tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72087678697999453642024-03-13T12:47:10.538-04:00The South Bend ProgressiveA forum to discuss and promote social action Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.comBlogger887125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-61918052651090682122020-10-17T20:38:00.000-04:002020-10-17T20:38:18.168-04:00On the South Bend Community School Corporation Board of Trustees election of 2020<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Once our daughter approached Kindergarten age I began to pay
close attention to the South Bend Community School Corporation and its
governance. Often what I saw was less than confidence inspiring.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wrote elsewhere in great detail about our decision making
process in picking an elementary school (we chose Hay) and an intermediate
center (we chose LaSalle). Our daughter is now a senior in the Adams IB program
and despite what I mentioned earlier we have been generally quite pleased with
her experience in the SBCSC.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nonetheless, there were times when school board meetings
appeared more like performance art than business meetings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was ongoing turnover in the
Superintendent’s office: Calvin, Raymond, Zimmerman, Kapsa, Spells, and now Dr.
Todd Cummings. Conflict, contention – no continuity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those days seem to be at an end. When the current Board
meets, what I see is a group of people with a shared vision and collegiality
that I believe is new and exciting for our community. It’s early yet, but I see
the trajectory as more promising than at any time in the last fifteen years, at
least.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have an election soon, and four of these members, two
from districts and two at-large, stand for election or re-election. I endorse
all of them: Anella, Ball, Weslie, and Monterrosa, but in particular I commend
to your attention Rudy Monterrosa.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rodolfo Monterrosa, Jr. was appointed by the Board to
complete the term of Maritza Robles, who died suddenly and unexpectedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like so many others in our community I was
devasted by her death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a simply
amazing person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had volunteered in a
small way in both her campaigns and considered her a dear friend. Clearly no
one could replace her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But someone had
to succeed her.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There came a time when I was called to jury duty on a
criminal battery charge. It took the entire day to seat a jury and I was the
last one selected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The defendant did not
inspire great sympathy in terms of his demeanor, but of course that isn’t
supposed to matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it did
matter (unfortunately) and I think that had something do with it taking an
entire day to seat a jury.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His public defender was Mr. Monterrosa, who impressed me in
so many ways over the next few days. His respect for process and all the participants,
to be sure. But I think the thing that most impressed me was the energy and
focus he put into ensuring that his client (who clearly had few advantages)
enjoyed all the protections afforded by our Constitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, Monterrosa displayed the imperative of
equity: that each of us deserve an equal chance at justice. The defense was
successful, by the way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, I was frankly delighted when the board chose Rudy to
complete Maritza’s term.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since then I have had the chance to learn more about him and
observe him in action. As a board member, he has shown independence and a
healthy skepticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, despite
our Superintendent’s inexplicable endorsement of a charter school (Purdue
Polytechnic)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>competitor’s application to
locate here, and his later advocacy to house them in Washington High School,
Monterrosa stood alone in his adamant opposition that this be pursued by the
corporation. As it turned out, the community agreed with his position and the
matter was dropped.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each year around Christmas, Rudy and his wife take a small
group of volunteers to provide legal representation to immigrants in the Dilley,
Texas area, whose only wish is to enjoy the opportunities most of us take for
granted and who have odds seriously stacked against them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rudy was inspired to pursue the law when he met (as he puts
it) “someone who looked like me”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unsurprisingly,
he puts a lot of energy mentoring young Latina and Latino lawyers and those
interested in pursuing legal careers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In another ethnicity I think Rudy Monterrosa would be
characterized as a mensch. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you
will join me in allowing him to continue to serve us on the South Bend School
Corporation Board as he hopes to do.<o:p></o:p></p>Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-24521564462442829532020-05-18T11:49:00.000-04:002020-05-18T13:36:47.045-04:00South Bend Yes!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="cover photo, Image may contain: outdoor, possible text that says 'The greatest threat to public education is to assume someone else will save it.'" src="https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/94227543_10222803837463761_6253494063970910208_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=825194&_nc_ohc=zi3UCq0eA0kAX_v2kJK&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=e7259862bc0a1685c6a4d298db2f3117&oe=5EE752AF" /><br />
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Our legislature has been derelict in its duties, asleep at
the wheel, or perhaps worse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You will hear that it spends a huge proportion of state
revenues on K-12 education funding. This used to be called public education
funding, but it has morphed into funding for Charter Schools and private
school vouchers as well. One might also argue the “huge proportion” merely
reflects how little it invests in other needs; roads, bridges, public
transportation, higher education, and the like. But to put it in perspective, Indiana
currently ranks 36<sup>th</sup> in the nation in per pupil expenditure (PPE). In
2004-05 Indiana ranked 13<sup>th</sup>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
how far we have fallen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Historically, school funding has most often been derived
from property taxes. This has led to many inequities. At first blush, having
the state collect and disburse these monies would seem to address this problem.
But the devil is always in the details.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although the funds were pooled, they were still based upon
property tax revenue. That pool shrank when the so-called Circuit Breaker
measure was adopted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to make sure that
it would be extraordinarily difficult to make adjustments should problems arise
(as they have) the measure was quickly enshrined into the state Constitution. Facing
this steadily decreasing funding, Indiana school corporations find themselves
back where they started. Gaps must be filled by local property tax levies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why did this happen? <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Hoosier legislature is fixated on austerity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s never the plan to explore increasing
revenue to address urgent issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s always
the plan to “teach them to make do with less”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This policy has led to our decreased standard of living, higher infant
mortality, decreased lifespans, etc. But there’s something else at work, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are folks who want public education to fail - either because
of ideology or profit incentives. Their goal is to choke down funding,
de-professionalize teaching, and end the meager union protections left to
teachers and staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They block public
accountability to private and charter schools, allow exceptions for charters in
the state grading system, allow charters to buy school corporation buildings
for $1 – all strategies to weaken traditional public schools. Like all
opportunistic feeders, they only succeed if someone else fails.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Charter schools typically contract for services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Food service, maintenance, etc. are performed
by for-profit companies (often owned by the same folks who run the school)
which are often closely held chains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
major expense for these companies is labor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ll let you draw your own conclusions as to what this means for
employees.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A local example has recently emerged – a group I’ll refer to
as South Bend No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These happen to be some
of the folks behind the only currently operating charter schools (Success and
Career Academies) in South Bend. They claim that they want the public schools and
their students to succeed, but if that were the case you might think they would
leave it up to citizens to decide for themselves as to the merits of the
referenda. Instead, they have real skin in the game to defeat it; including a
full-time staffer, a hired media company, yard signs, and the like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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They claim great results in their schools, but they leave
out some details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to poor
performance, Career Academy’s original sponsor Ball State dropped them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were able to attract a more compliant
Trine University to take over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By eventually
splitting into three schools, they were not only afforded a reset of state
accountability, they also are qualified to apply for three nearly $1M federal “charter
expansion grants” (administered by the state). We don’t know much else about
their finances because they are not subject to public review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the main point is that they play with
different rules than your public schools.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m voting in favor of the referenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our community cannot prosper without an
effective public school system that can offer a variety of learning and growth opportunities
for our young residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SBCSC has made some
impressive strides given the conditions it operates under, but if we don’t stop
the bleeding the patient will die. We clearly can’t count on the state to do what’s
right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has to be us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Don Wheeler hosts the Facebook page Michiana Advocates For
Public Education and serves on the Finance Advisory Committee of the South Bend
Empowerment Zone.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-9281390014119759812020-01-22T18:19:00.000-05:002020-01-24T09:23:04.409-05:00A fox in the hen house?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">“It could bring more students back to Washington, give students more opportunity and we could end up with some financial benefit,” Cummings said. “Should the board choose not to do this, take $7,000 per student and that 125 will go to (Purdue Polytechnic). We will lose those students.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">These are the words of the South Bend Community School Corporation Superintendent Todd Cummings in support of an "Innovation School" collaboration with Purdue Polytechnic High School, recently approved for a charter in South Bend.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This is the same man that actively courted PPHS to come here, and offered the only public comment on record in support of charter authorization. Once that was accomplished, he pivoted to a "Now they're here - we better make the best of it" narrative. This would be the best of it, according to him. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(<i>Or: Nice little school Corporation you have there. It'd be a shame if something should happen to it.)</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">It would seem as though the guy we hired to bolster and protect public education in South Bend actively sought to infiltrate it. As though privatizing was his agenda in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">And think about who is behind this whole scheme of "a nationwide network of charter high schools providing a conduit of students to the Purdue Polytechnic University program" (per their charter application). Mitch Daniels. The guy who sold the Toll Road, leaving us with inadequate revenue to maintain our state roads and bridges. The guy who assured us the Iraq war would be paid for via income tax cuts.<br /><br />Neither of these gents inspire much trust at this point.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">PPHS will struggle to attract students. It offers an inferior program. The have had trouble attracting students in Indianapolis - a city much larger than South Bend. If we "hook up", we could be on the hook for the excessive cost per student that results from this.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Just say no.</span></div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-73446471287665475472019-12-18T10:50:00.001-05:002019-12-18T10:50:59.220-05:00A poor fit for South Bend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk25677868"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You likely were unaware that on
Thursday November 21 a hearing was held for public comment on the application
for a proposed Purdue Polytechnic Charter High School (PPHS) in South Bend.</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Despite
there being only one public comment of support, the rest in opposition, the
Board later approved the charter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I thought the community might want to know a bit about
what’s coming<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">PPHS indicates its need for being is to help a “target
student population” of “underrepresented minority students” - particularly west
side residents, with a STEM type program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It goes on to say that this group is fed on to Washington High School
and implies that Washington is in some way defective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In South Bend, any High School student can choose to attend
any of the four High Schools with provided transportation. Riley has a robust
STEM program already, and Washington’s most recent state grade was a C -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>average. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I do know from my time as a CASA and having lived here 28
years, students in this group often suffer from deficits in reading and writing
skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without rectifying those issues,
any learning will be difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
application offered no awareness of this problem, let alone any strategy to
address it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The part of their approach they spend the most time
explaining sounds pretty similar to Project Based learning programs which
failed at the short-lived New Tech High School here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is now the focus of a magnet program at
Jackson Middle School, where perhaps it will do better. The other 50% of students’
grades come from “online learning” and testing via Edmentum. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Online K-12 education has a dubious record generally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the problem with trying to research
Edmentum on a Google search is that they wrote almost everything that appears
in the results. Not particularly helpful. And if this program is aimed at a
group with struggling readers, what is the likely efficacy of online
self-education for a student with poor reading/comprehension skills? That isn’t
explained.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Perplexingly, the program they offer also requires students
to make a lifetime career decision in the 10<sup>th</sup> grade, with scheduled
reaffirmations. How many people do you know who felt capable of making that
decision at age 15?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of that group,
for how many did that actually work out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reviewing the course list, one discovers very narrow
offerings. No arts instruction of any kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No dance, theatre, visual arts, vocal music, instrumental music – in
fact, I could find nothing inviting individual creativity at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Public education aspires to help our children grow into
informed, productive, and at least reasonably comfortable citizens. Arts
education is critical for this. Programs such as PPHS’ are designed to produce
workers for a specific industry, and nothing more. Additionally, they reveal
that their long term objective is to create a nation-wide network of “Charter
Schools that will serve as an academic feeder system to Purdue University”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what is the track record of this program? The reality is
that it has less than three years of experience in Indianapolis, no graduates,
and only one testing experience involving a very small number of students. It
has had a difficult time with its enrollment goals in a city much bigger than
South Bend. At this point, it can best be described as an experimental program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Knowing all this, it was a stunner to discover that our
public school corporation Superintendent helped this privately managed program
to take root here and that he has been in negotiation for months with them for
an alliance with SBCSC. That would work great for PPHS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would give them better access for
recruiting, but those students would likely already be SBCSC students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the goals aren’t met, the program might
add expense, rather than revenue. In any case, it would tend to give the
program a sense of legitimacy it has not up to now been able to earn on its
own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ll confess to some discomfort with placing our children
in the position of guinea pigs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
experiment is already under way in Indianapolis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that we should allow enough time to
evaluate the results before endorsing an alliance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to make good decisions without good
data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-19528117867266537852019-12-13T12:49:00.000-05:002019-12-13T12:57:08.261-05:00Public Comments re: the proposed Purdue Polytechnic High School of South Bend IN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>South Bend Community School Corporation Purdue
Polytechnic High School</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i>What follows is a complete accounting of comments for the record regarding the establishment of this charter school. The hearing comments were poorly transcribed and are difficult to follow - except for Linda Wolfson's. Ms Wolfson cleverly supplied them a written copy of her remarks.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>After the meeting comments, comments by email and letter follow.</i></span></div>
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Hearing held – South Bend November 21, 2019 <o:p></o:p></div>
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Type Purdue Polytechnic High School – South Bend <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Hearing Comments </b><o:p></o:p>1 in support, 3 in opposition. 3 minute limit</div>
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<b>Laurie McGowan</b> • I am opposed to this application for
many reasons. They have an unproven model, no graduates from their Indianapolis
school, the situation of the South Bend district, and the proposed referendum
upcoming. This seems like adding a risky venture. We are currently scrambling
to get our schools the way they are. The model in the application (authentic
learning, cognitive concepts) I’m fairly certain is already being applied in
our schools. We already have 20 CTE programs in SBCSC. This school could be
duplicating or possibly draining resources. I reviewed the application and
something that troubles me is the use of marketing speak. The one that gets me
is 21st Century skills. We are already 20 years in, this target student
population has not existed in any other century. I want more detail and more
data. I think this concept is great to talk about, a few years from now when we
have data, particularly from the schools already operating in Indy.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Todd Cummings, Superintendent South Bend Community School
Corporation</b> • As South Bend Superintendent, on behalf of the SBCSC Board, I
am thrilled to report we are progressing toward a partnership with Purdue
Polytechnic. We are hoping this is one of the first Purdue Polytechnic High
Schools to enter into a partnership with. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Don Wheeler </b>• I reviewed the application online and
had some concerns. The application didn’t show a real understanding of the area
stating that all west side students feed into Washington, and that Washington
is a deficit. Washington is at a C average and students have choices to pick
from. The project based learning programs sound promising, but Riley High
School already offers those. Half of the grade is spent online testing, that
seems like a lot of computer time. I noticed their curriculum is being handled
by Edmentum. If you Google the, the only things that come up are items that
they have published. The application written can best be described as an
experimental program, the applicant’s current school has less than three years
if data and a small number of students. There is no way to predicate success
here. As a parent of a high school student I feel discomfort about this
application. It’s already underway in Indianapolis, but without data it is hard
to make a good decision. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Linda Wolfson</b> • My name is Linda Wolfson. Thank you
for the opportunity to comment about the possible impact of the proposed Purdue
Polytechnic High School South Bend. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The views I will share have been developed
by important life experiences. I am the mother of children who were educated
within the South Bend Community School Corporation. I am a retired high school
teacher. I taught within the South Bend Community School Corporation. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teaching
was a second career for me. After completing a B.A. in Biology, I was employed
for more than 20 years in medical research laboratories, first at the
University of Pittsburgh and then at Georgetown University Hospital in
Washington, D.C. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the birth of my youngest child, I completed a Teacher
Certification Program at Bowie State College in Maryland. Subsequently, we
relocated to South Bend and I joined the Science faculty at John Adams High
School. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because of my experiences in research laboratories, my Principal at
Adams asked me to play a leading role in developing a Tech Prep program at
Adams. Tech Prep was a federally funded, inter-disciplinary program designed
for students who were underachieving in traditional classes. I used
project-based learning and incorporated exciting field trips to work sites
applying biological concepts and methods. Those were my most successful years
of teaching. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that my employment experiences, especially my
involvement with the Tech Prep program, give me an important perspective with
which to evaluate the program of Purdue Polytechnic High School. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I learned
about the possible Purdue Polytechnic High School, I was excited by its
possibilities. I thought I might be able to support it, despite the fact that
it is a charter school and I am a solid advocate for supporting and improving
the SBCSC. I read the application carefully, looking for the answers to two
key questions. How will it impact our school corporation and will it offer our
students opportunities that we can't provide? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our school corporation lost 700
students last year to charter schools in South Bend, to surrounding school
districts, and to private schools benefiting from Indiana's voucher program.
