His reports and allegations, of widespread problems in charter schools across the state, are misleading and plain wrong. For example, he alleges that most charter boards have conflicts of interest with those with whom they work or depend for services. But that would also suggest that the largest employer in the school system is riddled with conflicts. Who isn’t related to a teacher or a child or a board member or a vendor in any district? Everyone with a pulse has overlapping interests. The only time it’s a conflict is when their views and their work is at odds with what’s good for kids.

Conflict of interest is code for keep charter schools small and insignificant. Demands from opponents for accountability is code for shut them down.

The charters are efficient, effective, albeit underfunded public schools that are oversubscribed and, in most cases, achieving above and beyond the traditional public schools.

Why would you try to save money on schools that are already underfunded and over subscribed? Why not save money on schools that are failing on a system that has a larger administrator/adult -student ratio than most comparable districts?

Philadelphia District:
15-to-1 teachers to students
655 administrators making over $100,000/dollars a year! (100 of who are teachers)
2980 in total all education administrators — Average salary is $104K

There are about 150,000 students in district public schools – 50 students for every administrator! A charter school survives with half as many administrators – an average of 100 kids for every administrator! Philadelphia imposed a cap on enrollment that is in violation of the state charter school law. Despite the fact that 50,000 students are on charter school waiting lists in the City of Brotherly love.

Roebuck’s efforts, and those of many of his colleagues, seek to put more state and district strings on charters in an alleged effort to make them more accountable. If the state and local education agency control were the answer to solving how best to educate kids, we would not have or need charter schools or any reform to begin with. The states and local districts are not school creators. They are rules creators. They are in business to manage and regulate, not to design and educate.

That’s why the only kind of reform that’s necessary in the charter arena in PA today is a change to the law that permits independent multiple authorizers, like public universities, to create and monitor charter schools. High quality authorizers outside of the traditional school entities yield high quality, highly accountable charters. Just look at Central Michigan University and the State University of New York as two examples.

We hope that Harrisburg will step up to the plate and show leadership on this important issue. The opponents are sharpening their knives in the name of reform. Nothing could be more disingenuous than calling their attack “reform.”

by Jeanne Allen

RACISM & GREED? Should our public services be used for people who really need them? Aren’t prisons a place for criminals who defiantly break the law? And how exactly does intentionally breaking the law help children understand the importance of schooling? These and more questions are on our minds as we ponder the actions by President of the AFT union Randi Weingarten this past Thursday, who, upon her arrival in Philadelphia to protest the closing of 23 FAILING (yes that was caps intentionally) schools got herself arrested. Make no mistake — this was planned. Anyone with a big time PR shop like the AFT has doesn’t do these things without much consideration. You could just see her — boarding the plane, arriving in Philly, taking her car to the site, getting poised to protest and WHAM, standing in front of the door to the School Reform Commission meeting just to be carried away to the Klink, the pen – prison! The cheering and hizzahs were incredible, thanks to the adult members of the union who joined her. “This is about Racism and Greed” one sign said. Actually — he’s half right. It’s about the not so subtle racism that pervades a system that makes someone want to keep a bad school open and keep poor kids of color from getting a good education and it’s about the greed of the unions who just can’t let it go.

BABIES TO THE CORE. Those cute little kindergartens we all like to fawn over are apparently getting the shaft in schools that have already started implementing the Common Core standards for young children. It’s not intentional, as Harlem Village Academies Founder & Author (and CER 2006 Honoree) Deborah Kenny writes in a fabulous op-ed. It’s that teaching requires more than a handbook or list of instructions from even the most respected and well-funded efforts to ensure better learning happens in the classroom. The law of unintended consequences that many have been predicting may occur from a national effort to ensure common learning state by state seems to be cropping up all over the place. Hold your fire. Just saying. One could argue that the perverse reaction to NCLB was a bit the same as that to Common Core. Perverse or not, it happens, and we need to be prepared.

CER president Jeanne Allen will join a crowd of experts and researchers on March 25 at the American Enterprise Institute to discuss these issues and more.

