The true cost of vouchers

I recently read this editorial from a New Hampshire newspaper about the cost of vouchers in Florida and Arizona, as NH considers expanding a voucher bill. The editorial, serves as a warning to NH. The authors have written a similar article published in Nashville, TN.

Opinion: The devastating impact vouchers have had on Arizona, Florida local public schools

Damaris Allen is the executive director of Families for Strong Public Schools, a Florida public school graduate, and a parent of public school children. Beth Lewis is the executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona, an Arizona educator, and a parent of public school children.

Arizona and Florida have the dubious distinction of being considered “#1 in school choice” by the dark money special interests that have spent millions to push vouchers in our states. This means our public schools are underfunded in service of private school vouchers. Rural students and low-income families have fewer quality choices, while richer suburban families use vouchers as a coupon for the private education they were already paying for. This is tens of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent with no accountability, no transparency and no return on investment.

Arizona is now reeling from the impacts of universal vouchers, which are siphoning nearly $1 billion out of our local public schools this year. School districts are forced to make horrific decisions between shutting down schools, laying off hundreds of teachers, slashing bus routes or firing counselors or social workers. Arizona class sizes are growing exponentially, while our buildings and buses fall into disrepair. Just this past month, our attorney general announced major cases of fraud, in which hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from the voucher program.

Florida spends over $4 billion of taxpayer money annually on private schools. More than 65 percent are not accredited, requiring parents to check with their students’ prospective colleges to ensure their diplomas will even be accepted. In Florida, homeschool families who receive vouchers are free to purchase large-screen TVs, paddleboards, vacations and other extravagant items, while public schools don’t have basic school supplies, such as paper and pencils. To reduce costs, our traditional public schools have class sizes bursting at the seams, fewer enrichment programs and limited access to accelerated courses.

This is happening in Florida and Arizona, and it’s no different in New Hampshire. Voucher lobbyists are solely interested in forcing through publicly funded vouchers to eventually dismantle the public school system and privatize all schools. They like to start small, with targeted programs for low-income students, but once the voucher door has opened, it’s almost impossible to close, and millions will be spent to inch it ever wider each year. That’s what’s happening in New Hampshire now, with several bills to expand vouchers. The New Hampshire voucher law specifically protects the right of schools to reject students who do not fit their mission but offers no protection to students against discrimination, even though taxpayer money is being used to pay for the vouchers.

New Hampshire does not fully fund, or even adequately fund, its public schools. That has been shown through more than 30 years’ worth of court cases, including the ConVal case that shows the state is shortchanging public school students by more than $500 million every year, and local property taxpayers are saddled with the burden of making up the difference. If New Hampshire focused on fairly funding public schools rather than draining the Education Trust Fund to pay for vouchers, the state could brag about providing a great public education to all students and ease the dependence on local property taxpayers.

Let our states’ unfortunate experience with vouchers be a red flag for the Granite State. Don’t be hoodwinked by slick marketing. Unaccountable voucher schemes are not academically or financially viable. Don’t let lawmakers expand your voucher program. It would be a big mistake for New Hampshire students and their families. Keep the promise of public education; we promise New Hampshire families will be better off.

According to Josh Cowen, Professor of Education Policy – College of Education, Michigan State University, “The last decade of achievement studies have shown negative voucher impacts, with more mix ed or inconclusive results on attainment” (Brookings.edu). Additionally, “data from traditional voucher programs has indicated that the larger the program, the worse the results tend to be” (Brookings.edu).

Imagine someone came to you and said, if you give us a lot of money, we will make education better for poor black and brown kids by stealing from their public school counterparts, hiring non-licensed teachers, and provide an academic program that has no accountability like traditional public schools. Plus there is very limited research on the success of these schools, but we’re stealing from the poor kids and sticking it to the teachers’ unions – Who’s in???

These are my reflections for today.

April 12, 2024

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Celebs and their charter hubris

The ________________ (name of charter school) located in ________________(city) is riddled with controversy over _________ (add list of offenses, complaints, broken laws).

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Russell Wilson and his wife. This week there’s another story of the charter school chain dysfunction.

The Capital Prep Charter chain in New York, created by Dr. Steve Perry, an educational reformer who is a proponent of school choice and an opponent of teachers unions. The teachers unions, he says, are extremely powerful and not empowering to the students who most need them (nypost.com). Perry is known by some as “America’s most trusted educator” (theroot.com).

Back in 2016, Perry and Sean “Ditty” Combs launched Capital Prep Charter in East Harlem.Ditty, according to Forbes magazine was the richest man in hip hop In 2018, Ditty promised $1 million to expand Charter Prep into the Bronx. Also in 2018, Combs was recognized at the Apollo Theater for his work in education. The award was to be given by three graduates. Combs didn’t show up, citing “airplane troubles”, though he accepted his award in a video which was taken from inside his private jet (thecut.com). Aside from the occasional photo op and guest appearance, Combs had very little to do with the day-to-day functioning of the school.

