Neoliberal Forces Dominate Public Education in Sacramento

No Charter School Reform or Taxpayer Protection

"When San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan brought down the $50 million A-3 charter scam, she noted, “People v. McManus revealed many weaknesses in the State’s education system in the areas of fraud enforcement, student data tracking, auditing, school finance, and oversight of charter schools.”

To address these weaknesses Assembly Members Daniel O’Donnell, Cristina Garcia, and Kevin McCarty introduced AB1316. The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) expressed strong opposition to the bill.  As education writer Carl Petersen observed, “Unfortunately, AB1316 was placed in the inactive file by a political system unwilling to risk the wrath of the California Charter School Association.”

This year is turning into a very bad year for public education in California. Neoliberal Democrats and the CCSA are having their way."

 

Read the entire article on Tultican.

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Cashing in on Kids - July 7, 2021

"How we’re fighting back

Still fighting for their public school. Los Angeles parents, students, teachers, and other community members are protesting after Citizens of the World (COTW) charter schools used the California law known as Prop-39 to take space from Shirley Avenue Elementary School campus. Patch.com

Read the complete report on the In The Public Interest website.

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Carl J. Petersen: Another Charter School Disregards Student Safety

"Carl J. Petersen keeps an eye on Los Angeles. In this piece, he reports Girls Athletic Leadership charter school (GALS) will squeeze their new campus onto a 1.2-acre site in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Reposted with permission."

 

The NPE Blogs of the Day feature what the NPE editors think are interesting and important blog posts centered on issues of public education.

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Sunday Mailbag

C.P. in Los Angeles, CA, writes: With the recall election looking like it would happen, there seems to be more urgency in having Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) retire. While it may be unlikely, the recall of Gray Davis and the election of Trump have shown that Murphy's law also applies to politics. The damage of the GOP's recall being successful would be significantly compounded if Feinstein could not finish her term, and a Republican got to appoint her successor.

Read the full column at Electoral-Vote.com.

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Carl Petersen: Getting Advice From Texas?

"Carl J. Petersen is a parent and special education advocate who keeps a close eye on the Los Angeles school system. Here he is taking pro-charter members of the LAUSD board for soliciting advice from Texas..."

"Petersen actually addressed the board and he includes his remarks in the complete piece, which can be viewed here."

 

The NPE Blogs of the Day feature what the NPE editors think are interesting and important blog posts centered on issues of public education.

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ICYMI: Hooray for the Sports Ball Edition (2/7)

"Kids Last

In California, a charter school chain apparently wants to build a school on a toxic land fill."

Read the full article on Curmudgucation.

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Cashing in on Kids - February 9, 2021

"Now the rest of the news…

'Enabling Theft and Fraud' in Los Angeles. Carl Petersen documents how the Los Angeles Unified School District continues to take away building space from public school students to give to charter schools, with past-due bills totaling $1.9 million. Medium

'Charter Schools Invaded Our Neighborhoods Without Public Input.' A group of parents, teachers, and educators in East Los Angeles detail how their neighborhoods have become saturated with charter schools to the detriment of public schools. Age of Awareness

Read the complete report on the In The Public Interest website.

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Emiliana Dore: Charter Schools Are Not the Answer!

"Emiliana Dore wrote a powerful article at Medium about the importance of public schools and why charter schools do not promote racial or social justice. Her article was posted by Carl J. Petersen, a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.

Dore, a public school parent and advocate, wrote in response to an article at The 74 contending that charter schools were models for teaching kindness and anti-racism. Dore strongly disagreed."

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

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Charter Schools and Fascist Tools - Guest Carl J. Petersen

The article that initiated this conversation can be found on Medium.

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Los Angeles: Charter School Games the System for More $$$

"Parent advocate Carl J. Petersen writes here about a charter school in Los Angeles that figured out to game the system for more money and space.

He writes that “Citizens of the World” collects signatures of parents who are not likely to apply for the school and uses them as expressions of intent to enroll."

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

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