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CHARTER BOTTOM LINE IS DOLLARS
Indianapolis charter school for troubled youth closes days before school starts
Charters don't seem to be "the answer." Real public schools are part of the community and the community has a stake in their support. Charter schools feel free to bolt when they get in a "financial bind."
From Chalkbeat
A struggling Indianapolis charter school designed to serve the city’s most troubled youth will close just days before the beginning of the school year, officials said Friday.
Marion Academy, which enrolled about 120 students in grades 6 to12 last year, was created for students who have been in the juvenile justice system, were expelled or were at-risk of expulsion. It also ran a program for students in the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center that served about 60 students.
The school was in a financial bind because it struggled to recruit students and the juvenile detention center chose to find another education partner, according to a press release. “Budget projections were not strong enough to get the school through the 2019-20 year,” the release said. In 2018, Marion Academy had among the lowest passing rates on state tests in the county for 3-8 grades, and no students passed both the math and English state high school tests.
GOP STEALS TEACHERS' PENSION FUNDS IN KY
Kentucky: Governor Bevin and GOP Legislators Steal Teachers’ Pension Funds
From Diane Ravitch
The Kentucky public pension “deform” abomination signed by Governor Bevin July 24, 2019 – opposed by all Senate Democrats and 9 Republicans in the Kentucky Senate, deforms the pensions – it does not reform them.
The essential knife-thrusts to the heart of the government retiree pension are these:
1) It clips future hires from the plan (and future pay-ins).
2) It allows 118 quasi-governmental agencies (rape crisis centers; health departments, regional universities, etc.) to buy out of the retirement plan with only vague plans to pay off their 30-year pension deb.
The amounts owed are so large it is daft to think the agencies could meet their obligations without declaring bankruptcy and then consequently cutting the benefits of retirees…
A TEACHER ON THE CABINET?
Should A Teacher Be Secretary of Education
"The devil, as always, is in the details."
From Curmudgucation
One up-and-coming education policy idea that was first proposed by Elizabeth Warren, but has now garnered wider candidate support, is the notion that a teacher should be the next secretary of education. At last count, four major candidates were supporting some version of the idea. It's an arresting and appealing idea. Betsy DeVos is widely seen as a controversial opponent of public education, and in many education circles, predecessors like Arne Duncan were not much loved, either. Many teachers feel that the folks in D.C. just don't get it, so the idea of someone from the trenches who would, presumably, get it--well, it's an attractive idea. Now we have to ask--is it a good idea?
INDY TRIES TO RECRUIT TEACHERS
To recruit teachers, Indianapolis built an Educators’ Village. But was it enough of an incentive?
The Teacher Village seems like a pretty convoluted plan to attempt to entice people to teach. Perhaps committing to paying them decent salaries would have been a more successful plan.
From Chalkbeat
Each stakeholder admitted the development so far hasn’t been effective in recruiting and retaining teachers in the Indianapolis Public Schools area, a high-turnover district in a state where nearly 9% of teachers left the classroom for reasons other than retirement in recent years. Although at least one buyer teaches at Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School — an IPS school within walking distance of the village — it remains unclear how many of the seven teachers work in the urban core. And several buyers, including Lefler, chose to teach in different districts.
Observers believe several issues led to the development not attracting more teachers. While the homes were set below market value for buyers of a certain income, there was no incentive specifically for teachers set by area schools, and housing laws prohibit restricting buyers to a particular group of people. Outreach efforts fell short, and the application and income eligibility processes were lengthy.
CHARTERS BEG FOR STATE SUPPORT IN MI
Report: Most states find public money to pay for charter school buildings. Not Michigan.
Wondering why charters with no proof of academic success, fiscal accountability or consideration for the real needs of a community think they should just be given a building to operate in or the cash to buy one.
From Chalkbeat
To critics in Michigan, less charter growth is a good thing. Charter schools can cause financial problems for traditional districts by taking their students — and the students’ roughly $8,000 in annual state funds. Unlike Massachusetts, which sends money to traditional districts to offset the effects of losing students to charter schools, Michigan has no such policy in place.