In an interview in 2022, Combs said of his involvement in Charter Prep, “It was something that was always a dream for me and a passion, and I’m just blessed that it was able to happen. I think it’s having an impact. I mean, not I think, I know it’s definitely having an impact on the community, so it’s a dream come true” (theroot.com).

Combs has been accused of abuse, rape, and sex trafficking – charges brought against him by a former girlfriend. Though Combs settled with the woman, there are four subsequent allegations of similar claims (thecut.com). This is what led Perry to sever his ties with Combs and Capital Prep last November.

One parent said, “He [Diddy] was supposed to be an inspiration to those children, coming from what you might consider the hood — and he was not” (theroot.com).

So much for that.

Now it seems the issues with Capital Prep go far beyond bad press with their celebrity investor. Parents, students and former employees describe the school as dysfunctional with a high teacher turnover rate, and incidences of violence (thecut.com). The school, like so many other charter schools, has had seven principals or interim principals in seven years. Teachers complained they were short on chairs and desks. The grading system used resulted in inaccurate grades, transcripts, schedules, and testing data (thecut.com).

Some students were enrolled in courses they had passed years before, while teachers saw class sizes double or triple with children who weren’t supposed to be there. People were in the building, says a teacher, but often they weren’t in a classroom learning: “There were kids who were sitting in the cafeteria receiving no instruction for hours.” Trustees would brag about donors in board meetings, but on the ground, teachers say they were strapped for materials — “None of that money ever translated to any more resources; it didn’t translate to more laptops, to more boards, or chart paper,” says one. The dysfunction only compounded the school’s attrition problem. “People were quitting left and right because there was just no point,” one teacher says. Another says she was working up to 16 hours a day; management told her and other faculty to cover subjects they weren’t hired for as well as after-school activities. Students were taught by a revolving door of substitutes; at one point, a principal was covering class, according to a parent (thecut.com).

While the school boasted that 100% of graduates were accepted into college, the graduation rate is only 70%. Parents compalined that students were barely passing and not prepared for college (thecut.com).

Shenique Coston, director of communications and development for the school’s network, denies the claims against Charter Prep. “We accept and are saddened that some scholars and colleagues were not pleased with their experience, however, we affirmatively state that many of the allegations included in your fact-checking list are fabrications”  (thecut.com).

While it seems the outrage should be on Ditty and his celebrity involvement in a charter school in Harlem, like Russell Wilson and others who have pledged millions in support of charter schools, the greater issue is the idea these celebrities have that throwing money at charter schools will fix education for black and brown children. This is a problem, but throwing money at charter schools, getting a few pictures taken for the press, claiming “We’re all in on this” and I’m just blessed that it was able to happen (theroot.com) is nothing more than hubris, and rarely works.

Someone should keep a tally of how much celebrities spend on charter schools, and what that would offer underfunded public schools.

Support public education.

These are my reflections for today.

March 29, 2024

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*Much of the information for this blog came from an outstanding article in The Cut, titled, The Chaos Inside Diddy’s Charter School, by Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz.

“We’re all in on this.”

In 2020, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Grammy award winner Ciara donated about $1.75 million to rename an existing Seattle area charter school, Cascade Midway Academy, to Why Not You Academy. The name comes from the couples’ nonprofit foundation, also called Why Not You. The foundation was created in 2014 dedicated to, “fighting poverty through education, empowering youth to lead with a why not you attitude” (whynotyoufdn.org). The school opened its doors to underserved Black and brown students in September 2021.

One of the tenets the foundation supports is, “student access to equal education opportunities, children’s health and food security initiatives” (whynotyoufdn.org).

Let’s see how that’s going.

Though they said they would not be involved in the day-to-day operations, Wilson and Ciara welcomed the opportunity to help launch the school. It focuses on academics, personalized student plans and internships and mentorships. The couple said they hope this will be the first of many Why Not You Academy (WNYA) sites across the country. Ciara said, “We’re passionate about everything. We’re all in on this.” (apnews.com). Apparently they only visited the school a few times, likely when the school first opened.

Three years later, the school is showing the same signs of corruption, low-enrollment, and discrimination against students with special needs as a plethora of charter schools across the country. Since fall, the school has lost about a third of their students and staff. More than a dozen former students and staff have reported a “chaotic and toxic culture” and have accused the school’s leadership of “unprofessionalism; driving out educators and ignoring concerns about educational equality” (seattletimes.com). At least 70 students have withdrawn from the school, that had 220 students enrollment in September. During the period of staff turnover, at least 10 students with disabilities did not receive any services. Several former and current staff – with out teaching certifications- were asked to teach a class, and a few times it was noted that classrooms were unstaffed (seattletimes.com).