SEQUESTER – REVISITED. Each day continues to reveal distorted predications of doomsday in our nation’s schools due to the sequestration. First there was the Arne flap and across the country school districts are crowing that they’ve had to cut millions from their schools. Our investigative eyes are on it, and we have discovered a few more Pinocchios in recent coverage. One example is the report which says that schools on Indian Reservations and Military facilities are hardest hit given their percentage of federal funds. The Washington Post provides evidence in Arizona’s Navajo based Window Rock School District, whose superintendent just last week said that closing schools, cancelling bus routes and cutting positions are among the things she has to do ASAP. “We may have to close those schools — we don’t have any other avenues at all,” Superintendent Debbie Jackson-Dennison said, adding that she will cut five administrators, 25 support staffers and 35 certified teachers by the end of May. School bus routes, vital in a large rural setting, will be reduced beginning this month, guaranteeing that some children will be riding an hour to and from school. But a closer look reveals that this district has had financial problems long before the sequester, and most are a result of bad management. First, the district’s impact aid which the Superintendent says in this press release from September 2012 was likely to be cut because of the sequester back then, and yet, all of that aid has already flowed to the district. Then, apparently the county treasurer was found at fault with his investments causing the district to lose money. Much of the story is outlined here. It’s another example that very often the actual story is much more complex than what is commonly thought.

WHY CAN’T JOHNNY STILL READ? Or at least, why can’t we reach the estimated 33% of kids in this country that are below basic come fourth grade? Just weeks from the 30th Anniversary of A Nation at Risk, we have a nation still at risk and states are grappling with whether to retain or promote. Meanwhile, thousands of schools, which ARE accountable for how their students perform year to year in most states that have charter schools and robust authorizing, are doing it well. And yet…

OPPOSITION REMAINS FIXED ON CHARTERS. …Despite their success, the mainstreamness of it all, the Kumba-ya between both political parties, charters are under constant attack in communities and at some state levels. If they are not under attack, they face an uphill fight to even get approved much less enacted. To wit:

• Maine — Knowing that his charter law is weak and it’s time to educate the public better on the issues, Governor La Page is holding a major summit one week from Friday, March 22, to grow support for the importance of charters. He would not need to do this if his law had not been a political compromise with the establishment.

• Mississippi – Legislators are working on a compromise bill that would allow charters to open in failing school districts under certain limitations, and yet even this very modest bill which is riddled with restrictions is having a tough time gaining traction as a “don’t worry be happy” crowd of Republicans in that state just thinks everything is great for their kids.

• Pennsylvania – Reports of Philly notwithstanding, legislators have introduced poison pill bills to withhold more funding from already underfunded charters. Reform bills are coming, but the powerful school boards lobby remains fixed in Harrisburg.

• Tennessee – An effort to improve and expand that state’s charter bill is wavering, while a proposal by the Governor would create a limited voucher program for 5,000 low-income students in 83 failing schools across the state. If passed, the cap would rise to 20,000 students by 2016. A modest proposal at best, and some lawmakers would like to see a much more expansive program.

• Alaska, Alabama, and Georgia have all seen action recently on charters, tax credits and a parent trigger bill, respectively. Scaled back or compromised by the special interest clout, the progress isn’t near what it should be if Johnny and Jane and Jose and Josephine are expected to read well.

OK PINOCCHIO. Last week, Newswire sparked a mini-debate on what the sequester really means for education. But as CER president Jeanne Allen points out in today’s National Journal, “… that among all of these thousands of entities that spend and receive federal money, no one seems to know or to be even talking about how the almighty federal dollar flows.” The reality that CER continues to point out, is that most of the money has already been collected by states and districts. Thankfully we’re not alone in holding the Administration accountable for irresponsible rhetoric about a frenzy of “pink slips.” In fact, the US Department of Education has yet to produce any district-level evidence of lay-offs, according to the Wall Street Journal.

COVER UP. The Worcester County Teachers Association in Maryland has been making headlines as news broke of their botched attempt to cover-up the fact that Denise Inez Owens, the union’s former treasurer embezzled over $430,000 of teacher dues to fund her gambling addiction. In 2009 when the MSEA (state affiliate of the NEA) learned of the crime, they merely forced Owens to resign. We know these union contracts are ironclad, but come on, they sent a known-criminal back to teaching in a middle school classroom! Finally justice has been served, but where’s the accountability and “common good” that the union leadership supposedly values?

EXPANDING CHOICE. In a press conference last week Alabama Governor Robert Bentley applauded the legislature for sending an individual and corporate tax credit bill to his desk, “I truly believe this is historic education reform and it will benefit students and families across Alabama regardless of their income and regardless of where they live. I’m so proud we have done this for the children of this state and especially the children who are in failing school systems and had no way out. Now, they have a way out.” We couldn’t agree more Governor Bentley; now get back to the drawing board to finally bring charters to your state. There must be something in the water because in his 2013 Budget Address last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie proposed a $2 million pilot opportunity scholarship program for low-income students in failing schools. A small plan, but at least it’s a start.