Other states help charter schools find buildings by giving them access to property tax dollars — the same method used by traditional districts in Michigan to cover facilities costs. Dozens more states provide loans, grants, or direct funding for charter school facilities.
LEGISLATORS IGNORE ADDITIONAL COST OF CHARTERS
Peter Greene: Charter Schools and the Elephant in the Room
From Diane Ravitch
Peter Greene points out in this post that legislatures have a nasty habit of overlooking the central question about charter schools: their funding.
They pretend that they can run two publicly funded school systems without any additional cost.
They pretend that the funding for charters is not subtracted from the funding for public schools.
TEACHERS HOLD OUT FOR MORE IN FL
Florida: Teachers in Orange County Overwhelmingly Reject New Contract
From Diane Ravitch
It is outrageous that teachers are paid so little, and that the state continues diverting public money to charters and vouchers.
What does the future hold for Florida, where education is a political football and held in such low regard?
HARRIS PROMISES HIGHER SALARIES FOR TEACHERS
Kamala Harris promises $2.5 billion for teacher prep programs at HBCUs to improve educator diversity
From Chalkbeat
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris proposed Friday infusing $2.5 billion into teacher preparation programs at historically black colleges and universities to help produce more educators of color.
The California senator also pledged $60 billion for scholarships and facilities to boost science, technology, engineering, and math studies on those campuses.
Harris was among four Democratic presidential candidates speaking to the National Urban League’s annual conference in Indianapolis. Five other candidates spoke Thursday.
BUTTIGIEG DOESN'T GET IT
Mayor Pete Doesn't Get It (And If He Does, That's Even Worse)
It’s sad to see this promising candidate taking the wrong turn on education.
From Curmudgucation
...Buttigieg would likely be a repeat of the Bush-Obama education program. He's said some salty things about Betsy DeVos, but beyond his dislike of vouchers, it's not clear just how different his education policy would be from hers.
It would be interesting to see what, exactly, his campaign believes is the critical difference between a school accepting a voucher and a non-profit charter school. Because depending on the state you're in, there's not a large enough space between the two to drive a bicycle, let alone a campaign van.
Why I Do Not Support Mayor Pete
From Diane Ravitch
There are many reasons why I would like to support Mayor Pete Buttigieg. He’s young, he is well-educated, he is smart, he has an admirable record of service to his country, he’s brimming with ideas. I find him very attractive on many levels.
But on education, he is a stealth corporate reformer.
DO CHARTERS HURT REAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Critics of charter schools say they’re hurting school districts. Are they right?
An older post from Chalkbeat. From June 11, 2019.
From Chalkbeat
“I’m striking to stop charter schools from draining our schools,” wrote Los Angeles teacher Adriana Chavira during the January teachers strike, saying her school has had to cut teachers as it lost students to charter schools. A number of states, most prominently California, are considering efforts to limit charter school expansion in response to such concerns.
Presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have recently raised it, too. “The bottom line is, it siphons off money for our public schools, which are already in enough trouble,” Biden said of some charters.
LOCAL DISTRICTS FEEL FINANCIAL PINCH
Districts face finance reality - 'it's just us'
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne Community Schools' ongoing building repair program goes before voters a third time next May when a ballot referendum seeks an additional $125 million from property taxes. Following successful referendums in 2012 and 2016, the district is prepared to tackle major projects at Wayne High School and Blackhawk and Miami middle schools, plus repairs and improvements at dozens of other schools.
The district's track record on repairs and renovations makes the Repair 2020 referendum worthy of continued support. But the referendum also represents the only option Fort Wayne Community Schools and other public school districts in Indiana have to meet their building and operations needs.
Consider Terre Haute, where voters in November will be asked to approve a property tax increase to avoid doubling the $4 million in cuts Vigo County Schools will make over the next two years.
“Nobody is coming to help,” Superintendent Rob Haworth told the school board this month. “Washington, D.C., is not coming to help. Indy is not coming to help. ... It's just us.”
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