Sarah Osman, a parent who pulled two of her children from the Academy said, “It was like a daycare…there’s no education in there” (seattletimes.com). One school staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said of the school, “I would never send my children here” (seattletimes.com).

WNYA CEO Abigail O’Neal acknowledged a lapse in special education services but said the school had never placed unlicensed teachers in classrooms. She also said there was only one occasion where a class was unsupervised. And, in explaining the revolving door of staff resignations, O’Neal said, “Some of the staff that resigned didn’t share the school’s vision” (seattletimes.com). Only one? Isn’t that one too many?

O’Neal said these challenges have been resolved and that the school is now fully staffed. ”We now have a team that is here and ready to just teach our scholars and focus on the priorities that we are setting as a community” (seattletimes.com).

One of the most important contingencies to renew a charter is enrollment -not accountability or academic success. Even if what O’Neal says is true, without students, there is no charter school.

The Wilsons have been silent on this news, but in their defense they said they wouldn’t be involved in the day-to-day operations.

When I did a search for news about Wilson and Ciara opening the school, I found stories in Bleacher Report, Fox Business, Sports Ilustrated, Yahoo News. I wonder how many will cover this follow-up story?

While I admire the Wilsons’ intentions, I take issue with any philanthropy that just throws money at problems, gets a nice photo in the paper, and a few write-ups for doing something to help those children and then walks away. Almost two million dollars is – by public school standards – a shit ton of money that could have gone to shelve new books in a library or technology center (especially if he works with fellow-Seattle philanthropist Bill Gates), or hire a new team of art and music teachers, counselors, or… or… or… Efforts in this vein would benefit hundreds- even thousands of children over the years and not just a dwindling hundred that are attending a charter school fraught with issues.

Ciara said, “We’re all in on this”. What exactly did she mean?

These are my reflections for today.

February 23, 2024

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Money gone missing

A charter school in Exeter, NH has been forced to close after opening less than two years ago. School officials are part of an ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement and fraud.

Coastal Waters Chartered Public Schools opened in New Hampshire after convincing parents the school would be all about children learning in traditional ways. Parents believed in the schools alternative vision of a more personalized outdoor-based education. Less than a year later, parents pulled their kids from the school citing concerns about the children’s well-being as well as no financial transparency from the administration.

Charter schools are approved by the State Board of Education and receive funding directly from the state, about $9,000 per student. In 2022, Coastal Waters also won a $1.36 million federal grant as part of the New Hampshire Department of Education’s charter school expansion initiative (nhpr.org).

One parent, who withdrew her children from Coastal Waters said, “There is a huge desire for alternatives to public schooling, …but there’s a huge opportunity for exploitation” (esquire.com). This parent also said, “without transparent oversight or the same legal requirements as public schools, our children were put at risk multiple times and their education has suffered” (esquire.com).

The school had a hard time finding a facility to house the school. Some temporary facilities did not have sufficient cleaning materials or a clean bathroom (nhpr.org). “Parents said, for most of the past year, many classes met under outdoor tents. As recently as December 2023, some classes were meeting at nearby summer camps or local gyms. Other classes switched to weeks of online remote learning” (nhpr.org). Reports from the state and the school in January 2024 showed the enrollment down to 47 students, from 128 students last year.

Beyond New Hampshire, research consistently shows the lack of success in charter schools nationwide (eric.ed.gov), (uplifteducation.org)

• Sending public money to private schools does not improve education; in fact, it weakens the public schools, attended by the vast majority.
• Demand for charter schools is declining.
• Charters are selective and operate like private schools.
• Public charter schools deny equal access to students.
• Charter schools lack oversight and are not held accountable.

“Within the first three years, 18% of charters had closed, with many of those closures occurring within the first year. By the end of five years, 25% of charters had closed. By the ten year mark, 40% of charters had closed” (Forbes.com).

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), between 1998-99 and 2019-20, a 21-year period, 694 charter schools opened and closed the same year (Forbes.com)

More truths about charter schools:

• Most charter school students are low-income minority youth.
• Charter schools are generally more segregated than public schools and tend to have fewer nurses and fewer experienced teachers than public schools.
• Many do not offer meals or transportation, and all are governed by unelected private persons.
• Like private businesses, many charter schools also spend a large amount of money on advertising. In addition, quite a few charter schools are owned-operated by private for-profit Education Management Organizations (EMOs) (Forbes.com).

Charter schools are and have been supported by billionaires- Waltons, Koch, Gates, Bloomberg, DeVos, to name a few, essentially those that think teachers’ unions are the problem with underperforming schools – and their solution is unregulated and unaccountable (some for profit) schools with teachers that may or may not have attended a teacher education program or possess a license to teach. Advocates continue to support charter (and voucher) growth without showing a shred of evidence of their effectiveness.