That had a significant effect upon the amount of money that the Corporation
received from the State of Indiana. How could the loss of up to 100 students to
a new charter be good for our Corporation? It would not and therefore I cannot
support this application. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be fair, the options provided by policies of the
Indiana State Legislature are not the only reason that parents choose other
than traditional public-school options for their children. For many years,
education activists in South Bend area identified problems that need to be
addressed in our local schools. Some problems have been or are being corrected.
I believe that others can and will be. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My second question, as I reviewed the
application, was whether Purdue Polytechnic would provide opportunities for our
students that we can't afford to pass up. I don't think so. We currently have a
medical magnet at Washington H.S., an engineering magnet at Riley High School,
more than 20 CTE (Community and Technical) programs that have the option of
earning dual credits at either Ivy Tech or Vincennes University, or earning
industry certifications in a technical and STEM-related fields. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The application
for Purdue Polytechnic promises that it would serve as an "academic feeder
system for Purdue University." The expectation expressed is that "Out
of our initial class of 150 freshman students, we expect that over two-thirds
of them will meet the criteria to be admitted to Purdue University." The
application states that "students who meet the minimum targets of the SAT
or ACT will receive direct admittance to the Purdue Polytechnic Institute in
West Lafayette. Others will be admitted to one of 9 other campuses, one of
which is located in South Bend. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I believe in high expectations. However, I
cannot trust expectations without any supporting evidence. There are currently
two Purdue Polytechnic High Schools in Indianapolis. One is very new and,
according to news reports, is having difficulty recruiting students. The high
school located in the center of the City has not yet had time to graduate its
first class. We don't yet know if they have successfully met their promise to
serve as an academic feeder system for Purdue. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I don't believe in making what
could be empty promises, especially to our children. For these reasons, I
encourage you to deny the charter application for a Purdue Polytechnic High
School in South Bend. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Email comments</b> 0 in support, 7 in opposition<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Julia Hyde</b> • South Bend high schools are losing
enrollment, they have seat space in their high schools for at least 2000
students. Adding another high school to SB is a waste of money and resources.
Also, PU Polytechnic in Indianapolis has not met their projections for
enrollment. What’s the proof SB would be different?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Laurie McGowan</b>
• Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed PPHS in South Bend.
I attended the 11/21 public meeting in South Bend. The 3- minute comment rule
was not announced anywhere in advance and some who had prepared remarks were
silenced by strict adherence to this rule, even though there were few in
attendance and the meeting was quite short. </div>
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<br /></div>
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For the sake of open and
transparent communication, I would like to suggest that ICSB consider and adopt
the following standards for future charter proposals (from the IPS Community
Coalition's Recommendations for Innovation Application and Approval Process):
Applications due at least 18 months prior to school year school will start as
charter. There must be at least 6 months of community meetings with a minimum
of 8 meetings before charter application can be approved by the district board.
At least 90 days prior to 1st board presentation, all applications must be available
in full for review on the district board website. </div>
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I am opposed to the proposed
PPHS charter in South Bend at this time for the following reasons: </div>
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<br /></div>
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1. SBCSC
students already have access to over 20 CTE programs that include team and
applied workplace learning. There is no analysis that identifies a specific
need for this program. It is a marketing effort in order to recruit minority
and low-income students into the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. </div>
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<br /></div>
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2. Neither of
the existing Purdue Polytechnic High Schools in Indianapolis has produced a
graduating class. There is not sufficient evidence that this model is effective
or efficient. SBCSC is already coping with fiscal shortfalls. It is imprudent
to add an unproven model to a system that is already stretched thin by budget
constraints. </div>
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<br /></div>
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3. “Like many cities, an unacceptably small number of South Bend’s
students of color and students navigating poverty have the opportunity to
succeed in today’s workforce or pursue higher education. Despite their skills
and potential, many of these students attended high schools that currently do
not provide programs that support their success.” This kind of rhetoric is not
the substance one would expect to see in an application. PPHS wishes to justify
its entry here based on a faulty premise that SB high schools “do not provide
programs that support their success”. PPHS in South Bend is at this time
unneeded and unwanted. “PPHS South Bend will adopt a blending of secondary and
post-secondary education with an infusion of industry leadership and
participation. PPHS South Bend will utilize a rigorous STEM design-based
curriculum delivered in career-focused learning environment.” This is
capricious marketing-speak. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. The program overview is intriguing but
peer-reviewed studies that accurately describe and document successful outcomes
from the proposed model would be in order before taking action. </div>
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<br /></div>
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5. The
narrative implies that there is no project-based learning going on in SBCSC.
Several of the CTE programs employ this type of learning so the claim is
inaccurate. Further, both project-based- and problem-based-learning are
commonly taught instructional methods in today’s Schools of Education. Some
teachers are regularly applying these methods, though not in formal or
publicized programs. </div>
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<br /></div>
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6. PPHS in Indianapolis has had difficulty in meeting
enrollment goals.
(https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/purduepolytechnic-high-school-north-posts-low-enrollment-data-asks-community-partners-for-help)
This gives the appearance that expansion into South Bend is an attempt to make
up for the deficit in Indianapolis. Unfortunate remarks by Mitch Daniels
recently went viral in the Twitterverse. Aside from the perceived racism, they
further lead one to believe that PPHS is a well-funded marketing effort to recruit
Pell Grant students to some Purdue programs. Commitment to the well-being of
the students and their successful educational outcomes is not evident.
Further, Daniels is already pivoting toward adult workforce education in his
remarks. As a South Bend community member, I am concerned that PPHS is just
another short-term revenue stream that would benefit stealth investors more
than it would enhance the educational experience of any potential South Bend
students. The local business supporters of the application were few and very
limited in representation of local industry. The application infers that there
will be agreements with additional Purdue schools but these are not yet
concrete. Similarly, there are no definite agreements with local industry for on-site
learning and/or internships. Indiana took a large hit (over $40 million) due to
the failure of the Indiana Virtual Academy. This, combined with other recent
charter school failures, indicates a greater need for stewardship of our scarce
educational resources. It is difficult to imagine that anyone with fiduciary or
other stewardship responsibility for public funds would agree to this charter
in its current unsubstantiated state. Certainly the stakeholders in South Bend
are not interested in offering their students’ valuable secondary educational
years for an unproven experiment. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7. The PPHS proposal ignores the NAACP’s
moratorium on charter school expansion. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Thank you in advance for your careful
consideration of these issues. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Don Wheeler</b> • I am a 28 year resident of South Bend
and the father of a Junior at John Adams High School. I served as a Court
Appointed Special Advocate for children for about seven years. I have also
volunteered as a mentor in the South Bend Community School Corporation. As my daughter
approached school age I began to look deeply into public education and
attendant issues nationwide. I am also quite familiar with the operations of
our local schools and have written quite a bit about that. I am currently a
member of the Finance Committee of the recently formed west side Empowerment
Zone. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
South Bend had the first Indiana Charter School – Veritas Academy. It and
the later Xavier Academy both were ultimately unsuccessful. There is one K-12
Charter company in operation currently – seemingly ignored in the application
you are considering. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The applicant indicates its need for being is to help a
“target student population” of “underrepresented minority students” -
particularly west side residents. It goes on to say that this group is fed on to
Washington High School and implies (without detail) that Washington is in some
way defective. In South Bend, any High School student can choose to attend any
of the four High Schools with provided transportation. And as the applicant
acknowledges, Washington’s most recent state grade was a C. Average. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I do know
from my time as a CASA and having lived here 28 years, students in this group
often suffer from deficits in reading and writing skills. Without rectifying
those issues, any learning will be difficult. The application offers no
awareness of this problem, let alone any strategy to address it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The part of
their approach they spend the most time explaining sounds pretty similar to
Project Based learning programs which failed at the short-lived New Tech High
School here. It is now the focus of a magnet program at Jackson Middle School,
where perhaps it will do better. That component also includes working in a
local business. While I don’t dispute that these internships (as they refer to
them) would have value, they would also seem likely to be a handful to manage –
given the necessarily small staff of a school of 100 students per grade level.
Recruiting worthy businesses and monitoring these situations for each student
would seem to require a significant investment in time. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The other 50% of
students’ grades come from online testing via Edmentum. The implication is that
students will spend half of their time “e-learning”. Online K12 education has a
dubious record generally. And the problem with researching Edmentum on a Google
search is that they wrote almost everything that appears in the results. Most
of that is about how much money they raise or make. Not helpful. And if this
program is aimed at a group with struggling readers, what is the likely efficacy
of online self-education for a student with poor reading/comprehension skills?
That isn’t explained. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Perplexingly, the program they offer also requires
students to make a lifetime career decision in the 10th grade, with scheduled
reaffirmations. How many people do you know who felt capable of making that
decision at age 15? And of that group, for how many did that actually work
out? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reviewing the course list, one discovers very narrow offerings. No team
sports. No arts instruction of any kind. No dance, theater, visual arts, vocal
music, instrumental music – in fact, nothing inviting individual creativity at
all. Public education aspires to help our children grow into informed,
productive, and at least reasonably comfortable citizens. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Programs such as these
are designed to produce workers for a specific industry, and nothing more. In
fact, they reveal that their long term objective is to create a nation-wide
network of “Charter Schools that will serve as an academic feeder system to
Purdue University” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But even if you think all that is OK, the application is
written as though the applicant has decades of experience, fabulous test scores
to tout, hundreds of graduates, and alums with high paying, rewarding careers.
