum  and one of his chief arguments is the need for the school board to be a good steward of public money. Well friends his school is picking up an additional 2,691,000 in public money this year alone. Chartrand and his mayor, Lenny Curry are saying "no" to money for public schools, while literally playing the public coffers like a fiddle to get far more public money for the KIPP school than any other school gets.  How is that right, fair or decent?

I don't think this should be lost on anyone either. They say they have three schools, three schools which each got charter start up grants, but they only have one budget.

https://www.kippjax.org/who-we-are/public-information/ 

KIPP spends almost double what DCPS spends per pupil, and it's owners and Mayor Curry want to give them more

According to great schools here is the enrollment of the KIPP schools.

KIPP Jacksonville k-8 310
KIPP Impact   779

https://www.greatschools.org/florida/jacksonville/18701-KIPP-Jacksonville-K-8/

Their budget for the upcoming school year is 14,662,175 bucks.

https://www.kippjax.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/KIPP-Jacksonville-2019-Budget-Public-Information.pdf

Which would mean they spend 13,445 per student or you know almost twice what is spent on a DCPS student

Say great schools if off by 351 kids and they really have 1,440 which their expansion a few years back said they could expand to, then they still spend a little over ten thousand.

How accurate are my numbers? My bet is they are off some, not a lot, but some. KIPP has traditionally spent about a half more per student and my numbers above indicate it may be even more than that.

This year alone they received 2,631,000 extra in tax payer money. While public schools have been starved. Why do only the kids at KIPP matter to Lenny Curry, Gary Chartrand and the civic Council?

I think KIPP does a mediocre job with the resources it has and any public school given its resources would far exceed what it does, but what is really infuriating, is the civic council despite KIPP spending almost double per pupil is fighting to get it even more at the expense of the vast majority of children whose schools have been neglected and who really need it. Then throw in a Mayor and City council who are more willing to do the bidding of their donors rather than doing what is right by their constituents. That's pretty bad too. 

The KIPP school has taken in an extra 1,441,000 Duval Tax Payer dollars over the last three years.

631,000 This year, 725,000 last year and 85,000 the year before, for a grand total of  1,441,000.

To see KIPP's budgets for the last three years click the link,

https://www.kippjax.org/who-we-are/public-information/

Those first two numbers are from the Kids Hope Alliance formerly the Jacksonville Children's Commission and they were for its longer school day. Not an after school program but for its regular school day.

Could DCPS come hat in hand to them and say we think some of our schools could benefit from a longer school day and get funds? Why do I think no.

Then the 85 grand came from the old Jacksonville Journey because, you know reasons.

This all on top of the millions that Jason Fischer annually puts in the state budget.

Friends think about this, our city government leaders aren't willing to do anything for our public schools, but at the same time send backpacks full of cash to charters with close ties to the donors who give our city leaders, back packs full of cash. What's the sticking point? Those donors want even more cash.

To read more click the links:

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-civic-councils-pet-charter-schools.html

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2018/06/where-kipp-may-be-mediocre-at-educating.html

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2017/05/did-gary-chartrand-pay-politicians-to.html

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2019/03/state-rep-wants-millions-extra-for-his.html

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2019/03/jason-fischer-wants-two-million-extra.html

Did you know KIPP got 631,000 in Duval County Cash

They also got an extra two million inserted in the state budget by Jason Fischer who has taken wheel barrels full of cash like Lenny Curry has from Gary Chartrand.

Lenny Curry has said we don't have money for a special tax referendum despite the facts DCPS said they would pay for it and it would save 5 million dollars if it passes this November, but we have 631,000 extra to send to his donors pet charter school? For $#%^ sake.



The KIPP school rakes in tax payer money hand over fist and the Civic Council and Mayor are fighting aginst needed money for our public schools so they can get an even bigger piece of the pie. Their greed knows no bounds.

Friends we aren't be led by Mayor Curry we are being ruled by him as he only answers to his donors.