Parents want alternatives. Charters are not the answer. Minimizing funding for charters and funding public schools equitably would be a good start to providing a solid education for ALL students.

These are my reflections for today.

February 9, 2024

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The erosion of democracy in Oklahoma

A Catholic Church in Oklahoma wants to operate a publicly-funded virtual charter school – despite the current research showing virtual schools do not perform as well as their brick-and-mortar schools, and despite the corruption inherent in many charter school organizations.

The governor – Kevin Stitt supported the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board’s approval of the nation’s first religious charter school. Stitt said, ” I applaud the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board’s courage to approve the authorization for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. This is a win for religious liberty and education freedom in our great state…Today with the nation watching, our state showed that we will not stand for religious discrimination” (Oklahoma.gov).

Then the governor hired Nellie Tayloe Sanders who previously served on the Virtual School Board. She is the second appointment from the Virtual Charter Board to serve as education secretary. This was after she voted in favor of a Catholic charter school. Sanders said, “My goal is to empower parents with choices and support teachers in unleashing their full potential – moving beyond the constraints of politics and bureaucracy…Governor Stitt’s commitment to educational freedom resonates with me” (oklahomavoice.com).

Worth noting, there hasn’t been an education secretary since Katherine Curry resigned from her position after three months. Curry said she left the position because, “The Oklahoma State Department of Education wouldn’t provide her with the financial documents she had asked for to review how the agency budgeted and spent money” (oklahomavoice.com).

Brian Shellem was appointed to serve on the Statewide Charter School Board. He said the St. Isidore contract was not to provide religious education – rather to provide a curriculum the state requires.However, throughout their application process, St. Isidore leaders indicated that the school fully intended to provide students with a Catholic education (nondoc.com).

Epic Charter schools in Oklahoma have been in the news recently. Co-founders Ben Harris and David Chaney along with their CFO Josh Brock were arrested in June 2022 and accused of using school funds for personal, campaign donations, and personal expenses (vacations). Investigators allege the men ran, “a criminal enterprise using the online charter school and a for-profit company (Epic Youth Services) to bilk the state out of at least $22 million” (journalrecord.com). New charges filed in October allege the men transferred money from Epic Youth Services to a shell company called Edtech, LLC, then transferred the money to themselves to falsely justify fraudulent management fee invoices (journalrecord.com).

Epic co-founder Ben Harris told NPR, “I’m glad we are here to make sure they don’t have to choose between a school they don’t think is safe for their child and their child having a quality education. No parent should have to make that choice” (npr.org).

Hamlin, Adams, & Adigun (2023) reported that, “The academic outcomes of our virtual charter school students compared to their peers are negative, and in most cases, strongly negative. Overall, we observe a seemingly counterintuitive pattern – virtual school enrollments are rising but academic outcomes are poor” (Oej.scholastichq.com). These results equate to about three quarters of an academic year in ELA and almost an entire year in math (Oej.scholastichq.com).

Among their findings, “Students who remain in the same school for three academic years, virtual charter school students show negative scores in math (-0.41 standard deviations) and ELA (-0.22 standard deviations) when compared to their peers attending the same district-run public schools.

Publicly funded virtual Catholic charter schools. Our founding fathers are rolling in their graves.

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison felt that state support for a particular religion or for any religion was improper. They argued that compelling citizens to support through taxation a faith they did not follow violated their natural right to religious liberty. They believed that without the separation there could be no true religious freedom (freedomforum.org).

The Establishment Clause in the Constitution prohibits the government from “establishing” a particular religion”. The Free Exercise Clause, protects the individual’s right to freely practice religion if it does not conflict with “public morals” or a “compelling” governmental interest (news.cornell.college.edu).

These are my reflections for today.

February 2, 2024

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Private Schools Vouchers – myth and reality

This is a repost from the Public Funds Public Schools website. I take no credit for this, but it’s important to understand the reality of why voucher programs don’t work and I wanted to repost.

On their website, Public Funds Public Schools writes:

Public education is the cornerstone of American democracy. Each and every child is entitled to a thriving public school. Diverting public money to private education starves public schools of vital resources. Public funds for education must support public schools, which are open to all children and accountable to the community (pfps.org).

The Myth of Cost Savings from Private School Vouchers The notion that it costs less to educate students with publicly funded private school vouchers than it does to educate them in traditional public schools ignores important realities that make voucher programs expensive, impractical and unsound.