ON CHARTERS. Charter schools will be all the buzz in Tennessee and Mississippi state houses today. The Volunteer state’s House Education Committee will take up HB 702, a very modest proposal that would allow the state board of education to authorize charter schools on an appeal. Currently only local school boards and the Achievement School District can authorize charter schools. Charter school leaders and parents are rallying in Nashville in support of the proposal.

Today, Mississippi lawmakers are poised to act on legislation expanding charter schools in the state, trying to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of bills. Some issues include: whether school boards in districts with “C’’ ratings will be able to veto charter schools, whether students will be able to cross district lines to attend charter schools elsewhere, whether schools will be able to join the state pension system, and whether for-profit companies will be allowed to run charter schools.

VIRTUAL VINDICATION. Yesterday, the lead plaintiff in a class action securities lawsuit against K12 Inc. voluntarily and permanently dismissed their claims made about K12-managed schools, helping to drown out the often-unsubstantiated charges similarly made by critics and echoed repeatedly by the media. With a bit of luck, the dismissal of these claims will help put to rest these charges and serve as a sort of virtual vindication.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder says schools shutting down so teachers can go prostest is inappropriate.

“Too often the educational system’s all about the adults,” he said. “To see schools shutting down because of an issue like this is not appropriate in my view.”

The legislation at hand would make Michigan the 24th right-to-work state, and would mean union dues could no longer automatically be deducted from teachers’ paychecks. Unions attempted to enshrine collective bargaining rights in the constitution, but the measure failed to win voter approval in November.

Mitch Daniels: “No.”

That was Mitch Daniels’ answer to CER President Jeanne Allen’s question at this year’s Excellence in Action summit in Washington, D.C. Mitch Daniels is known for his tough stance on reform and ability to get meaningful reforms passed in Indiana, and recently ousted State Superintendent Tony Bennett shares this reputation as well.

After a simple “No” answer, Daniels went on to explain some of the improper tactics used to defeat Tony Bennett in the 2012 election, and his remarks are still making waves in the press:

“If you’re a fan of anything-goes politics, it was a creative use of illegal — but still creative use — of public resources.”

“We got emails sent out on school time by people who were supposed to be teaching someone at the time, all about Tony Bennett. We have parents who went to back to school night to find out how little Jebbie is doing and instead they got a diatribe about the upcoming election.”

Louisiana’s recent education overhaul will be tested Wednesday in court as multiple teachers associations and school boards challenge the constitutionality of changes made this year to the state’s voucher program and teacher hiring rules. Ahead of Wednesday’s court case, Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) President Steve Monaghan told NOLA.com he expects a protracted legal battle with the Jindal administration.

“Pragmatically, one has to understand that the legal process doesn’t go like a blitzkrieg. It is a lengthy process that can take months and sometimes years,” Monaghan said Tuesday.

He added, “we are fully aware that the administration is very, very likely to appeal and to appeal to the Supreme Court.”

State Superintendent of Education John White came out against the lawsuit in June, issuing a statement that said, “The LFT is preventing parents from doing what they think is best for their children. It’s time to return our focus to teaching and classrooms, but the LFT keeps dragging us back to politics and courtrooms.”

The Washington, DC-based Institute for Justice, a libertarian law firm, have also come out against the suit. They issued a statement this month condemning the suit.

“It is imperative that school choice flourish in Louisiana or else another generation of Louisiana schoolchildren will be condemned to educational purgatory,” the Nov. 20 statement read.

“Faced with an exodus of children from underperforming and failing public schools, teachers’ unions and school boards have sued to stop parents from making that choice,” it added.

Institute of Justice members, along with Ken Campbell, president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, and others will protest the suit tomorrow morning outside the court house in Baton Rouge.

The suit was brought by the LFT, Louisiana Association of Educators, Louisiana School Boards Association and 43 local school boards.

It challenges the constitutionality of the education overhaul, called Act 2, passed at the end of the last legislation session. The LFT said Act 2 violates Section 3 of the state constitution which says public education funding will go only to public schools and school systems.

LFT Director of Public Relations Les Landon told NOLA.com on Monday they are confident in their ability to win the suit.

“Ultimately we believe we will prevail and it will be demonstrated Governor Jindal steamrolled a blatantly unconstitutional issue through the legislature,” Landon said.

But the immediate outcome of the lawsuit and the media attention it has garnered — Monaghan said he has been contacted by national as well as local outlets — will be educating the public on legislative oversight and independence.