The reality is that it has had less than three years of experience, no
graduates, and only one testing experience involving a very small number of
students. It has had difficulty with the same enrollment goals in a much bigger
city than South Bend. A</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
t this point, it can best be described as an experimental
program. I’ll confess to some discomfort with placing our children in the
position of guinea pigs in this experiment. The experiment is already under way
in Indianapolis. I think that we should allow enough time to evaluate the
results before endorsing an expansion. It’s hard to make good decisions without
good data. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Cathy Fuentes – Rohwer</b> • I have deep concerns about
expanding Purdue Poly to South Bend when they clearly have not fulfilled their
enrollment or promise in Indy. The responsible thing to do would be to see that
the school in Indy has fulfilled its promises first before further expansion.
We also really should consider what opening another school via a charter--and
thus spreading even thinner the limited resources for South Bend public schools---
would do to those public schools that are already struggling. Please vote 'no'
on Purdue Poly. Thanks for your consideration. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Kristin McMurtrey</b> • Please consider a full stop on
approving more school applications at a time when Indiana is not able to fully
fund the schools it has. Thank you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Dakota Hudelson</b> • I ask that you vote against
allowing Purdue Poly to South Bend. It hasn’t fulfilled its enrollment promise
in Indianapolis. Furthermore, the expansion of charter schools into any
community destabilizes the local public schools, and the impact can be
substantial. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Deborah Myerson</b> • I also have deep concerns about expanding Purdue
Poly to South Bend. They clearly have not fulfilled their enrollment or promise
in Indy. The responsible thing to to do would be to see that the school in Indy
has fulfilled its promises first before further expansion. We also really
should consider how opening another school via a charter in South Bend--and
thus spreading even thinner the limited resources for South Bend public
schools- --would impact those public schools that are already struggling.
Please vote 'no' on Purdue Poly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Letters </b>1<b> </b>in opposition </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Dalila Huerta</b> • I am writing to you today to express
my disapproval of the proposed Purdue Polytechnic High School South Bend (PPHS
South Bend). I am appalled that our local district superintendent, Dr. Todd
Cummings, is in full support of this charter school, and urge you to consider
why you should NOT approve the PPHS South Bend’s presence in our community. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To
begin, I question the application’s insistence that there exists a need for a
STEM-based charter school in our community (p. 2), particularly to recruit our
West side students. Perhaps the charter applicants are unaware and/or have
failed to conduct appropriate community research, but the South Bend Community
School Corporation already offers Project Lead the Way (PLTW), Career and
Technical Education (CTE), and Medical and Engineering Magnet programs
throughout its district. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the Southeast neighborhood Riley High School is
the dedicated STEM-focused school, ALL students from our district are eligible
to apply. Therefore, West side students already have access to a high-quality
STEM program, making PPHS South Bend a redundant effort. Additionally, and
perhaps more importantly, I reject the application’s claim that PPHS South Bend
will be well equipped to provide an adequate education for its target
population of “underrepresented minority students” as it never lists ANY
evidence of cultural competency training in its proposal. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Evidence of
Capacity for the School Governance (p. 8) lists experience in the areas of
school leadership and administration governance; curriculum, instruction, and
assessment; financial business HR; performance management; parent and community
engagement; facilities management; and legal compliance only––no mention of
cultural competency, educational equity, or implicit bias training present. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
listed qualifications for the future school principal (p. 10) likewise neglect
to include cultural competency training as a basic requirement. Furthermore,
while the application mentions that “[p]rior to charter authorization, the
school leader will work closely with community organizations” (pp. 42–43), no
such evidence of collaboration is found in the application outside of
recruiting efforts. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How will this school be equipped to oversee culturally
responsive education for our students given this lacking set of skills and
priorities and nonexistent community connections? Additionally, mentions of
being a “restorative” school (p. 40) are undermined by the pitiful list of
professional development opportunities offered before and AFTER the school
opens. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any worthwhile education professional would be insulted by the meager
one-time training in Restorative Practices, Trauma-Informed care, and Mental
Health First Aid that the proposed schedule offers (pp. 52–53). These are not
things you can learn in a single workshop or even a full day, but the careless
treatment of crucial educational competencies belies the fact that these
leaders are not and will not be well equipped to equitably meet the needs of
our students. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Educational equity is NOT attained by simply modeling “diversity”
and “respect,” or only through “positive interactions,” or merely understanding
cultural differences as the application implies on pages 28–29––a fact made
glaringly obvious by the authors’ misappropriated use of the culturally and
religiously significant term “Dojo” throughout the application. Is this the
type of school our community should trust? Where are the extensive trainings on
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), implicit bias, anti-racism, and cultural
competency? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a Restorative Justice Circle keeper and trainer, cultural
educator, and parent, I am horrified that anyone would be asked to entrust
their child to the care and “mentoring” of educators who have not received
adequate training, or to leaders who deem these skills and competencies to be
unimportant and unnecessary. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fact the PPHS South Bend students would earn
admittance to Purdue University only furthers my concern and amplifies the
harmful environment to which we would subject our students. Recruiting students
for the sake of “diversity” does not lead to equitable outcomes, but only
exposes our students to further racial violence and stress. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do not wish for
our South Bend students to be treated as “rare creatures” in this charter
school or in the future at Purdue University, and I sincerely hope that you use
your power to ensure that our students are not mistreated at the hands of
ill-equipped educators and leaders. These highlighted issues are certainly
issues that can be addressed and even perhaps rectified with dedicated time and
effort, but I would never trust an organization who does not prioritize the
cultural wellbeing of its students and community from the beginning to be able
to carry out the immense work of educational equity. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please do not allow PPHS
South Bend to cause further harm to our students and please oppose the opening
of a new ill-equipped charter school in our community.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-74936851429116157442019-11-26T12:17:00.000-05:002019-11-27T12:19:04.204-05:00Let's see how it does, first<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">This was my public comment to the Indiana Charter School authorization board in regard to the application of a proposed Purdue Polytechnic High School, South Bend.</span><br />
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<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I am a 28 year resident of South Bend and the father of a
Junior at John Adams High School. I served as a Court Appointed Special
Advocate for children for about seven years.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I have also volunteered as a mentor in the South Bend Community School Corporation.</span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>As my daughter approached school age I began to look deeply
into public education and attendant issues nationwide. I am also quite familiar with the operations
of our local schools and have written quite a bit about that.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>I am currently a member of the Finance Committee of the
recently formed west side Empowerment Zone.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">South Bend had the first Indiana Charter School – Veritas Academy. It and the later Xavier Academy both were
ultimately unsuccessful. There is one K-12
Charter company in operation currently. Oddly its Career Academy High School is omitted from the applicant's listing of area schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The applicant indicates its need for being is to help a “target
student population” of “underrepresented minority students” - particularly west
side residents.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It goes on to say that
this group is fed on to Washington High School and implies (without detail)
that Washington is in some way defective.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In South Bend, any High School student can choose to attend
any of the four High Schools with provided transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as the applicant acknowledges, Washington’s
most recent state grade was a C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Average.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I do know from my time as a CASA and having lived here 28
years, students in this group often suffer from deficits in reading and writing
skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without rectifying those issues,
any learning will be difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
application offers no awareness of this problem, let alone any strategy to
address it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The part of their approach they spend the most time
explaining sounds pretty similar to Project Based learning programs which failed
at the short-lived New Tech High School here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is now the focus of a magnet program at Jackson Middle School, where
perhaps it will do better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
component also includes working in a local business. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The other 50% of students’
grades come from online testing via Edmentum. The implication is that students
will spend half of their time “e-learning”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While I don’t dispute that these internships (as they refer to them) would have value, they would also seem likely to be a handful to manage – given the necessarily small staff of a school of 100 students per grade level. Recruiting worthy businesses and monitoring these situations for each student would seem to require a significant investment in time.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In regard to the second component, online K-12 education has a dubious record generally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the problem with researching Edmentum on
a Google search is that they wrote almost everything that appears in the results.
Most of that is about how much money they raise or make. Not helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And if this program is aimed at a group with struggling
readers, what is the likely efficacy of online self-education for a student
with poor reading/comprehension skills? That isn’t explained.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Perplexingly, the program they offer also requires students
to make a lifetime career decision in the 10<sup>th</sup> grade, with scheduled
reaffirmations. How many people do you know who felt capable of making that decision
at age 15?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of that group, for how
many did that actually work out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reviewing the course list, one discovers very narrow
offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No team sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No arts instruction of any kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No dance, theater, visual arts, vocal music,
instrumental music – in fact, nothing inviting individual creativity at all. Research is very clear that these non-STEM components of education are critically import to a student's educational experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Public education aspires to help our children grow into
informed, productive, and at least reasonably comfortable citizens. Programs such as Purdue Polytechnic's are designed to produce workers for a specific industry, and
nothing more. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">In fact, they reveal that their long term objective is to
create a nation-wide network of “Charter Schools that will serve as an academic
feeder system to Purdue University”</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But even if you think all that is OK, the application is written
as though the applicant has decades of experience, fabulous test scores to tout,
hundreds of graduates, and alums with high paying, rewarding careers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality is that it has had less than three
years of experience, no graduates, and only one testing experience involving a
very small number of students. It has had difficultly with the same enrollment goals in Indianapolis - a much bigger city than South Bend. At this point, it can best be described as an
experimental program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ll confess to some discomfort with placing our children
in the position of guinea pigs in this experiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experiment is already under way in
Indianapolis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that we should
allow enough time to evaluate the results before endorsing an expansion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to make good decisions without good
data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don Wheeler</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">South Bend</span></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-5363062311591006862017-12-18T13:18:00.001-05:002017-12-18T13:18:37.532-05:00Indiana DCS Director resigns, or, Forget the nice things I said about Eric Holcomb<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"I feel I am unable
to protect children because of the position taken by your staff to cut funding
and services to children in the midst of the opioid crisis," Mary Beth
Bonaventura wrote in a Dec. 12 letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb. "I choose to
resign, rather than be complicit in decreasing the safety, permanency </span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">and
well-being of children who have nowhere else to turn."</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This from our Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services
– the last line of defense for our most vulnerable citizens. And so that there is no misunderstanding
about how serious this situation is, she warned <span style="background: #FAFAFA; color: #333333;">that a continuation of its policies will "all but
ensure children will die." </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some may think she overstates, but I am not one who
does. I was a Court Appointed Special
Advocate for Children (CASA) for almost seven years. My tenure spanned the tail end of James Payne’s
administration and the early years of Ms. Bonaventura’s. Payne’s tenure can be
characterized by impossible workloads for caseworkers and the pride in which he
took in failing to spend all the resources given his dramatically underfunded
department. And, as <span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a;">The
Indianapolis Star reported, Payne waged a behind-the-scenes fight to discredit
and derail his agency's recommendations in a case involving his own family. Nine
months later, DCS pushed to end the neglect case and permanently reunite the
children with their mother.</span> Payne resigned when this became public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The appointment of Bonaventura provided both a breath of
fresh air and a shot of adrenaline to a cash-strapped and mightily discouraged
department. With a professional child
advocate at the helm, morale picked up and the legislature was convinced to
both allocate more resources and impose maximum caseload limits. It all seemed so promising to those of us who
worked with these families.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Alas, it was a mirage. The caseload statute was politely
ignored. Workload dropped slightly for a
while, but then many questionable “cost saving measures” were implemented – in the
end, the department didn’t have the funds to comply with the statute. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To my chagrin, it seems things took a turn for the (even)
worse in the Holcomb administration. Holcomb
appointed Eric Miller as her department chief of staff in Bonaventura’s words because
“he was an asset during the campaign”. Miller has no professional background in
the field – he appears by his LinkedIn profile to be a GOP favored bureaucrat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Indianapolis Star noted in its report: “<span style="background: #FAFAFA; color: #333333;">Using the position and authority given
by Holcomb's office, Bonaventura argued, Miller has engineered his own hires,
bullied subordinates, created a hostile work environment, exposed the agency to
lawsuits, overridden her decisions, been 'brazenly
insubordinate" and made cost-cutting decisions without her knowledge. She
said her attempts to "rein him in" haven't been supported.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meanwhile, the ranks of Children In Need of Services
(CHINS) swell and swell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s hard not to see a parallel of what the talented Glenda
Ritz was forced to deal with in the Department of Education. Highly qualified, highly motivated,
professional women were undermined; thus, prevented from doing their jobs
successfully. And both seemed to have been gaslighted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was an Advocate, there were over 1000 children in
need of services in St. Joseph County alone. Extrapolating from state statistics
I would guess there must be at least 1200 at this point. These are infants to late teen-aged kids who
have suffered abuse or neglect – ranging in small ways to horrific. It is not
OK to wash our hands of this, or write these kids off. They require our full attention,
our best efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many can be successfully reunited with their family. But this requires professional services. We need DCS caseworkers to monitor
conditions. We need counselors who can
build relationship skills for both the children and adults involved. We need CASAs who can help connect kids and
families with available resources, make sure that if individual education plans
(IEPs) are warranted – they are implemented, and that the child’s best
interests are represented in Probate Court proceedings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For older kids, smooth transition to higher education or
work life is critical. There are some fine programs in existence, but people
are needed to familiarize clients with what is available, line up transitional
housing, and follow up on their progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And we need the best person available to be in charge of
all this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span>
<a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/12/18/dcs-director-warns-governor-his-offices-policies-systemically-put-children-risk/959892001/">https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/12/18/dcs-director-warns-governor-his-offices-policies-systemically-put-children-risk/959892001/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indiana-department-of-child-services-director-james-payne-resigns-amid-ethical-questions">https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indiana-department-of-child-services-director-james-payne-resigns-amid-ethical-questions</a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-9689397845471308472017-01-16T09:57:00.001-05:002017-01-16T09:57:16.038-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In 2007 John Edwards delivered a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the historic Riverside Church in New York City.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3RKyl2vL_xU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8oFsVvmHzLc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N3oV0Y6VrL4" width="560"></iframe></div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-84376498862867425512016-05-02T14:33:00.002-04:002016-05-02T14:39:30.986-04:00Not In Our Back Yard!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Remarks as prepared for the Indiana Charter School Board hearing later today in South Bend, Indiana</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A major
drawback for citizens is that much of what goes on in the realm of charter
schools is hidden from view. But the
little I have been able to learn about TeamCFA is not encouraging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 2006
TeamCFA opened the Challenge Foundation Academy in Indianapolis. At its first audit the State Board of
Accounts discovered significant problems: School lunch reports were late and none of the
applications were verified – this cost the Indianapolis school district real
money. Purchases lacked documentation
and employees were paid improperly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For unknown
reasons TeamCFA withdrew its affiliation with this school in 2014. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TeamCFA took
over leadership of two Indianapolis schools in 2011 after then-Mayor Greg
Ballard’s office declined to renew their charters. Four years later Ball State University
decided to close them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last year
Team CFA opened the Indianapolis Academy of Excellence – which attracted only
85 students in grades K-4. Fifteen were old enough to take ISTEP. None of them
passed it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TeamCFA hews
to the dubious “No Excuses” mantra in its schools. The use of the word “academy” (which appears in
all their schools’ names) implies a college prep school. But as Joanne W. Golann, an education
researcher at Princeton, wrote of this approach recently in a school she
studied closely: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I found
that in trying to prepare students for college, the school failed to teach
students the skills and behaviors to help them succeed in college. In a tightly
regulated environment, students learned to monitor themselves, hold back their
opinions, and defer to authority.