VOUCHERS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLING  A 2018 study found the cost of educating a student through an Arizona private school voucher program was 75% higher than the cost of educating an Arizona public school student.1 Another study estimated that shifting to a system of private school vouchers could raise education costs by 25% or more when accounting for students who would have attended private schools without a voucher, administrative costs like record keeping and program monitoring, and other expenses.2

VOUCHER PROGRAMS ARE EXPENSIVE TO OPERATE Private school voucher programs have costs beyond the face value of the voucher, including record keeping, information dissemination, and dispute adjudication.3 Even states with lax accountability systems in their voucher programs must set up and implement the program, disburse funds, and interface with private schools. When more robust accountability systems are in place, state education departments must monitor the use of voucher funds by families and private schools. Requiring states to monitor two separate education systems is an inefficient use of limited resources.

VOUCHERS SHIFT EDUCATION EXPENSES TO PARENTS.  Whereas public schools provide transportation, special education services, and free or reduced-price lunches for qualifying students, these and other essential services must often be purchased separately by families using vouchers to attend private schools.4 This is in addition to the frequent need to “top up” the value of a voucher to cover the full cost of private school tuition.5 •

FRAUD AND MISUSE INCREASE THE COST OF VOUCHER PROGRAMS In addition to the costs inherent in operating a private school voucher program, investigations have shown these programs sometimes result in mismanagement of public funds and fraud.6 The necessary audits and oversight to prevent and address such abuse consume additional public resources.

VOUCHER PROGRAMS SUBSIDIZE PRIVATE EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WHO WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAVE ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOL It is not true that voucher programs simply shift funds that would have been spent on public school students to pay for their private education. When states establish private school Private school voucher programs threaten vital funding for public schools but are not shown to improve students’ academic outcomes. voucher programs, families already paying for or planning to use private education often participate.7 Many voucher laws permit participation by students who have not previously attended public school, such as those entering kindergarten. It is inaccurate to assume that students receiving a voucher switched from public to private education.

VOUCHER PROGRAMS DO NOT CHANGE FIXED COSTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS Public schools, which serve the vast majority of students, have substantial “fixed costs.” Because students who participate in voucher programs exit their public school districts from different schools, grade levels and classrooms, districts are not able to proportionally reduce facilities, staff, programs, and other fixed costs to fully offset the loss of funding that is diverted to voucher programs.

VOUCHER PROGRAMS CONCENTRATE STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE INCREASED RESOURCES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS Because private schools can refuse to admit or provide adequate services for students with disabilities, English learners, and others who may require increased resources for an equitable education,9 these students are more frequently educated in public schools. Private schools participating in voucher programs may also “counsel out” or expel students they deem “high cost.”10 In other cases, parents return their children to public schools when they realize they are not receiving the necessary services or supports or are not entitled to the same legal protections as in public schools. Public schools continue to require sufficient resources to serve students with additional needs, even when public funds are diverted from them to pay for vouchers.

INVESTING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN VOUCHER PROGRAMS Private school voucher programs threaten vital funding for public schools11 but are not shown to improve students’ academic outcomes.12 By contrast, evidence-based and cost effective strategies, such as increasing educator pre-service training,13 expanding access to high-quality early childhood education,14 and improving wrap-around services and enrichment opportunities, have been shown to increase student achievement. When we invest in public schools, all students and their communities have true opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive.

For a list of footnote references, refer to the original document here.

As I so often say, I started this blog to educate people on what’s happening with public education in the U.S. With some potential changes coming to Washington next year, being an informed voter is crucial. Consider the impacts to public education when looking at the candidates. Ignorance is no excuse.

These are my reflections for today.

January 19, 2024

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@reflectionsined

Oh the sun shines bright….

This week in Frankfort KY, Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd struck down a recently passed charter school bill. Last year HB 9, passed, allowing charter schools to receive local and state tax dollars (lex18.com) HB 9 passed a Republican led legislature, but faced scrutiny as Republicans teamed up with Democrats to oppose the legislation. In several rural Kentucky counties, public schools are the largest employer and non-public schooling options are scant (Lexington Herald Leader).

Shepherd ruled that the law “violated the state constitution and that public funding can’t support private schools”. In the ruling, Shepherd said that while there is an ongoing debate on the merits of charter schools, HB 9 violated the language of the state’s constitution, which includes a requirement for “an efficient system of common schools” and, that “tax dollars cannot be used to support non-public education (Lexington Herald Leader). 

“The central question in this constitutional analysis is whether the privately owned and operated ‘charter schools,’ which are established by this legislation, should be considered ‘common schools’ or ‘public schools’ within the meaning of Sections 183, 184 and 186 of the Kentucky Constitution? A review of the case law, and the plain language of the Kentucky Constitution itself, yields the inescapable conclusion that ‘charter schools’ are not ‘public schools’ or ‘common schools’ within the meaning of our state’s 1891 Constitution” (Lexington Herald Leader).

The suit against the HB 9 was led by Council for Better Education, a pro-public education group in Kentucky. Tom Shelton, spokesperson for the Council for Better Education, said the group “appreciates the ruling from Judge Shepherd supporting our opinion that HB 9 violated our Kentucky Constitution. The constitution specifically prohibits the privatization of public funds. Public funds are for public purposes (Lexington Herald Leader). 