“The silver lining in all of this is an awakening of segments of the population who were either apathetic of the process or trusting of the process,” Monaghan said. “That was a field trip experience.”

The Act 2 suit will be heard tomorrow in Baton Rouge’s 19th Judicial Court District.

The LFT has also filed a separate suit against Act 1 — part of the education overhaul — of the legislative session, claiming it is also unconstitutional because its passage will effect multiple laws.

The state constitution does not allow these “bundled objectives” in one bill on the grounds it would discourage legislators from voting for a multi-part bill because they are opposed to just aspect.

… “No reform effort is too small for the teachers union to squash. In this month’s election, the National Education Association descended from Washington to distant Idaho, spending millions to defeat a measure that limited collective bargaining for teachers and pegged a portion of teachers’ salaries to classroom performance. In Alabama, Republican Governor Robert Bentley says he’s giving up on his campaign to bring charter schools to the state after massive resistance from the Alabama Education Association.” READ MORE

Education reformers had good news at the ballot box this month as voters in Washington and Georgia approved measures to create new charter schools. But as the reform movement gathers momentum, teachers unions are giving no quarter in their massive resistance against states trying to shake up failing public education.

In Georgia, 59% of voters approved a constitutional amendment that creates a new statewide commission to approve charter schools turned down by union-allied school boards. Instead of absorbing the message, charter opponents are planning to sue. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus said last week it will join a lawsuit against Governor Nathan Deal to block the change. According to Caucus Chairman Emanuel Jones, because the ballot measure’s text didn’t discuss the details of how the schools were selected, “people didn’t know what they were voting for.”

This is the legal equivalent of sending back a hamburger because you didn’t know it came with meat. Georgia voters rallied around the charters because they want something better for their children than the dismal status quo. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that as of April only 67.4% of the state’s freshmen graduated from high school in four years. Last year a state investigation of Georgia schools found that dozens of public educators were falsifying test results to disguise student results.

A different battle is unfolding in Chicago, where the city’s teachers union is getting ready for its second showdown with Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In September, teachers went on strike and won a pay raise and limits on test scores in teacher evaluations. Now the union is fighting the city’s plan to close underused schools in an effort to consolidate resources.

Chicago Public Schools have some 600,000 seats but only 400,000 kids, while the district faces a $1 billion deficit next year and over $300 million of pension payments. Yet at a protest rally last week, Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey declared that the union was “serving notice to elected officials, if you close our schools, there will be no peace in the city.” Remind you of Selma, circa 1965?

The tension is especially acute for black parents whose children are trapped in the worst public schools. In other states, black organizations that march in lockstep with Democrats and their union allies have also been slow to catch up, but the message is getting louder. In Harlem last year, thousands of parents protested the NAACP’s role in a lawsuit to block school closings and the expansion of charter schools.

No reform effort is too small for the teachers union to squash. In this month’s election, the National Education Association descended from Washington to distant Idaho, spending millions to defeat a measure that limited collective bargaining for teachers and pegged a portion of teachers’ salaries to classroom performance. In Alabama, Republican Governor Robert Bentley says he’s giving up on his campaign to bring charter schools to the state after massive resistance from the Alabama Education Association.

Unions fight as hard as they do because they have one priority—preserving their jobs and increasing their pay and benefits. Students are merely their means to that end. Reforming public education is the civil rights issue of our era, and each year that passes without reform sacrifices thousands more children to union politics.

Now that the election is over, is it too much to ask that President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan drop their union coddling and speak truth to union power? Alas, it probably is.

Georgia’s students scored big on Tuesday with a 58% to 42% victory for Amendment One. The Peach State’s ballot initiative on charter schools allows local communities to create more of these important options by amending the state’s constitution to allow other state and local agencies, in addition to local school boards, approve charter schools.

Washington state’s ballot initiative on charter schools is still looking favorable for reformers with a slight lead of 51% for passage. While still not declared a victory, it looks like Initiative 1240 will open up new educational opportunities for families with the creation of 40 new charter schools over the next 5 years. A modest proposal, but it would make Washington the 42nd state to adopt a charter school law and finally bring them into the 21st century of education delivery.

Idaho’s ballot left the fate of three laws, known as the Students Come First laws, up to voters. Unfortunately, the $1.2 million in NEA funding to squash these measures paid off. Voters turned down that reforms that would have paid teachers based on performance, phased out tenure, limited collective-bargaining, and expanded online learning opportunities.