Colleges expect students to take charge of their learning and to advocate for
themselves. </span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a new era
of accountability, schools are creating *worker-learners* to (appear to) close
the achievement gap. Schools are emphasizing obedience because they need to
create order to raise test scores . . . “ </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Chalkbeat Indiana
has found that “When it comes to charter schools in Indianapolis, test scores
suggest the locally managed schools outdo those that are part of national
networks.” South Bend has several such charter schools
already in operation. These are unlike
TeamCFA who has encountered problems with citizens in Phoenix and North
Carolina who feel that corporate charter schools are
undemocratic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Research has
consistently shown that on average charters perform no better than traditional
public schools. As regards the ICSB guiding principles, TeamCFA
would seem to be lacking in excellence in leadership, innovative approaches,
and particularly in transparent accountability.
And some of the Challenge Foundation leaders, particularly their founder
John D Bryan, make no secret of their desire to privatize public education in
the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At a minimum
it would be prudent to see if progress is made in their new Indianapolis school
before they take on a new city. I ask
that you deny their application.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-42467009912708284342016-03-11T16:02:00.002-05:002016-03-11T16:02:13.221-05:00TeamCFA 's first charter school in Indy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="color: blue;">Don Wheeler</span></b><br />
<br />
As we noted in <a href="http://www.southbendprogressive.org/2016/02/corporate-education-to-arrive-in-south.html" target="_blank">Corporate Education To Arrive In South Bend</a> 2017 TeamCFA intends to open a K-8 Charter school in downtown South Bend in 2017.<br />
<br />
In the South Bend Tribune <a href="http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/education/another-new-charter-school-coming-to-south-bend/article_3aeea772-3ea2-5a9e-9ed1-3e3562aec193.html" target="_blank">story </a>it was noted that TeamCFA currently operates the Indianapolis Academy of Excellence - which opened in 2014. But it turns out that they have been involved in charter school administration in Indy prior to this.<br />
<br />
In 2006 TeamCFA opened the Challenge Foundation Academy at 3980 Meadows Dr. For reasons unknown, <a href="http://avondalemeadowsacademy.com/about-us/" target="_blank">it became uninvolved</a> in 2014 - though the re-named school is still in operation.<br />
<br />
Doug Martin, author of <a href="http://hoosierschoolheist.com/" target="_blank">Hoosier School Heist</a>, explains the genesis of this school <a href="http://btownerrant.com/2012/04/15/libertarian-charter-school-indianapolis/" target="_blank">in great detail</a>. His investigation discovered that one of the Challenge Foundation's (the parent organization of TeamCFA) strategies is to couple with other interested parties to achieve its goals.<br />
<br />
I speculated in my earlier piece that the gentrification of downtown South Bend might be an attraction to TeamCFA. After reading of CFA's coming to fruition, it seems <a href="http://btownerrant.com/2011/09/16/warren-buffett-and-corporate-school-reformers-to-gentrifycharterize-indianapolis-and-other-cities/" target="_blank">a near certainty</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">As mayor in 2006, Peterson had approved Strategic Capital Partners’ proposal to build the Challenge Foundation Academy in Indianapolis’ Avondale Meadows district. At the Indy charter, which was honored by Indiana superintendent of public instruction,Tony Bennett, in 2010, two SCP members still sit on the board of directors, Gene Zink, the leader of the Avondale Meadows gentrification project, and Charles J. Garcia, who has also directed the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) which with Conexus Indiana offers online degree programs to “prepare Hoosiers for manufacturing and logistics careers.”</span></blockquote>
The Avondale Meadows charter was intended to be part of what is called a "Purpose Built Community". Martin explains how this tends to play out.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The SCP/PBC type of public-private investment in “mixed income housing” and charter schools hardly ever turns out well for anyone but the investors, as professor Kenneth Saltman has outlined in </span><em style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Capitalizing-Disaster-Breaking-Cultural-Democracy/dp/1594513821" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #006699; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" target="_blank">Capitalizing on Disaster: Taking and Breaking Public Schools</a></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">. In illustrating how the Commercial Club of Chicago wrote the Renaissance 2010 blueprint for mayor Daley, Saltman details how in the guise of urban renewal to help the poor, the city and big business blended “real estate profiteering and land grabs at the expense of the most vulnerable,” (137) then called for ungodly guidelines which made it impossible for the city’s poorest to reenter the new mixed housing developments, “sometimes even restricting anyone with an extended family member with a [criminal] record” (136). This exemplifies gentrification nationwide. After decades of neglecting public housing and school decay, big city mayors and privatizers move in with state grants, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money, and other funds, and build expensive housing projects to drive minorities into the suburbs or homeless shelters, while wealthier white residents move in. Pauline Lipman, an outspoken critic of Renaissance 2010 and the gentrification/charter school schemes in general, adds that this real estate development breeds financial speculation, which, “in turn, causes increases in property values and rising property taxes, driving out low-income and working-class renters and home owners” (</span><a href="http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/gci/publications/workingpaperseries/pdfs/GCP-09-02_Lipman.pdf" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #006699; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;">p.7</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">). As Saltman notes, after Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 1995, they ended the requirement that for each demolished public housing project a new public project be created (135). At this point, the public schools are shut down and charter schools start cropping up to take taxpayer money for the poor students who have been lucky enough to get new public housing with their families.</span></blockquote>
<br />
Meanwhile, the charters are happy to take advantage of the fact that kids of wealthier families, more "ready to learn" are suddenly available.<br />
<br />
You might wonder where the money is in all this. Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/7/juan_gonzalez_big_banks_making_a" target="_blank">looked into that in 2010. </a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 27px;">
And what happens is, the investors who put up the money to build the charter schools get to basically virtually double their money in seven years through a 39 percent tax credit from the federal government. In addition, this is a tax credit on money that they’re lending, so they’re collecting interest on the loans, as well as getting the 39 percent tax credit. They piggyback the tax credit on other kinds of federal tax credits, like historic preservation or job creation or Brownfields credits. The result is, you can put in $10 million and in seven years double your money. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 27px;">
And the problem is that the charter schools end up paying in rents the debt service on these loans. And so, now a lot of the charter schools in Albany are straining paying their debt — their rent has gone up from $170,000 to $500,000 in a year, or huge increases in their rents, as they strain to pay off these loans, these construction loans. And the rents are eating up huge portions of their total cost. And, of course, the money is coming from the state.</blockquote>
Martin contends that Team CFA does not seem to be interested in that angle, however. As he puts it:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Calibri, Candara, Segoe, Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Bryan (the founder) and Team CFA don’t believe in a government-run school system, but they don’t turn down federal money. Their plan seems less about making money for themselves than about helping destroy a system so that future corporations can profit handsomely, where local control is abolished, and where a fake patriotism conceals a more undemocratic plan. In fact, Challenge Foundation Properties, its real estate branch, owns the school in Indy and plans on selling it to the school through bonds, if it hasn’t already. Money made from Challenge Foundation Properties is used to invest in building more charter schools. Indiana is one of the group’s main targets.</span></blockquote>
But their friends are.<br />
<br />
There is not a great deal of oversight done on charter schools, but the State Board of Accounts does perform <a href="http://www.in.gov/sboa/WebReports/B31791.pdf" target="_blank">periodic audits</a>. For the period of October 25, 2005 to June 30, 2007 they found some significant problems, including:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Monthly school lunch reimbursement claim reports for fiscal year 2006-2007 were not electronically
filed with the Indiana Department of Education in a timely manner. The August 2006 and January
2007 reports were not electronically filed within 60 days of the month end and therefore did not qualify
for reimbursement. Supporting documentation presented for May 2007 indicated that paid and free
meals reported were under stated by approximately 768 and 134, respectively. The School Corporation,
as a result, received less than the amount allowed. </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- The School Food Authority Verification Summary Report was not accurate. The report indicated
that 100% of the Free and Reduced Lunch applications approved were verified. Evidence presented for
examination indicated that none of the applications were verified.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- The Report of Average Daily Membership (ADM) was not performed or reported until November
6, 2006. The ADM count date was September 15, 2006, and the report date to Indiana Department of
Education was no later than September 29, 2006.
Political subdivisions are required to comply with all grant agreements, rules, regulations, bulletins,
directives, letters, letter rulings, and filing requirements concerning reports and other procedural
matters of federal and state agencies, including opinions of the Attorney General of the State of Indiana,
and court decisions. Governmental units should file accurate reports required by federal and state agencies.
Noncompliance may require corrective action.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Payments were made to Fifth Third Bank for credit card purchases that were not supported by
original bills or invoices. Credit card statements presented for October 2006 through May 2007 lacked
some or all supporting documentation for purchases. </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Payments were made to employees that were not included in the payroll system or on a salary
schedule or contract. Payments were made to employees by vendor checks. Payroll taxes were not
properly withheld or remitted. Payments were not reported on Internal Revenue Service Form W-2, but
were reported on Internal Revenue Service Form 1099.<br /> </blockquote>
Not exactly a well-oiled machine.<br />
<br />
And what kind of a school was this, anyway? Well, the now-named Avondale Meadows Academy outlines their mission thusly:<br />
<br />
<h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #30427c; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;">
Every AMA student knows and follows the High 5 Expectations:</h3>
<ol style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;">Be respectful</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;">Keep hands and feet to yourself</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;">Come to school prepared and ready to learn</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;">Follow directions</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;">Be responsible</li>
</ol>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;">
Next time we'll look into their current operation, and a bit more of their background and intent.</blockquote>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-37924119862275836832016-02-25T11:00:00.000-05:002016-02-25T12:26:43.739-05:00Corporate Education to arrive in South Bend 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We knew it was just a matter of time. Per the </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/education/another-new-charter-school-coming-to-south-bend/article_3aeea772-3ea2-5a9e-9ed1-3e3562aec193.html" target="_blank">South BendTribune</a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A national chain of charter schools has signaled it wants to
open a school in downtown South Bend that will enroll as many as 900
students. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">TeamCFA Foundation has notified the Indiana Charter School
Board — one of a handful of current charter school authorizers in Indiana —
that it intends to apply to open a kindergarten through eighth-grade school
here in the fall of 2017.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Though South Bend has some charter schools now -
Success and Career Academies, Veritas, and Xavier all have been developed
locally and are fairly small. TeamCFA is another kettle of fish entirely.