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who has voiced opposition to charter schools, vetoed HB 9 but the Republican-led General Assembly overrode it. 

Todd Ziebarth of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:

“HB 9 was challenged by the Council for Better Education, alleging charter schools are not public schools and cannot receive public school funding. The Council for Better Education is not the first plaintiff to make these arguments. All Kentucky charter schools are public schools eligible to receive the same funding as other public schools in the state. Just like we’ve prevailed in other states, we believe the Kentucky Supreme Court will ultimately side with families in the Bluegrass State so they will have the public education choices they deserve. We stand with the people of Kentucky and look forward to appealing this decision.”

The Democratic Caucus released this statement after Shepherd’s ruling:

“We applaud, but are not surprised by, today’s ruling against charter schools. The Kentucky Constitution is abundantly clear: The General Assembly can only authorize and fund public education. We said that in 2017, when charter schools were first approved; we said that again in 2022, when the law rejected today was passed; and we’ll say it once more in 2024, when there will be yet another attempt to route public tax dollars into private schools. Our belief is simple: Follow the constitution and give public education our undivided support.” – Kentucky House Democratic Caucus Leaders Derrick Graham, Cherlynn Stevenson and Rachel Roberts (NKYTribune).

Thank you, Kentucky for standing up for public education, funding public schools that are held accountable to the state. Score one for the good guys.

Weep no more my lady. 🎵
Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home, far away.

~Stephen Foster, My Old Kentucky Home (1853)

These are my reflections for today.

December 15, 2023

Happy Holidays! I’ll be back in January.

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@reflectionsined

Welcome to the party, Tennessee

Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee just arrived at the education spending account party where eight other states (AZ, UT, OK, AR, FL, NC, WV, OH, IA) have already arrived. Lee’s bill, like the others, would divert funding from public schools to charter schools throughout the state.

Not so fast, governor. We’re going to need some more information.

In Tennessee, 80% of the taxpayer-financed charter schools have a lower success rate than the districts where they are located (NewsChannel5.com). Further, in 2021-2022, data showed that of the 109 charter schools 87 had success rates below the other schools in the area. More than 33% reported success rates of 10% or less, and 10 of those had success rates below 5% (NewsChannel5.com).

Even more sketchy is the governor’s involvement in the reformers push for more charters in the state. “During the winter of 2021, Noble Education Initiative’s chances of opening a third charter school — this time, in Rutherford County — looked bleak. But in the weeks leading up to a crucial vote that would effectively decide the project’s fate, Gov. Bill Lee’s reelection campaign received $43,000 in donations from executives affiliated with Noble Education Initiative (NEI)” (Tennesseelookout.com). 

No surprise, when Lee took office, he proposed a law to create a newly formed statewide body of nine members appointed by himself to have final say on charter school decisions. And just last week, the governor proposed a bill that would, like other states, give money to parents to pay for tuition and other expenses in schools like private schools or charter schools. Critics, as always, said it will divert public money away from public school systems.

Asked during a press conference whether his plan will divert public school funds to charter schools, the governor said, “Public schools are charter schools and charter schools are public schools. Thank you.” Then he folded his booklet and walked away (tennesseelookout.com).

To be clear, public schools are publicly funded and privately managed. Even the governor seems a bit confused.

The Education Freedom Scholarship Act (ESA) would provide a total of 20,000 scholarships to Tennessee students during the 2024-2025 school year. The first 10,000 scholarships would be for students whose families were at or below 300% of the federal poverty line, who have a disability or who are eligible for the state’s new ESA program (WBIR.com). Funds can be used for faith-based schools, private schools and charter schools (WBIR.com).

Lee said, “Every Tennessee child deserves a shot at success. Every student has unique needs. And every type of classroom provides a unique option for those needs” (WBIR.com). Figures don’t lie, liars figure.

How are privately run charters meeting the needs of children with disabilities? To start, 66% of the charters reported that they have so few students they were not required to report success rates for those children(NewsChannel5.com). According to the Pew Research Center, there are 7.3 million students with disabilities in the U.S., approximately 15% of national public school enrollment during the 2021-22 school year. 

Further, demographics of students enrolled in charter schools do not mirror the demographics of students enrolled in public schools. In Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), 35% of students are economically disadvantaged, compared to only 18% at Valor Voyager Academy charter school, for example. Additionally, 47% of the charter school’s population are students of color, compared to 71% in MNPS (NewsChannel5.com).  In reality, 20% of charter school students are economically disadvantaged, 10% are students with disabilities and 17% are English learners – factors that tend to produce higher test scores no matter the school structure (NewsChannel5.com). 

What’s the success rate of charters in Tennessee?