Lenny Curry and the City Council approve 1.2 million for a medium sized business while pleading poverty to help its public schools.

One of the reasons Lenny Curry has given for not wanting the special election for the tax referendum is the cost, probably around a million dollars. He and several city council members have complained despite the district saying they would pay for it and if it passed this November it would save about 5 million dollars.

They complain about costs while spending like drunken sailors on the Landing, and this.

From the Jax Daily Record, 

Chill Build Jacksonville LLC is ready to construct a $43.5 million Preferred Freezer Services facility in Northwest Jacksonville, with a permit and mortgage issued over the past week. 

Preferred Freezer Services, a national refrigerated storage warehouse company, proposes to create at least 40 jobs. 

City Council adopted legislation Feb. 12 to provide $1.2 million in grants to Preferred Freezer Services of Jacksonville II LLC for the project. The project would create the jobs, at an average annual wage of $47,775, by year-end 2021.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/permit-loan-issued-for-dollar43-million-cold-storage-center?fbclid=IwAR2rDr7d58gi_bFIsB2D_-mTnvzZR4ViWwj_M9TupBL1baBoZ71P-Rfvh58

Create 40 jobs for a 43 million dollar facility? That sounds great, but it also sounds like a drop in the bucked to what the tax referendum would create.

The mayor and city council are willing to spend 1.2 million to create 40 jobs but they aren't willing to let the school board spend a million to bring in 1.2 billion which would create jobs, fix schools, increase property values, revitalize neighborhoods, attract more businesses and stop flight to the suburbs. Friends they hate public schools so much they are willing to let them crumble and are refusing to do their jobs. Think about that!

The school board has tried to do everything right and it hasn't mattered.

Community meetings, about 20, check including one where they obviously listened to the Raines and Ribault Community.

https://www.wokv.com/news/local/raines-ribault-consolidations-not-included-duval-superintendent-master-facility-plan-recommendation/7I3dk2KXUuaOcgnArkBjWI/

Questions answered by the mayor, lots of questions.
https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190625/duval-sales-tax-referendum-stands-still-at-city-council-meeting

They didn't leave the city council out either.
https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190612/jacksonville-city-council-peppers-school-board-with-sales-tax-questions

They even spelled out what charters would be eligible for.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/how-will-charter-schools-be-incorporated-in-districts-facilities-plan [news4jax.com]

And now they have a master plan with the board voting 5-1 for it tonight.

Involve the community, check, answer the mayor and city councils questions, check, included charters in their plans, check, have a master plan, check. Things should be smooth sailing right? The sad thing is we all know it won't be because Lenny Curry isn't interested in doing anything to help our schools. He is comfortable seeing them crumble.

Friends, we have a mail which is more interested in seeing schools fail rather than succeed and that should make us all angry.

Curry loves public schools so much, he had a charter school exec introduce him at his inauguration

Yeah he loves pubic schools all right. so much he had a charter school exec introduce him at his inauguration.

From Nate Monroe's column in the Times Union,

Curry and the City Council have for now shut down the School Board’s request for voters to weigh in on a half-cent sales tax, which would pay for a major $1 billion-plus renovation of the public school system’s aging buildings. But Curry has indicated he wants to work with the board on a new plan — one that aligns with the wishes of many of his donors and other civic leaders: More tax funding for charters schools. Indeed, the head of KIPP Jacksonville Schools, a source of pride for local charter advocates, emceed the inauguration event Monday, and Curry included in his remarks a shout out to “school choice.”  

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190701/its-easier-here-inauguration-edition?fbclid=IwAR3Jjyiq7XaG2bJ1FlWcAnyGoudlyY5nPPpBstDexzDspE915TbVJPsQNRs

Can there be any doubt at this point that Lenny Curry wants our public schools to fail so they can be replaced by charter schools.  What's worse is he is willing to risk economic prosperity for the city to satisfy his donor's desires.

Friends we aren't being led by a group looking our for the common good, no instead we are being ruled by people looking out for themselves.