The Trib continues:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">TeamCFA currently serves more than 7,000 students in 15
schools across the Southwest, the Southeast and the Midwest.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">TeamCFA also features the organization structure those of us
who follow the corporate education movement have become all too familiar with.
The schools operate via the </span><a href="http://teamcfa.org/who-we-are/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">non-profit entity </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (as
required by law). But guess who they'll pay for facilities and services?
Why yes, you are correct - their </span><a href="http://teamcfa.org/who-we-are/challenge-foundation-properties/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">for-profit
entity</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> . And all that money will be diverted from the
South Bend School Corporation schools.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
Here's another big difference. The charter schools we have now seem
perfectly willing to take on students from challenged backgrounds. That's
probably why their test scores are fairly low in the local range. But
it's important to know that they don't have to. And TeamCFA is all about
building the brand, so it's pretty safe to assume they will be more selective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
Also, they are not obligated to pay teachers at the level earned in the SBCSC,
nor insist on the same levels of qualification. We will likely see at
least some Teach For America folks with no education degree and a total of five
weeks of training under their belts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And like other charters, they don’t have to answer to a democratically
elected school board if things go wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
So who's behind TeamCFA? Well, there are a </span><a href="http://teamcfa.org/who-we-are/teamcfa-foundation/boards-committees"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">couple of
finance guys and a guy with no bio</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> . The other two deserve
an even closer look;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">First the Ed Rephorm maven:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote>
William M. Steinbrook, Jr.<img alt="" src="http://teamcfa.org/page_assets/William-Steinbrook-Jr.jpg" style="float: right; height: 120px; margin: 5px; width: 100px;" /> Reverend William “BJ” Steinbrook organized and established the Challenge Foundation as a leader in K–12 educational grant making with grants totaling $55,000,000. He serves as the Executive Director of the foundation and continues to direct the overall program for grant making, staffing, and operations through which he has planned and carried out a highly successful national initiative to start exemplary K–12 public charter schools. Rev. Steinbrook is also the founding Executive Director of the Trust for School Reform, which became a leading national foundation supporting K–12 educational reform. He has served as a member of the Center for Education Reform, Philanthropy Roundtable, and Alliance for School Choice helping direct national school reform efforts. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Reverend Steinbrook has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Oklahoma State University and Divinity degrees from Princeton and Columbia Theological Seminaries. He has served pastorates in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia. He has also served on several local charter school boards in Indiana, North Carolina and Arizona.</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then
the Koch fiend:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote>
Ryan Stowers<img alt="" src="http://teamcfa.org/page_assets/Ryan-Stowers.jpg" style="float: right; height: 120px; margin: 5px; width: 100px;" /> Mr. Ryan Stowers is Director of Higher Education at the Charles Koch Foundation. CKF supports research and education programs across the United States with grants to organizations interested in exploring the relationships between free societies, societal progress, and wellbeing. Mr. Stowers also serves on the board of the Bill of Rights Institute, an organization dedicated to educating high school students on America's founding principles. Mr. Stowers is a Member of the Board for the Association of Private Enterprise, which works to advance the ideas of free enterprise in academic research and teaching. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Prior to joining the Charles Koch Foundation in 2005, Mr. Stowers was program manager of the National Research Initiative at the American Enterprise Institute. He earned a BA in liberal arts and an MS in political economy from Utah State University. </blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I don't see anyone who looks like a friend to public
education in this group.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
So how have things gone are schools they run? Not a lot of news shows up
on a search, but they did have</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.anthemnews.com/teamcfa-to-ridgeline-were-out/"> </a><a href="http://www.anthemnews.com/teamcfa-to-ridgeline-were-out/" target="_blank">some trouble in the Phoenix </a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Following a failed attempt to remove Ridgeline Academy’s
director Keven Barker at an ad hoc meeting over winter break, TeamCFA, the
school’s umbrella organization, decided to jettison the charter school it
helped establish in 2012. The school plans to continue operating. </span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">TeamCFA’s announcement came as a surprise in the form of a
letter posted on Ridgeline Academy’s website Jan. 14, notifying the school,
staff and community of its intent to dissolve its affiliation with
Ridgeline.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“It has become evident that the community and parents are
happy with the school that they currently have at Ridgeline Academy and the
continued support of TeamCFA is no longer desired by the school community,”
stated Cheryl Reinstadler, TeamCFA’s director of operations.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then there was that kerfluffle </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2011/05/thomas-jefferson-classical-academy.html" target="_blank">in North Carolina.</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/2011/05/thomas-jefferson-classical-academy.html" target="_blank"><o:p> </o:p></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, a public charter
school in Rutherford County, is quick to promote the school’s high SAT test
scores and international field trips to China, Europe and South America. </span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But not as widely advertised is the Western North Carolina public school’s
connection to John Bryan, a retired Oregon business executive and significant
funder of the conservative school choice movement. </span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Nor is the school’s annual diaper drive for a local anti-abortion religious
group, an activity that an expert says violates the Constitutional separation
of church and state. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
Bryan’s $37 million family trust, the Challenge Foundation, contributes heavily
and regularly to conservative causes like challenging global warming research
and scaling back government in addition to lending its name to public schools
like the Thomas Jefferson charter school.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He’s a national figure in libertarian circles when it comes to charter schools,
and spoke last June about the push to expand charter schools at an annual retreat
held by the billionaire Koch brothers, according to a copy of the
retreat’s </span><a href="http://images2.americanprogressaction.org/ThinkProgress/secretkochmeeting.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">agenda</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> obtained
by the Center for American Progress.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It doesn't seem much of a reach to think that this operation is a K-12 variant of the increasing Koch Alliance's infiltration of higher education. As public institutions of higher education suffer funding cutbacks, KA offers the carrot of money, in exchange for curriculum influence.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But the real beauty for TeamCFA is they get to it at the taxpayers direct expense - and their own profit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Their proposed location is an interesting one.
Short-range plans for the downtown area are likely to create something of
a de-facto gated community. The streets are to be narrowed dramatically
to discourage through traffic, and a substantial number of high-end living
units are due to come on line. TeamCFA may well be calculating they can take
advantage of the new population of advantaged students who can walk to school.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This syphoning off the easier to educate (hence, cheaper to educate) kids will increase the burden on the South Bend Community School Corporation. SBCSC will lose funding for those kids and will likely experience new problems.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Just as TeamCFA planned. But they will likely be there to help us out with another charter school.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-59244262764171490912015-07-09T19:10:00.001-04:002015-07-09T19:11:05.207-04:00PENCE’S DONOR HAS TIES TO KOCHS AND EDISON SCHOOLS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by Doug Martin at <a href="http://hoosierschoolheist.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Hoosier School Heist</a></span></em></div>
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As <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Indy Star’s</em> Tony Cook first <a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/01/big-donations-pour-governors-race/29589103/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">reported</a> a few days ago, one of Mike Pence’s newest funders is Republican <a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionSearch.aspx?results=true&LastName=John%20W.%20Childs&LastNameSearchType=1&Address=&City=&State=&Zip=&FinanceCategoryID=-32768&ContributionCodeID=-32768&ContributionAmountMinimum=-32768&ContributionAmountMaximum=-32768&ContributionDateBegin=12:00:00%20AM&ContributionDateEnd=12:00:00%20AM&MajorContribution=0&CommitteeCandidateDisplayMode=1&CommitteeName=&CommitteeID=-32768&CommitteeOrgCodeID=-32768&CommitteeNameSearchType=1&CandidateOffice=-32768&CandidateDistrictNumber=&CandidateParty=-32768&Exploratory=&CandidateFirstName=&CandidateLastName=&CandidateLastNameSearchType=&CandidateFirstNameSearchType=" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">donor</a> <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/09/koch-brothers-million-dollar-donor-club" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">John W. Childs</a>, a <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/07/30/10367/donor-profile-john-childs" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">chief official</a> in the Club for Growth, a pro-business organization loosely aligned with the Koch Network.</div>
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In 2011, Childs was <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/09/koch-brothers-million-dollar-donor-club" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">honored </a>at a Koch Brothers’ retreat for giving at least $1 million to Koch causes.</div>
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A <a href="http://www.jwchilds.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">private equity firm CEO</a> and Mitch Daniels <a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=933094&Large=True" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">supporter</a>, Childs was an early investor in Edison Schools, now named Edison Learning.</div>
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Edison Learning has operated Gary’s Roosevelt Career and Technical Center every since former Indiana supt. of public schools Tony Bennett turned the public school over to the for-profit operator.</div>
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A <a href="http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/filing.ashx?filingid=978696" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">major investor</a> in Edison, Childs was a <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/edison-schools-announces-election-of-board-of-directors-75948037.html" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">board member</a> in the 90s alongside Democrat Reverend Floyd Flake–a main character in my book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u>Hoosier School Heist–</u></em></a>but it is unknown if Childs still has a financial interest in Edison.</div>
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Back in 1998, when Edison was taking off, Childs donated at least<a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=173420&Large=False" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$100,000</a> to the Republican National State Elections Committee, according to Indiana campaign finance records.</div>
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John W. Childs was recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/These-are-Wall-Streets-top-16-political-donors/articleshow/46201328.cms" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">named</a> by <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Business Insider</em> as one of Wall Street’s top 16 political donors.</div>
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Whereas Childs gave Mike Pence just <a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=1381408&Large=True" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$50,000</a> for his reelection campaign, the Center for Responsive Politics finds that the private equity leader funneled over <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/summ.php?cycle=2012&disp=D&type=V" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$4 million</a> to outside funding groups in 2012 alone, with <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/08/22/10740/pac-profile-club-growth-action" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$1.1 million</a> going to the Club for Growth, which proves what I have been saying for years—the Koch Brothers are only two of many people we have to be worried about in Indiana, and <a href="http://hoosierschoolheist.com/order.html" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">my book </a>names many, many more.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Doug Martin is the author of </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hoosier School Heist </a>: How Corporations and Theocrats Stole Democracy From Public Education<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, a book being read in over 130 cities and towns and 78 Indiana counties, 23 states, and the District of Columbia. A regular guest on national and Indiana radio talk shows such as Justin Oakley’s </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustLetMeTeach" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just Let Me Teach</a> <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">and </em><a href="http://praiseindy.hellobeautiful.com/2048667/must-hear-big-money-big-business-corrupting-indianas-schools-author-says-in-amos-interview/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amos Brown’s Afternoons with Amos,</a><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Dr. Martin’s research has been or will soon be featured in the </em><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/06/the-tangled-webs-of-private-influence-on-public-school-reform/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington Post Answer Sheet</a> <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, ABC’s</em>Nightline<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, and the </em><a href="http://chestertontribune.com/Education%20Duneland%20Schools/516117%20purdue_reviews_plagiarism_charge.htm" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Associated Press</a><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. </em></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-91842878553507691472015-07-06T17:48:00.001-04:002015-07-06T17:48:28.387-04:00KOCH BROTHERS’ FRIENDS FUNDING MIKE PENCE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By Doug Martin at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u>Hoosier School Heist</u></a></em></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(This is the first in a series of articles that will address the money behind Mike Pence’s quest to be reelected Governor of Indiana)</em></span></div>
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On June 25, just one day after the governor <a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/24/pence-epa-emissions-rules-need-changes-indiana-agree/29215723/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">wrote </a>a letter to president Obama saying Indiana would not comply with proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules against greenhouse omissions, Mike Pence’s campaign received a <a href="https://campaignfinance.in.gov/INCF/TempDocs/2a10108b-38d0-4338-8d16-59a948f2c6ff.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$10,000</a> gift from Marvin Gilliam of Bristol, Virginia.</div>
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Gilliam is the former VP of what was once one of the largest coal producers in America, Cumberland Resources, which was <a href="http://www.coalage.com/news/latest/370-massey-energy-to-acquire-cumberland-resources.html#.VZGxasLD-P8" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">purchased</a>by Massey Energy in 2010.</div>
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In 2013, Gilliam and Koch Industries, along with other wealthy donors, financed the gubernatorial campaign of Virginia Attorney General <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/12/03/1259531/meet-ken-cuccinelli-virginias-todd-akin/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ken Cuccinelli II</a>, a longtime Republican and anti-LGBT climate denier who <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/04/16/1872591/dirty-energy-fuels-climate-change-denier-ken-cuccinellis-campaign/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“used his position</a> to launch an inquisition against a former University of Virginia climate scientist.”</div>
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Owners of Koch Industries, a multinational oil and manufacturing corporation making money from toilet paper, fertilizer, and a long list of other things, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N8y2SVerW8" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Koch Brothers</a> are wealthy giants who have influenced everything from climate control to school board elections.</div>
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Marvin’s brother Richard, who founded Cumberland Resources and now directs the rare metals exploration company Endurance Gold Corp, gave Mike Pence’s campaign <a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=1085852&Large=True" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$25,000</a> in 2012.</div>
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Richard Gilliam is a major donor to Koch Brothers-supported groups and <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/10/20/124642/beck-koch-chamber-meeting/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">visited</a> their secret retreat in June 2010 to discuss political strategy.</div>
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Richard and wife Leslie were listed as #33 in the top donors to Republican political campaigns, according to a <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/topindivs.php?cycle=2010" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">study</a> by the Center for Responsive Politics, spending over $520,000 in 2010 alone.</div>
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Richard Gilliam also handed money to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads super-PAC which spent over <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00487363&cycle=2012" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$104 million</a> on the 2012 elections.</div>