• Knowledge Academies High School,  reported a success rate of just 9.5% for grades 9-12, lower than MNPS’ 20.4% for the same grades, according to the state data. Its success rate for children of color was just 8.1%.
• Nashville’s LEAD Academy had a 9.8% success rate for grades 9-12.
• KIPP Academy Nashville Elementary School, serving K-4, had a success rate of 11.1%, well under MNPS’ 26.2% average.
• LEAD Cameron, serving grades 5-8 in south Nashville, reported success in 11.9% of students, compared to the district’s 26.2% for grades 3-5 and 22.5% for grades 6-8. The success rate for students with disabilities was a mere 5.3% (NewsChannel5).

Welcome to the party, Tennessee. Looks like you didn’t bring anything new.

These are my reflections for today.

December 8, 2023

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The rich get richer…

Former Secretary of Education Mrs. Betsy DeVos started the American Federation for Children, which recently has spent $2.5 million in getting school choice policies passed into law in at least three states, and introducing laws in several others. Mrs. DeVos has advocated for financially supporting families who want to move their children from public schools to private ones, calling these policies “school choice,” and arguing that they would help poor children get a better education (NBCnews.com).

School choice programs began decades ago, and were meant to assist low-income families seen to be trapped in failing local public schools and students with disabilities. But the new vouchers in many cases lift — or even eliminate — household income caps, giving wealthier families state cash to send their kids to private schools (Politico.com).

Where is the money going?

In Arkansas, under Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, 95% of vouchers were claimed by students who never attended public schools. For Arkansas, 75% of voucher recipients came from the most populated areas of the state, the central region including Little Rock and northwest encompassing Fayetteville. The GOP-controlled Legislature acknowledged that upping the supply of schooling options, “particularly in currently underrepresented geographies,” is a key goal as the program expands to all students by 2025 (Politico.com).

In Florida, 84,505, or 69%, of new voucher recipients were already enrolled in private school. Also in Florida, where the American Federation for Children’s state political action committee spent $1.7 million during last year’s elections, Gov. (and pres. candidate) Ron DeSantis already signed a law that will allow more families to receive public funds to pay for private education, regardless of their financial need (NBCnews.com). DeSantis has vowed, if elected, to create a national school choice program modeled after Florida.

Meanwhile, in Arizona more than 50% of vouchers are going to students previously enrolled in private school, homeshooling, or other non-public options. A study from the Grand Canyon Institute (2022), Universal Voucher Applications Analysis found nearly half of universal voucher applicants from wealthier communities as total state private school subsidies reaches $600 million. Key findings in this study include:

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs claims school choice “threatens to decimate” Arizona’s budget due to the program being “unaccountable and unsustainable.” Yet Republican leaders disagree, contending the program is actually saving Arizona money because it’s cheaper to educate students in private schools — even though more students are added to state enrollments (Politico.com). Hobbs said she wants to “roll back this expansion because too much money otherwise reserved for public schools has gone toward wealthy families. But that will be a hard sell in the Arizona Legislature, where the American Federation for Children’s state PAC spent $512,000 to help Republicans hold slim majorities” (NBCnews.com).

Maybe the tide is turning. In a Des Moines Register poll this month , 62% of Iowans said that they disapprove of voucher programs, including 51% of Republicans.

In Democrat-controlled Illinois, lawmakers declined to keep paying for vouchers that served almost 10,000 low-income students as the state’s legislative session wrapped up in November (Politico.com).

Texas lawmakers AGAIN rejected Gov. Abbott’s voucher proposal last week by an 84-63 vote in the House, the latest time the Legislature has rebuffed the governor’s top education priority. Abbott in turn warned lawmakers that he would order them back to the Capitol next year to try again (Politico.com).

What we are seeing across the country is a political push from the wealthiest among us to control (or blow up) public education. They are using their own money to advance their own agendas. They claim to support school choice to help those stuck in underperforming schools. But according to the data, that is absolutely not the case. We see where the money is going and it is, in most cases, not going to those who need it the most. Public funds supporting private, parochial, and homeshooling education, at the cost of everyone.

The rich get richer…

Horace Mann, known as the Father of American Education once said,

In our country and in our times no man is worthy the honored name of statesman who does not include the highest practicable education of the people in all his plans of administration. He may have eloquence, he may have a knowledge of all history, diplomacy, jurisprudence; and by these he might claim, in other countries, the elevated rank of a statesman: but unless he speaks, plans, labors, at all times and in all places, for the culture and edification of the whole people, he is not, he cannot be, an American statesman.

https://hmleague.org/quotes-by-horace-mann/

These are my reflections for today.

December 1, 2023

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Don’t be fooled

In a course I teach on the history of urban education, part of our discussion is on charter schools. Much of this centers around New Orleans and what happened before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. After the storm, education reformers came in to New Orleans, took over the already failing public schools, and the city became the first all-charter school district in the country. The successes of this model are questionable, but reformers will have you believe their success rate is great (see last week’s blog on the misreporting of charter successes).

