Now that Nov. 6th is right around the corner, it's time to talk about the elephant in the room - the privatization of public education. The "pro" Amendment 1 side all feel that private corporations, in this case "for-profit" charter operators, can provide a more efficient way to educate your children compared to the current system managed by locally elected school boards, superintendents and the State Board of Education.
They feel so strongly in the superiority of the "free-enterprise" system that they are willing to remove any obstacle from the path of privatization, including your elected voice, and I guess their own if they happen to live in Georgia. A "yes" vote on Amedment 1 will trigger a 7 person appointed commission who's sole duty will be to review charter petitions faster and more efficiently than the current State BOE apparently is capable or interested in doing. Your input or your locally elected school board's input on these decisions, will not be required.
If privatization is such a great idea, why not include it in the preamble or ballot?
To see who the players are in this privatization scenario all you have to do is follow the money. The "pro" campaign amendment committee, Families for Better Public Schools (FBPS), has raised $1.789 M as of 10/26 - 94% of which has been contributed by 8 individuals or entities, 7 of which are out of state.
If you want to know what a group is thinking about, check out their conventions! A big one for leaders in "for-profit" education is the Education Industry Investment Forum. Here are some topics covered; "Enhancing Value in National Education through Innovation in Capital Deployment," Building Opportunities for Low-Cost, High-Quality Education from K-12 to Post Secondary," "Entrepreneurs and Business Paving the Way for Investment Return and Growth in Scale and Quality." http://bit.ly/RsWVoG
Not exactly the warm and fuzzy HOPE being fed to you by the "pro" amendment ads is it?
John Hage, CEO of Charter Schools USA (contributed $50k so far to FBPS) and J.C. Huizenga, CEO of National Heritage Academies, (contributed $75K so far), are considered leaders in the "for-profit" education industry and prominent participants in this forum and previous ones.
Huizenga is from Grand Rapids, MI. also home to the DeVos family, co-founders of Amway. Betsy DeVos is chair of the American Federation for Children - major backer of "pro-school choice" political campaigns in Georgia and school choice legislation, mainly vouchers; Barbara Gaby from Duluth GA, (husband contributed $100k to FBPS) is the youngest daughter of Amway co-founder Van Andel. The Gabys are also a founder of the Georgia Family Council, backers of this amendment; this group takes credit for the SSO program which legalized a state tax credit deduction for private school tuition - religious and secular. A flow chart would have been helpful.
The billionaire contributors, Alice Walton, $600K, Doris Fischer, $250K and Bernie Marcus, $250k all believe that private entreprenuers, like themselves (or their fathers in Alice's case), should have a seat at this table and they're willing to pay for it. Michelle Rhee, StudentsFirst ($250K) is laundering money for the billionaires in an attempt to build her own "education empire."
If Amendment 1 passes the billionaires will be pleased - they may feel like they are doing a good deed - and our legislators will have successfully delivered on their promise to them to amend the constitution so "for-profit" operators can replicate efficiently without ever having to worry about another lawsuit.
So what's the problem? Here are a couple to ponder;
1) I don't like being lied to. This is a non-partisan voter requirement that most politicians have not yet grasped. The preamble should say; "Provides for increasing the number of public/private partnerships through more public charter school options." rather than a lie; "Provides for improving student achievement and parental involvement through more public charter school options."
2) Billionaires and corporations sneaking around in the shadows purchasing legislation to fit their personal economic theories or profit objectives could not be considered the "free market."
3) What do any of these people know about education.
Reasons Number 9 and 10 to vote NO on Amendment 1: the privatization of education is not "free" and will most likely result in people getting rich off of our kids rather than saving us any money or improving education.
Cherokee Charter Academy is the most prominent charter school in the area, and I felt it was an appropriate photograph to use with this post. As for the author of this post not being a "local" voice, the charter school amendment is a statewide issue, and we at Patch want to give equal time to supporters and critics of the amendment. Just because she isn't "from here" doesn't mean her opinion is invalid in Cherokee County. Thanks, Justin
Obama has major monetary incentives in Race To the Top for states that promote charter schools. That's why Democrats and Republicans want Arne Duncan and the federal Dept. of Ed gone. Top down, just like this commission, never works.