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Another <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cmte=C00487363&cycle=2012" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">donor</a> to Karl Rove’s PAC was Weaver Popcorn. As I detail in <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hoosier School Heist</a></em>, Weaver Popcorn’s Mike Weaver was a chief Tony Bennet donor when the Republican ran for the Indiana supt. of public education slot in 2012.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BIO</span></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Doug Martin is the author of </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hoosier School Heist</span></u><u> </u></a>: How Corporations and Theocrats Stole Democracy From Public Education<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, a book being read in over 130 cities and towns and 78 Indiana counties, 23 states, and the District of Columbia. A regular guest on national and Indiana radio talk shows such as Justin Oakley’s </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustLetMeTeach" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just Let Me Teach</span></u></a> <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">and </em><a href="http://praiseindy.hellobeautiful.com/2048667/must-hear-big-money-big-business-corrupting-indianas-schools-author-says-in-amos-interview/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amos Brown’s Afternoons with Amos,</span></u></a><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Dr. Martin’s research has been or will soon be featured in the </em><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/06/the-tangled-webs-of-private-influence-on-public-school-reform/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington Post Answer Sheet</span></u></a> <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, ABC’s </em>Nightline<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, and the</em><a href="http://chestertontribune.com/Education%20Duneland%20Schools/516117%20purdue_reviews_plagiarism_charge.htm" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Associated Press</span></u></a><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. </em></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-24270262515621534892015-06-25T17:34:00.000-04:002015-06-25T17:34:10.018-04:00REPUBLICAN BILL FINE IS FINE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE CROWD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><i><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by Doug Martin at </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9-25oE5pkUcbayDUgdsJtA" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hoosier School Heist TV</span></u></a></i></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When word </span><a href="http://in.chalkbeat.org/2015/06/08/obrien-might-be-state-boards-choice-to-share-some-of-ritzs-duties/#.VX7eHcLbJYd" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">broke</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> recently that Indiana Republican state representative Bill Fine’s daughter–a Mitch Daniels-pick and Mike Pence-reinstated state board of ed. member–may become the new co-chair of the state board to share powers with supt. of public instruction Glenda Ritz, many were </span><a href="http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ritz-removal-could-benefit-region-lawmaker-s-daughter/article_5261083c-c88e-5157-9a3f-1120a111733b.html" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">outraged</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. Bill Fine had, in fact, “</span><a href="http://in.chalkbeat.org/2015/06/08/obrien-might-be-state-boards-choice-to-share-some-of-ritzs-duties/#.VX7_a8LbJjo" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">backed </span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the bill to create the position of vice chairwoman” to the state board of education, and his daughter seldom agrees with Ritz.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As I expose in my book </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><i><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hoosier School Heist</span></u></i></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, the whole so-called school reform movement in Indiana (and elsewhere) is a billionaire’s playground to buy legislators to privatize public schools. And crony capitalism and conflicts of interest are the rule and NOT the exception.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">And Bill Fine has money from those involved in the takeover of Indiana public education.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In October 2012, Fine received $5,000 from the Hoosiers for Economic Growth PAC detailed in </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><u><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hoosier School Heist</span></i> </span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(see </span><a href="https://campaignfinance.in.gov/INCF/TempDocs/53fdf92b-4985-4ade-bda9-28837e105a20.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">page 5</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> in this PDF). For years, this PAC has been backed by Walmart, Amway, hedge fund managers, and several wealthy Indiana businesspeople, among others in and out of Indiana.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Since the PAC changed its name to Hoosiers for Quality Education recently, it has given over </span><a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionSearch.aspx?results=true&LastName=Hoosiers+for+Quality&LastNameSearchType=1&Address=&City=&State=&Zip=&FinanceCategoryID=-32768&ContributionCodeID=-32768&ContributionAmountMinimum=-32768&ContributionAmountMaximum=-32768&ContributionDateBegin=12%3a00%3a00+AM&ContributionDateEnd=12%3a00%3a00+AM&MajorContribution=0&CommitteeCandidateDisplayMode=1&CommitteeName=&CommitteeID=-32768&CommitteeOrgCodeID=-32768&CommitteeNameSearchType=1&CandidateOffice=-32768&CandidateDistrictNumber=&CandidateParty=-32768&Exploratory=&CandidateFirstName=&CandidateLastName=&CandidateLastNameSearchType=&CandidateFirstNameSearchType=" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$400,000</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> to Indiana Republican candidates and committees since 2014. One of these is the Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee, Fine’s chief funder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">AN INTERESTING TIMELINE:</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Out of the $275,000 the Walmart-Amway front-group American Federation for Children handed the Hoosiers for Quality Education PAC in 2014, </span><a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=1312767&Large=False" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$50,000</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> came on October 10 and $100,000 in September (see</span><a href="https://campaignfinance.in.gov/INCF/TempDocs/0c7a1bb9-da5b-43a7-a5c0-c03d66775eee.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">page 4</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">).</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On October 22, 2014, the Hoosiers for Quality Education PAC gave the Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee </span><a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=1381141&Large=False" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$25,000</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> and another</span><a href="http://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionDetail.aspx?SeqID=1381156&Large=False" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$25,000</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> on October 24, 2014.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee handed Fine </span><a href="https://campaignfinance.in.gov/INCF/TempDocs/d52aab4a-1858-4f1d-af13-5b233a9cdfd3.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$7,100</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">on October 24, 2014 and </span><a href="https://campaignfinance.in.gov/INCF/TempDocs/43785913-94de-45c3-93ec-e3a1c295c723.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$13,500</span></u></a><span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> on October 17, 2014.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes, it is obvious, Bill Fine is doing his best to do what the extremely wealthy want so that he can open up that campaign chest and sing.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BIO</span></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Doug Martin is the author of </em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-School-Heist-Doug-Martin/dp/0982084013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395790378&sr=8-1&keywords=hoosier+school+heist" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><u>Hoosier School Heist</u> </a>: How Corporations and Theocrats Stole Democracy From Public Education<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, a book being read in over 130 cities and towns and 78 Indiana counties, 23 states, and the District of Columbia. A regular guest on national and Indiana radio talk shows such as Justin Oakley’s </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustLetMeTeach" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Just Let Me Teach</a> <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">and </em><a href="http://praiseindy.hellobeautiful.com/2048667/must-hear-big-money-big-business-corrupting-indianas-schools-author-says-in-amos-interview/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amos Brown’s Afternoons with Amos,</a><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Dr. Martin’s research has been or will soon be featured in the </em><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/06/the-tangled-webs-of-private-influence-on-public-school-reform/" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington Post Answer Sheet</a> <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, ABC’s</em>Nightline<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, and the </em><a href="http://chestertontribune.com/Education%20Duneland%20Schools/516117%20purdue_reviews_plagiarism_charge.htm" style="border: 0px; color: #24890d; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Associated Press</a><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. </em></div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-73025284057385672472015-06-05T13:08:00.000-04:002015-06-05T13:08:34.551-04:00Is a contested primary a problem in a democracy?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm intrigued by the widely held notion that a contested primary is a bad thing. Yet this is what we hear from many - particularly supporters of John Gregg's candidacy, in race the for Indiana Governor.<br />
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I would suggest the opposite. I can't imagine another scenario more likely to reinvigorate the Indiana Democratic Party.<br />
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With Scott Pelath opting out of the race, primary voters will have three very decent people representing arguably three distinct points of view.<br />
<br />
In Gregg, we have a conservative, business friendly downstater. In Karen Tallien, we have a NW Indiana progressive. And in Glenda Ritz, we have a moderate Republican turned moderate Democrat with particular expertise in arguably the most significant responsibility the state has.<br />
<br />
All three candidates have their ardent supporters, and I expect a very civil campaign season. In the end, it should not be hard for supporters of the two who that don't make it to support the one that does.<br />
<br />
I think we saw what happened the last time around - when the nominee was essentially anointed: The Dems had a lackluster candidate and a fairly disengaged electorate. The result was a loss.<br />
<br />
Contrast that with a highly engaged electorate in the Superintendent of Public Instruction race - which was a huge upset win. <br />
<br />
Like in that race, the Republicans will field a highly damaged incumbent this time around. And it's hard to see a better strategy for the Democrats than to pick the best of three good people to face him.<br />
<br /></div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-81910009389391749542015-05-31T18:02:00.001-04:002015-05-31T18:58:36.612-04:00A young girl, gone..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Many years ago when Mary Tyler Moore was asked how she was able to deal with the painful losses in her life, she turned to the questioner and said simply, "No one goes through life without pain." I'm an older guy at this point, and I've certainly dealt with loss. But the news I got today was really devastating.<br />
<br />
We heard through a friend that a sixth grade girl took her own life recently. She was someone who attended the same middle school as our daughters, and was in the same class as our daughters in 4th grade.<br />
<br />
She was a beautiful girl: Full of life, smart, engaging. But she must not have known that. Or?... We'll never know, of course.<br />
<br />
I suppose my sorrow is deepened a bit more as I am a CASA who tries to help kids through some really tough times. I realize that not being connected with her any more, I can't blame myself for what happened. Still, there isn't much I wouldn't have given up for the chance for one conversation with her. I really liked her. I think a lot of people did.<br />
<br />
We lost a promising person. There a couple things we can do, though. First, the family needs help with burial expenses. If you are so inclined, please use <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzSVEe-_rSY/VWuR5hO8SdI/AAAAAAAAAqo/NaV0eSpSXcQ/s1600/2013_0322Gardenia0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzSVEe-_rSY/VWuR5hO8SdI/AAAAAAAAAqo/NaV0eSpSXcQ/s320/2013_0322Gardenia0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
t<a href="http://www.gofundme.com/shakaylalitka?fb_action_ids=10206525606839807&fb_action_types=og.shares&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B779498138832797%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.shares%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D" target="_blank">his go fund me link.</a><br />
<br />
But more broadly, try to make sure every young person you encounter knows that they matter. Cultivate the habit. You can make a difference.</div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-22020890839323235272015-05-28T18:34:00.000-04:002015-05-31T08:35:17.941-04:00I'm disappointed in State Impact Indiana<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
State Impact Indiana is heard weekly on our local NPR station WVPE. Their weekly report on education issues is normally quite informative, but <a href="http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/2015/05/28/building-funds-charter-schools-benefit-newest-budget/#more-36115" target="_blank">this week</a> was really disappointing.<br />
<br />
In a piece entitled "Building Funds: How Charter Schools Benefit From the Newest Budget" we heard a segment that might have even made the folks from ALEC blush. It was a complete puff piece for charter school denizens.<br />
<br />
The legislative action which appears to have inspired this segment (as reported by SII): <br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">The new </span><a href="http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/files/2015/05/Grant-Program.pdf" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #174e82; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Charter and Innovation Network School grant program</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> gives charter schools $500 extra per student in state funding – but only if they’re considered “high-performing,” earning an A, B, or C on the state’s </span><a href="http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/2015/05/07/state-board-approves-af-system-rules-footnote/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #174e82; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">school grading scale</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">. Schools that earn a D or F can qualify only if they can prove to the </span><a href="http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/tag/indiana-state-board-of-education/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #174e82; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">State Board of Education</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> that they are performing as well as or better than the nearest non-charter public school.</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">I sort of get that <b>if</b> charter schools were willing to take on the most challenging students, the extra boost could be well placed. Students with learning challenges and those from unstable homes require much more than, say our daughter, to succeed in their studies. But the pattern is pretty clear that many of these institutions, once the head count has been achieved, are quite adept at determining that these kids are "unsuitable" - which leaves them to traditional public schools who can essentially turn no one away. The charter will have already received the funding for these children, but it will be left to the traditional public school to educate him/her.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">The statement also assumes that the state issued grades have some credibility. Many folks would disagree.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Another glaring feature of this SII story is the absence of dissenting voices. This as close as Rachel Morello gets:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Not everyone likes charter schools, or believes that they should be handed public funds, but others say the move could serve as a pretty big incentive to not only to draw more charter schools into Indiana, but to keep the schools that are already here – and their traditional counterparts – performing at a high level.</span></blockquote>
And:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Perhaps one of the most common arguments against extra funding for charter schools is that they don’t always perform better than the traditional schools they claim to supplement.</span></blockquote>
<br />
Rachel uses a passive aggressive approach to dismiss any contrarian view, and even offers us a straw man in the latter quote above.<br />
<br />
I'll take this opportunity to clear up her misunderstanding. It is obviously true that charter schools don't always perform better than the traditional schools they intend to supplant. It is true by the evidence that in the aggregate they perform slightly less well than traditional public schools using the rubric of high stakes testing - which most charter school denizens seem to think of as sacred.<br />
<br />
Additionally, most non-profit charters contract with for-profit service companies for building leasing and operations (oddly enough often with ties to the non-profit principals). So a significant amout of charter schools are intended as cash cows for investors, These are facts. But in the piece:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">“Say they came from an F district and they were progressing forward, they could be eligible for this grant also,” explains Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, the House budget author. “That’s the idea of charters – to use a different way, a different teaching method, have a different structure so that kids can excel in a different environment.”</span></blockquote>
<br />
Elsewhere, there is the claim that this funding doesn't diminish traditional public school funding. Come on, we're all grownups here.<br />
<br />
It turns out that there aren't so many profound ideas no one has thought of before. We know what works. Small class sizes and exposure to creative arts of some kind. For the most part, charters have been enamored with the "no excuses" model. And teaching to the test. Perhaps the subject of this article has something else in mind.<br />
<br />
But should we we rise in support that she get a 5 million dollar loan financed by us to launch her dream? Perhaps her idea is good, but one person can't run anything like what she has in mind, and we have no idea who she has (if anyone) to make her dream operational.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/10/02/the_great_charter_school_rip_off_finally_the_truth_catches_up_to_education_reform_phonies/" target="_blank">Here is some of the reality of charter schools, and their champions. </a> It should make us more cautious.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-51737952420372899742014-10-20T08:33:00.001-04:002014-10-20T08:33:32.383-04:00It should be Stan Wruble for the "Riley" District<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In terms of the quality of school board candidates
in the Second District of South Bend, it is very nearly an embarrassment of
riches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Carolyn Peterson is a retired teacher and former
President of our local National Education Association chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has been a tireless advocate for quality
public education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oletha Jones is the local Education Chair for our
NAACP chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Jones has been a
valuable asset to our community in that she tasks us to focus on issues which
are not often discussed and not easy to solve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Stan Wruble was appointed by the Board to complete
the term of the late John Stancati.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Stan grew up on the south side of South Bend,