Of the many criticisms of charter schools, one that I find particularly disturbing is how charters will hire anyone with a college degree, no pedagogical experience or teaching license required. I’ve never been able to understand how hiring unlicensed graduates with degrees in anything are going to make education in low-income communities better. Teach for America or as many like to call it, a teacher temp agency, will take college graduates, give them five weeks of training, and place them in the lowest-income school districts in the country. That is equivalent to taking what a teacher education program typically does in four semesters and condenses it to five weeks. My understanding is that much of the training is covering scripted curriculum, signing NDA’s and paying very little salary to employees (I won’t call them teachers).

SA has had its fair share of problems and bad press.

Last week I received an email from a student in my urban education course. This is what she said:

The average Success Academy Charter Schools salary ranges from approximately $49,439 per year for Associate Teacher to $149,000 per year for Associate Dean. Average Success Academy Charter Schools hourly pay ranges from approximately $17.64 per hour for Special Education Teacher to $20.00 per hour for English Teacher (google.com/search). Teachers in the public schools in NYC with degrees/certifications start at $62,000.

Success Academy has had its fair share of bad press. Check out these headlines.

State faults Success Academy, NYC education department for violating civil rights of students with disabilities

Success Academy Faces Fierce Criticism Over Its Handling of Racial Issues

At Success Academy School, a Stumble in Math and a Teacher’s Anger on Video

The Cruel Dystopia of Success Academy

Here is an example of what recruitment looks like for Success Academy (SA), in New York City. I got this email from a student in my urban education class. She wrote,

I got a LinkedIn message from someone hiring for charter schools. After hearing in class how most teachers at charter schools don’t have an educational degree to support them as teachers and are taught what they need on the job, I never totally understood how that worked. And likewise a lot of things I have learned in class, I don’t believe it until I read about it or see it with examples provided. Well this week I was shown a prime example. I got a message from a charter school hiring “all majors” and how my profile stood out to them… I had immediately thought of class and all that we had been talking about. Being a business major with business and healthcare background I was shocked by how they said nothing was required. So mind boggling to me!

I am not surprised to read this message, because I know that’s how many of these charter schools recruit. Here’s a screen shot of the message my student got:

My student is a business major, and for whatever reason this stuck out to a recruiter looking for teachers. The recruiter said my student’s work background falls in line with a few key roles we are filling at Success Academy Charter Schools. I’m curious what those roles are. I’m also curious why the recruiter didn’t say anything about my student’s educational background – only her work experience, which includes an internship with Johnson & Johnson.

The recruiter also said no certification is required! She added the exclamation point at the end of that statement, I presume, to show that as a true selling point to work for SA – but what does that say about who they’re hiring? Have a degree is economics? hospitality? Sure, come work for us. No teaching experience necessary! The training at SA is two weeks. Two. Weeks.

Livia Camperi is a former SA employee (who did not sign a NDA). Camperi provided insight into her experience with SA. She wrote, “There is no training centered around how to organize a lesson, how to communicate concepts to children, how to teach around gaps in understanding, how to scaffold tasks, or anything else that they will then expect you to know” (liviacamperi.medium.com).

The unpreparedness of employees to teach is prevalent. “Even given the most amount of “new teacher training” available to you, you will receive virtually no actual pedagogical instruction” (liviacamperi.medium.com).

According to Camperi, “All of this, then, contributes directly to the culture of criticism at the school: they throw novices into the trenches and then shower them with negative feedback until they either come out stronger or buckle under the pressure” (liviacamperi.medium.com). This, of course, leads to a very high attrition rate.

“In my first year, we had 33 staff members (from a starting staff of approximately 60) quit during the school year. Most of the rest ended the year and did not return; the school currently has only about 25 teachers. Instead of investing more time and energy into training rookie teachers so they are better equipped to handle the year, the schools encourage this churn and continuously hire throughout the year, filling in holes as they appear” (liviacamperi.medium.com).

There is so much more to say about the ineffectiveness of charter schools, but the point today was to highlight the hiring practices of a charter chain in New York City. To be employed by most public schools in the country, one must earn a teaching license, but SA does not have such a standard. I guess when 50% of the staff quits during the school year, any body will do.

So if you are committed, motivated and want to have an important social impact, you can take your teaching inexperience to SA. Bring what you don’t know about teaching to a school with a population of children who probably don’t look like you and come from unstable homes and families, who need physical, emotional, academic and personal support to which you are likely untrained to provide. That’s social impact right there, but not the kind SA talent acquisition specialists are pushing.

Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric touting charters as anything but what they are – a sham!

These are my reflections for today.

October 27, 2023

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@reflectionsined