Choice is not some strawman to be bloviated against by Ms. Hooper. Freedom of choice is key to our economic and political systems. If someone wants to push creativity and try something in education which doesn't produce a squadron of failure, let me at it. As long as parents have choice, what is she so afraid of?
If you live in Fulton, Oconee, or Jackson Counties (or any other county where public education is ideal and you give your neighborhood school an A+) VOTE NO on this amendment. If you live in the MANY other counties where your child meets a punitive philosophy where his/her ideas about learning will be formed, has less than 20 minutes per day at recess, has been treated poorly by one of more of their elementary teachers, is cussed at by a middle school teacher, is "progressing" through the end of the year (this means FAILING) or is being bullied and you can do nothing about it - then VOTE YES ON THE CHARTER AMENDMENT! I have children who have spent 9 years in public education. I am an educator. I have experienced some amazing things in public education, and I have experienced some things in public education that have left me aghast. It's hit or miss. I will vote YES on this amendment to ensure that parents and students have more CHOICES that do not include paying for private school, quitting their jobs, or moving.
Who in their right mind advocates paying more for worse education? Make public schools compete with private industry. UPS and FedEx do a lot better than the government employees of the United Postal Service.
Myopic is the word that best describes her POV on this issue. I cannot understand her hatred of charter schools and the education they're obviously providing for thousands of children. She claims to be for them....and yet she actively advocates against an amendment that would merely cement a process she claims already exists. Let's be clear: If Amendment 1 fails, there will be nothing to stop local BOEs from shutting down all charters in their endless quest to funnel more money into what's clearly a failing public school system. Vote YES to prevent this from occurring.
Anyone who votes NO, whether they realize it or not.
However this vote turns out, I am saying prayers for ALL our children in public schools - public AND charter - who, as of this school year, are being educated under Obama's Common Core national standards which is pushing the Type 2 Education Philosophy and indoctrination of the left's social justice agenda with anti-American, anti-family, and anti-capitalist values. These standards were accepted by our state legislature with NO review of curriculum or the cost of implementation. Our "reward" for the NCLB waiver. Whether this amendment passes or not, I am praying that all parents and concerned citizens will wake up and do what REALLY needs to be done.... INSIST that our state legislators rescind Common Core national standards, kick the feds out of our schools, develop education standards using Texas as a base model (who is now considered to have the BEST standards in place because they said NO to accepting Common Core), and then ask our state legislators this question... With the federal government out of our schools WHO is it keeping us from implementing the teaching model of current charter schools into ALL our public schools? Learn about Type 1 and Type 2 education philosophies http://libertylinked.com/posts/9703/2-education-philosophies-with/View.aspx
I am so glad for those students who have found a better learning environment in charter schools, but what about all those kids left behind? Since charter schools have been around for almost 20 years and the "competition" hasn't helped these school districts with these abusive situations, I don't suspect this amendment will be the magic bullet that many are believing it will be. I'm afraid if this passes everyone will turn a blind eye, once again, to the real problem in our schools.... the federal government takeover since the federal Dept. of Ed was established in 1979! And, since HB 797 rewrites the rules of charter schools and defines the standards for these STATE approved charter school to be those of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.... I'm afraid the charters established won't be the better schools we are hoping for. How can they be?
We've had some schools renegotiate their contracts with EMOs, taking on a little more of the work themselves and paying the EMO less. Some schools have released the EMO entirely. I personally feel like some of our superintendents are the 'for-profit' entities that should be watched more closely but again, he/she provides a service and if Gwinnett County tax payers believe he should be paid more than the president of the US, that's up to them.
I have said how I feel, now someone can explain to me the reasons I should vote yes, if I am mis-understandig the whole issue.
If your question is whether a charter school could open in Cumming and draw from APS, it's not likely. There is a school in south Georgia that draws from 5 counties but it's rural and makes sense. The commission heard from one petitioner who wanted to pull from Fulton, Douglas, and maybe Fayette County but that one was denied because they couldn't 'prove' local support. The petitioners must show that residents are interested. The opponents keep saying 'they' can put in a school the community didn't ask for which is just not true. I think you should vote yes for all the families In Georgia. If a school opens in your area that practices single gender math and science classes, you may think that your child could do better there. He or she may be making low Bs or Cs, which isn't failing but you want to try something different. The option would be there. Forsyth County would get the first chance to approve that school. If they deny it, the petitioners could appeal to the charter commission. That's it.