attending SBCSC schools before graduating from the "old" Riley in
1990. His daughter is a First Grader in the South Bend School Corporation.
Though he had other opportunities, he chose to settle here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a citizen,
Stan feels it's important to give back to the community. In addition to the
time consuming duties of school board trustee, he offers his expertise in the
law to benefit others - serving as a Public Defender for folks who can't afford
the services of paid counsel, and as Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame's Law
School (of which he is a graduate).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Stan a bit
over the last few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He seeks and
values input from the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s
wisely suspicious of the quick fix schemes touted by the so-called education
reformers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows that where we want
to go will take time and great effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Stan has shown good judgment and a tireless work
ethic as a Board member. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, Stan is
the man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-46340115464566944132014-06-17T15:41:00.000-04:002014-06-17T16:07:05.829-04:00The not so smart streets idea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Don Wheeler</b></span><br />
<br />
Pretty much everyone agrees that downtown South Bend would benefit from significant changes in traffic handling. The streets are wider than necessary and many don't connect well. Crossing them is challenging for pedestrians and the street scape is pretty uninviting for retailers and restaurateurs.<br />
<br />
So groups have been pushing a plan they not so modestly call "Smart Streets". "Smart" is a term marketers often use when they don't want people to think too hard about something. It also tends to connote something new, and technologically advanced. In actuality, the program hearkens back to the good old days.<br />
<br />
The vision of the proposal has great merit. Making the downtown more aesthetically pleasing and pedestrian and bicyclist friendly is an excellent goal. Increasing citizen access to the river front is an excellent goal. But though the proposal claims to resolve some significant challenges, in reality it does not address them in any meaningful way.<br />
<br />
Below is the presentation the City has on their website. The first forty-five minutes is essentially a sales pitch, with pictures of changed cities - many of which aren't particularly comparable to South Bend. It's only at that point South Bend comes into the picture. Unfortunately for viewers, shortly into the South Bend section of the presentation the slides no longer appear in the video. This requires the viewer to use his/her best visualization techniques in an attempt to follow the presenter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8KH8fU0Dc-4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Essentially the idea is to change William, Lafayette, Main and Michigan/St. Joseph streets (two of which are now four lanes one way) to two-way streets with one traffic lane each direction and a center turn lane. Sound crazy? It is.<br />
<br />
For most of the drivers who find themselves on the two main arteries, the downtown is an obstacle. They are either north of it and want to be south, or vice-versa. Typically, municipalities create some sort of bypass for this sort of traffic. This makes it easier for commuters to commute, and for those wishing to do business or recreate downtown to do so in a more pleasant and relaxed manner - since much of the traffic has been relocated. This plan offers nothing like that. And the Bypass we have is several miles to the west, and can't serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
The presenter pays lip service to this contradiction, but offers only magical thinking in response. He claims placing a roundabout just south of the Leeper Park (Michigan Street) Bridge will result in an even distribution of traffic on each of the four new two-way two lane streets. And unless I missed it, he doesn't address what happens with the traffic coming from the south at all.<br />
<br />
As we know, traffic from the north often backs up ahead of the bridge currently. This, even though it soon empties into four lanes. Imagine the fun when it instead encounters a roundabout, then an assortment of single traffic lanes.<br />
<br />
Then there's the street parking. The concept is for angle parking on each side.<br />
<br />
Small town America features many two lane streets with angle parking. I've been in many of them. You know what happens when someone wants to leave a parking place? The traffic has to stop until the person backs out, then drives away.<br />
<br />
In the end, it seems clear that vehicles will be bottled up downtown for much longer, emitting higher levels of exhaust, and causing a lot of frustration for a lot of people. That doesn't seem so pedestrian/bicyclist friendly to me. That wouldn't seem to advance the interests of commerce Maybe we should try for a Smarter Streets proposal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-10990612335601398282014-02-17T10:31:00.000-05:002014-02-17T10:32:29.590-05:00Time to cast off the testing demons and do what's right<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One thing most citizens agree on is that no cost, high
quality K - 12 education should be available for all children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The benefits seem quite clear for both the
individuals, and our society as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The trick is - how to you determine that a child is receiving a quality
education?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Many of us would echo the famous Justice Stewart observation
regarding obscenity:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I know it when I
see it”; but we live in the era of Big Data, so test scores have become a
surrogate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The belief accepted: high
test scores indicate a high quality education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At first glance, one can see some merit to the concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, in High School and College
students take a final exam at the end of a semester for each class taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excluding those folks who have general
test-taking issues, the results of these tests tend to give us a pretty good
idea of how well a student has mastered the material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we believe this type of test has validity,
it is because they are written and scored by the people who presented the
material in the first place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Even these tests have a drawback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many people think tests do their best work by
informing teachers about the areas in which their student needs extra
assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at this point the class
is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no opportunity for
feedback, no option for remediation by the teacher.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indiana
administers the ISTEP test from Third Grade onward – as mandated by federal
education policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The design and
administration is outsourced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tests
are scored by temporary workers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is no connection to the classroom experience for the students. But the results have become life and death matters for both
schools and teacher’s jobs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Due to these kind of stakes, we’ve seen cheating scandals in Washington DC,
Atlanta, and elsewhere.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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In the early years, only math and language skills are
tested, later science is added to the mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s no surprise then, that curricula are often narrowed to focus on
these areas – especially in schools with a high proportion of students from
challenged backgrounds.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This has a perverse effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Research is clear that course enrichment: music, drama, visual art,
physical education, and the like, help keep children engaged and motivated in
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And these are the kind of students
most in need of any support we can manage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the powers that be seem to think that narrowing the curriculum is
the way to achieve optimal test scores.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So we have devised our strategies around the surrogate goal,
rather than the original one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
creates a dilemma:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no guarantee
that what works for one will work for the other.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In South Bend, Indiana,
where we live, there are neighborhood schools and so-called magnet
schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “magnets” draw from the
entire district by offering specialized foci.</div>
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<br /></div>
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About a year ago we sampled the menu, as our daughter was
ready to move on to intermediate school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We then saw pretty clearly the results of under funding and test mania
in our public school system.
</div>
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The two finalists were LaSalle
Intermediate Academy
and our local school, Jackson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To enter
LIA, one must pass an entrance test and succeed in a lottery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LIA offers a much wider course selection than
the alternatives (though somewhat short of my own public middle school
experience).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, we wanted to take a
careful look at Jackson, as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We were highly impressed by Principal Schaller, and school
building itself is a duplicate of LaSalle - they were built
contemporaneously. But they are very different in terms of what it is
offered inside.<br />
<br />
Thanks to the gradual de-funding of public education, our neighborhood school
no longer offers any industrial arts, home economics, or drama. The
visual arts and science facilities are dubious in quality - and foreign
language (Spanish only) is a three semester proposition (grades 7 - 8).
Phys Ed is only sporadically offered. And the only after school things
available are athletic programs.<br />
<br />
If that weren't discouraging enough, we were told all children are tested in
math and English every three weeks. The time allocated is forty-five
minutes (one would assume per subject) with the class results posted on the
cafeteria wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, there is little in
the way of enrichment, and lots of lost instructional time – all in service to
the budget cutters and the testing fiends.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is true that test scores have nudged up a bit at the
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s true almost
everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And surprising as it may
seem, we don’t send our daughter to school to secure a high score on once per
year tests which are meaningless to her and us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No, we send her to secure a high quality education – which she will get
due to the enrichment programs and increased instructional time at LIA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And no doubt, better test scores.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So in the end we had no choice because we had a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for most families, they have no
choice because they have no choice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An organization’s budget is clear statement of values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The State of Indiana
needs to quit looking for scapegoats and sending public instruction funds to
commercial vendors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should instead,
reinvest in its children at levels to get the job done properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, it should align its
strategies towards the original goal, rather than the surrogate.</div>
</div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-36620809161811246622013-09-02T12:58:00.001-04:002013-09-02T12:58:00.027-04:00Tom Simmons Reel<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DAsxe2j41s8" width="459"></iframe>Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-2659856387086909852013-08-31T18:17:00.000-04:002013-08-31T18:17:30.792-04:00Common Core makes for strange bedfellows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I never anticipated a time where I would be on the same side of an issue as Tom Uebbing.<br />
<br />
For those unfamiliar with the gentleman, he is an outspoken, crusading member of the so-called Citizens for Community Values - tireless fighter of the "homosexual agenda" and the like. Mr. Uebbing likes to write, and this was his take on Common Core, as published recently in the South Bend Tribune.<br />
<div class="encrypted-content">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A compelling reason to
oppose Common Core is the inherent national takeover of Indiana schools.
The power that controls the standards controls the tests that measure
how the standards are being met. The power that controls the tests
controls the content of the curriculum to be tested. Given the federal
government's zeal for promoting to our youth unmarried sex,
contraception, abortion and homosexuality, Common Core can be used as a
strategic pipeline for selling our youth those destructive practices and
an entire worldview through social studies classes.<br />
</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div class="encrypted-content">
<blockquote>
<br />
Passing a tax of 1
percent for some alleged good cause is likely to receive little public
opposition. However, once the tax law is established, incrementally
hiking the tax to even oppressive levels lulls an unwary public.
Similarly, the establishment of Common Core opens the door to the
tyranny of destructive ideologies coming from Washington and eliminates
Hoosiers' ability to govern themselves and safeguard the minds and
hearts of their children.</blockquote>
<br />
Who knew? <br />
</div>
</div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-14820918673119065312013-08-18T10:04:00.002-04:002013-08-21T18:58:14.596-04:00On pimping Common Core<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">People who carefully
follow the development of and controversy surrounding the Common Core Standards
could be excused if they found a recent Viewpoint piece <a href="http://www.indystar.com/article/20130814/OPINION10/308140077/Out-state-critics-attack-Common-Core-Indiana" target="_blank">penned by Justin Ohlemiller</a> on the topic a bit at odds with the world they know.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s important to understand
that the program was launched by the National Governors Association and its
concept endorsed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither of these organizations could
reasonably be characterized as “grassroots”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">The program was
essentially reverse-engineered:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
desired result (at High School graduation) was determined, and various metrics
adopted for the grade levels prior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Indiana</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;"> has only applied the new
standards in Kindergarten and First Grade, but many educators have reported
that the requirements are not age appropriate.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Andrea Neal (whose column
appears in the Tribune) has characterized opposition to the standards in this
way:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The right is concerned about
imposition of a “federal curriculum” and the loss of local control. The left
fears “one size fits all” instruction that will turn teachers into widget
makers whose primary purpose is to prepare students for testing, not learning.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Though I think the
characterization is true, it is also incomplete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The program has many arbitrary requirements
having to do with percent of time spent on (fill in the gap).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though it claims otherwise, the program
appears to favor rote memorization over critical thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The curriculum would necessarily be narrowed
to address the objectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
other concerns as well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">But most importantly, the
program is completely unproven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
finalized in 2012 and we have absolutely no data.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Yet it is being foisted
upon the states by our national government as a replacement for the once ballyhooed,
but clearly defective No Child Left Behind program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And not only does the mandate carry the
potential penalty of the loss of federal funding for non-compliance, it holds a
provision even more odious: Teacher compensation and retention be tied to
student test results – tests based upon the standards.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">So who wins when an
unproven program with extremely high stakes is implemented?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Testing companies, test preparation companies,
private tutors and the like. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mr. Ohlemiller didn’t
mention any of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the truth
is inconvenient. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">As mentioned at the end
of his submission, Mr. Ohlemiller is the Executive Director of Stand for
Children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also serves on the Board of
Directors of Democrats For Education Reform.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">As those who follow this
topic carefully are aware, “reform” is code for a desire to replace public
education with a system of for-profit and other private schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Diane Ravitch, former US </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Assistant
Secretary of Education and renowned public education historian characterizes
both groups as pro-privatization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
has also noted that DFER was created by a group of hedge-fund managers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">And let’s not kid
ourselves that Stand For Children is a “grassroots” organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many grassroots organizations do you know
that are sufficiently funded to be nation-wide and have paid Executive
Directors in each state?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mr Ohlemiller claims there is a groundswell of support for Common Core from citizens and
organizations in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Indiana</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">, implying that the State
Legislature is merely being obstructionist, rather than prudent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I certainly haven’t heard any such
clamor. Have you?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">So his collection of odd
anecdotes just represents him doing his job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, me too, I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m the
father of a ten-year old public school student who wants her to be presented a
well thought out curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also want
her teachers treated fairly and compensated justly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Is it so crazy to
suggest that maybe we should roll out the standards on a smaller scale and see
how they work before we go all in?</span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Don Wheeler</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">Parents Across </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">America</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;"> – </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">South Bend</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-8623301838185567222013-07-03T19:52:00.000-04:002013-07-03T20:03:28.561-04:00The Vicksburg Campaign - a storm attempt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #000099;">by Don Wheeler, Jacob Wheeler, and Shelby Foote</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="color: black;">The fact that the Confederate Army had held </span><span style="color: black;">Vicksburg</span><span style="color: black;">, </span><span style="color: black;">Mississippi</span><span style="color: black;"> from the start of the war into 1863 had posed problems for
the Union Army. Although the </span><span style="color: black;">Union</span><span style="color: black;"> had successfully captured the </span><span style="color: black;">Mississippi River</span><span style="color: black;"> north and south of the town, it couldn't make complete use
of the river as a supply route. </span><span style="color: black;">Vicksburg</span><span style="color: black;"> carried the nickname "The Gibraltar of the West"
because of huge defensive advantages it had. Situated on a steep bluff
overlooking the river, it was nearly unapproachable.</span><br />
<br />
In fact, the Union Army failed in multiple attempts over more than a year's
period of time to even get close. Finally, General Grant found a successful
method, and it was time for the approach to the city itself. (The events
described happened almost exactly 150 years ago in May of 1863).<br />
<br />
From Shelby Foote's <i><b>The Civil War: A Narrative</b></i><span style="color: #660000;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000;">Their belief that they would
carry the place by storm, here and now, was matched by (Ulysses S.) Grant, who issued his
final orders before </span><span style="color: #660000;">noon</span><span style="color: #660000;">.
"Corps commanders will push forward carefully, and gain as close position
as possible to the enemy's works, until </span><span style="color: #660000;">2 p.m.</span><span style="color: #660000;">; at
(which) hour they will fire three volleys of artillery from all the pieces in
position. This will be the signal for a general charge of all the army corps
along the whole line." A closing sentence, intended to forestall the lapse
of discipline that would attend a too-informal victory celebration, expressed
the measure of his confidence that the assault would be successful, bringing
the campaign to a triumphant close today: "When the works are carried,
guards will be placed by all division commanders to prevent their men from
straggling from their companies."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="color: black;">They were a confident bunch. They had some reason to
be - as my great-great-grandfather, Jacob, described the approach of his unit,
The Chicago Board of Trade Regiment, to the attack point:</span><span style="color: #000099;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #000099;">It
was said that General Grant, after Jackson was taken, and it was taken quick,
telegraphed to Vicksburg to send on all the reinforcements they could spare;
and signed some Secech (Confederate) General's name to it. They obeyed promptly
by sending 40,000 men and a long train of ammunition, which was burnt by them
to keep it falling into our hands. It was a shrewd Yankee trick and it paid
off. We fell on them with nearly double their numbers - captured 72 pieces of
artillery and a great number of prisoners.<br />
<br />
We stopped the chase at </span><span style="color: #000099;">10:00 o'clock</span><span style="color: #000099;">
at night. They stopped about 3 miles ahead of us and built large campfires, but
started on the run long before day with our folks after them. They succeeded in
getting most of their troops over the </span><span style="color: #000099;">Black River</span><span style="color: #000099;">, but not
before we captured 17 pieces of Cannon and 3000 troops, besides drowning 2000
of them. We were so close to them that they could not get all their troops over
before they burned the bridge. If it was not for the river, we would have been
in </span><span style="color: #000099;">Vicksburg</span><span style="color: #000099;"> as soon as they were. During the night we built several
bridges and early in the morning started for here (the rear of </span><span style="color: #000099;">Vicksburg</span><span style="color: #000099;">).<br />
<br />
We have now got them surrounded. We occupy the center, the Left of our Army
rests on the </span><span style="color: #000099;">Mississippi River</span><span style="color: #000099;"> and the Right on the </span><span style="color: #000099;">Yazoo</span><span style="color: #000099;">
</span><span style="color: #000099;">River</span><span style="color: #000099;">. We are on the left of </span><span style="color: #000099;">Sherman</span><span style="color: #000099;">'s Corps. It is the strongest point of their
fortifications...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black;">It
looked like a promising situation, but as was often the case in the Civil War,
things did not always go as planned.</span><br />
<br />
From Shelby Foote's account:<span style="color: #660000;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #660000;">At the appointed hour, the guns
boomed, and the blue clots of troops rushed forward, shoulder to shoulder,
cheering as they vied for the honor of being the first to scale the ridge;
whereupon, as if in response to the same signal, a long low cloud of smoke,
torn along its bottom edge by the pinkish yellow stabs of muzzle flashes,
boiled up with a great clatter from the rebel works ahead. The racket was so
tremendous that no man could hear his own shouts or the sudden yelps of the
wounded alongside him. What was immediately apparent, however, amid a confusion
of sound so uproarious that it was if the whole mad scene was played in
pantomime, was that the assault had failed almost as soon as it got started...<br />
<br />
...Emerging into the open, an Illinois captain saw "the very sticks and
chips, scattered over the ground, jumping under the hot shower of rebel
bullets." Startled, he and his company plunge forward, tumbled into a
cane-choked ravine at the base of the enemy ridge, and hugged the earth for
cover and concealment. All up and down the line it was much the same for those
who had not scattered rearward at the first burst of tire; once within point
blank musket range, there was little the attackers could do but try to stay out
of sight until darkness gave them a chance to pull back without inviting a
bullet between the shoulder blades.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="color: black;">This was, of course, Jacob Wheeler's outfit - and his
account is even more graphic:</span><span style="color: #000099;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #000099;">On the 22nd we made a charge on
their works, but were repulsed. The air was literally filled with shot and
shell. They had a fire on us from three different directions and it was
fearful. It is a miracle to us all, how any of us escaped alive. Our Regiment
had 106 killed and wounded in less than half an hour. Our Lt. Colonel lost an
arm. LT. Whittle of our Company was hit in the arm - he had an artery cut. The
captain of Company K lost an arm. Company G lost their Lieutenant; so did
Company E lose theirs. Their Captain had a ball through his face. Our Company
had five killed and nine wounded: one was Will Maugle; Joe Ebersoll was badly
wounded in the left shoulder - both from our town. All the rest of the </span><span style="color: #000099;">Ottawa</span><span style="color: #000099;"> boys were all right.<br />
<br />
The boy that stood before me had both of his legs shot off, the boy that stood
by the side of me had his head shot off, and the one who stood behind had his
bowels thrown all over him.<br />
<br />
It was a fearful scene, but I understand there will be no more charges. We
intend to take the place by siege.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
Which they eventually did. Confederate General Pemberton, seeking good terms,
surrendered Vicksburg on July 4 of
that year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="post-authorvcard">Posted by </span><span class="fn">Donvila</span><span class="post-authorvcard"> </span><span class="post-timestamp">at <a href="http://www.progressivessouthbend.org/2008/05/vicksburg-campaign-storm-attempt.html" title="permanent link">3:50 PM</a> </span><span class="post-comment-link"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1640296528506750706&postID=2021646288630173334&isPopup=true">0
comments</a> </span><span class="item-action"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=1640296528506750706&postID=2021646288630173334" title="Email Post"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" height="13" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Don\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.gif" width="18" /></span></a></span><span class="item-controlblog-adminpid-1938267138"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1640296528506750706&postID=2021646288630173334" title="Edit Post"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img border="0" height="18" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Don\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image002.gif" width="18" /></span></a></span><span class="post-backlinkspost-comment-link"><a href="http://www.progressivessouthbend.org/2008/05/vicksburg-campaign-storm-attempt.html#links">Links
to this post</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="post-labels">Labels: <a href="http://www.progressivessouthbend.org/search/label/Chicago%20Board%20of%20Trade%20Regiment.html">Chicago
Board of Trade Regiment</a>, <a href="http://www.progressivessouthbend.org/search/label/Jacob%20Wheeler.html">Jacob
Wheeler</a>, <a href="http://www.progressivessouthbend.org/search/label/Shelby%20Foote.html">Shelby
Foote</a>, <a href="http://www.progressivessouthbend.org/search/label/The%20Civil%20War.html">The
Civil War</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7208767869799945364.post-10447767839747690372013-06-01T15:35:00.000-04:002013-06-01T15:35:10.103-04:00Remarks as presented to the SBCSC Board of Trustees re: appointment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I knew our time would be limited today, I previously sent
you a bit about who I am and what I work on when it comes to public
education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you’ll remember, my
involvement in the school corporation is not limited to just my own child, but
others I’m responsible for as their CASA as
well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve spent many of my working years as a front line manager
for various service industries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My days
were filled with giving direction to staff members who encountered problems,
and to a lesser extent, addressing issues brought to me by customers.</div>
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Over time I learned techniques to prioritize the challenges
brought to me; differentiating between what was urgent vs. important,
identifying where a partial solution would mitigate the immediate problem,
allowing for further study for complete resolution, and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would imagine it is a lot like that for
you.</div>
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In fact, you’ve had one of those thorny issues presented to
you recently. I believe that the community is going to need some better account
regarding the issue of grade changing at Washington
High School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve read the lengthy South Bend Tribune
article multiple times and, as a community member, I don’t feel any confidence
that I know what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Board
cannot allow the article to stand as the public record of the matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There must be an investigation and there must
be a report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There also needs to be a
policy adopted on whether grade changing is ever appropriate, and if so, when
and how.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A proactive approach would make
a repeat of this sort of issue unlikely, and could serve to reassure citizens
of the school corporation. </div>
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I know that your particular challenges have been made much
more difficult by injurious decisions made in state government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Failure to restore past funding levels,
instead choosing to lower taxes and making Indiana’s
voucher program the most expansive in the nation certainly makes clear the lack
of regard for public education by our decision makers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to work with you to change these
priorities. </div>
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I do think that the community needs its school board to at
least challenge these policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
maybe this board should join with other boards in large communities to issue
some joint resolutions expressing dissatisfaction with the state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are, after all, financing their priorities
at the expense of our children’s needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s hard to calculate what the cost of that will be.</div>
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But here’s where you’ve distinguished yourselves, in my view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that the two most significant
indicators of student success are first, the family situation of the child, and
second, class size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You folks can’t do
much about the former, but you have held the line on the latter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read about class sizes of thirty to
forty-five kids elsewhere and wonder how teachers can possibly be effective in
those situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful you have
not allowed that to happen here, and would pledge to stand with you to keep
that the case.</div>
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So I am here asking to join you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand the degree of difficulty, but it
is work I wish to do. And for anyone who wishes to know what I would like to
accomplish as a member of the Board of School Trustees, it would be this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up to now, our daughter has had a fantastic
experience as a student in the district.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She runs up the steps of the bus every morning – she’s that eager to get
to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want that for every
parent’s child.</div>
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Don Wheeler</div>
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Donvilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690633305929048255noreply@blogger.com0