"Stand and Deliver" school, Garfield High, sadly is one of 12 schools available to outside bidders

[madfloridian]

This headline is one I never expected to see....though I knew it was coming. More and more schools will be available to "outside bidders" as the NCLB progresses toward the 2014 deadline when all must meet test criteria.

Putting up public schools for "takeover" by other than the public school system...heartbreaking.

Garfield High among 12 schools available to outside bidders

Garfield High, which became nationally known as the real-life setting for the film “Stand and Deliver,” will be among the first group of local schools eligible for takeover because of persistent academic failure, a high-level district source has told The Times.

Garfield’s selection means that the nation’s second-largest school system will invite bidders — from inside and outside of the district — to run the East Los Angeles campus of 4,600 students. This “request-for-proposal” process could apply to more than 250 schools under a Board of Education resolution passed last month, but the initial set of schools will number 12, sources said. Included are Jefferson High in Central-Alameda, Lincoln High in Lincoln Heights, Burbank Middle School in Highland Park and Maywood Academy High in the southeast L.A. County city of Maywood.

UPDATED: In addition to the schools named above, the following schools also are on the list: Gardena High in Gardena, San Pedro High in San Pedro, San Fernando Middle School, Carver Middle School in South Park, Griffith Joyner Elementary in Watts, Hillcrest Elementary in Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Hyde Park Elementary in Hyde Park.

Sources supplied the information on a confidential basis because they did not have permission to disclose it. In an interview Thursday, district Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said he would release the list today, but only after notifying senior officials of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The more than 250 schools are only the beginning as NCLB works its "magic."

I don't think many people yet understand the intent of this program. Those that did are not in positions to be commenting about it anymore.

2003 Howard Dean on NCLB... "every school in America by 2013 will be a failing school."

"The president's ultimate goal," said former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.), one of the Democrats who now harshly attacks NCLB, "is to make the public schools so awful, and starve them of money, just as he's starving all the other social programs, so that people give up on the public schools."

.."Dean criticized President Bush, saying his administration will lower the standards for good schools in New Hampshire, making them more like poorly performing schools in Texas. The Bush administration believes ''the way to help New Hampshire is to make it more like Texas,'' Dean told supporters in Manchester, adding that ''every school in America by 2013 will be a failing school.''

"Every group, including special education kids, has to be at 100 percent to pass the tests,'' Dean said. ''No school system in America can do that. That ensures that every school will be a failing school."

More on NCLB:

"NCLB requires public reporting on the extent to which schools are making "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) toward the goal of having all students proficient in reading and math by the 2013-14 school year."

Battles are beginning now between charter schools and traditional public schools run by school boards instead of private groups or companies. They are fighting over money and power.

Not the best use of money when it could be used to educate.

Public schools sue charters, and vice versa. More lawsuits starting.

A lawsuit is expected to be filed in Fulton County Superior Court Friday barring the Georgia Department of Education from reallocating money meant for Gwinnett to the coffers of a cash-strapped charter school. The suit also will challenge the constitutionality of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission, the state’s newest charter authorizer.

..."Gwinnett Schools recently lost nearly $850,000 to Ivy Preparatory Academy of Norcross when the girls charter school received its first taste of matching local funds for the education of students from the state.

..."The Arizona Charter Schools Association sent an email addressed to "Charter School Leaders" about a lawsuit it will be filing next week. The lawsuit focuses on student equity within Arizona's system of education finance and will seek declaratory relief that the method for financing public education in public schools violates the Arizona Constitution. The plaintiffs are the parents of public school children (both charter and district) and they are filing on behalf of their children. Grant Woods, former Arizona Attorney General, and Tim Casey, a former partner with Snell & Wilmer and now at a smaller firm, will represent the Plaintiffs.

Things I never wanted or expected to see. Schools being targeted for takeover by outside entities, and my taxpayer money being used in lawsuits instead of educating children.

[madfloridian]

1. Wow, that unrec was super quick.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. I can never figure out what triggers the 'unrec'

[madfloridian]

4. Too quick for the post to have been read.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. yep, I guess we have trouble makers unrecing for fun. Anyway, good topic.

I live in LA so I'm aware of the 'Stand and Deliver' fame of that school. I heard that the calculus teacher got burned out and left the country.

[madfloridian]

23. Seems he was up against the mindset of administrators.

Been there done that lots of times. Lots of hopes and dreams squelched by advocates of scripted curriculum. We used to be able to plan our own way to reach the goals, now it is all down in writing.

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

2. Garfield targeted by Green Dot charter schools. Link to Green Dot board of directors.

"The expectation that Garfield would be put up for bidding has affected the campus climate, Fritch said.

“The mood is not good,” he said. “There is a lot of fear, uncertainty and anger. We have a lot of teachers confused about what the next step will be. People don’t feel included in the process and feel rushed. Even students talk about it.”

Garfield has been a particular reform battleground in recent weeks. The school has been targeted by The Parents Revolution, a group initiated within the charter-school organization Green Dot Public Schools. Its organizers assert they have signatures from community parents equal in number to more than half the Garfield student body. They say that the district must either improve Garfield or face competition from startup charter schools that would surround the Garfield campus."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/garfield-high-which-became-nationally-known-as-the-real-life-setting-for-the-film-stand-and-deliver-will-be-among-the.html

The battle for the heart and soul of public education has begun.

Here is the link to the Green Dot board of directors. Interesting.

http://www.greendot.org/about_us/board_of_directors

[madfloridian]

5. Comments from a blog....hostile takeovers?

"Superintendent Cortines says in his memo accompanying the Focus List: “I received several phone calls and emails expressing concerns about being a potential ‘focus school’ or being ‘taken over by private operators’.” He continues “I do not support the concept of handing over schools to outside providers or hostile takeovers…”

But, gentle readers, if that’s not exactly what’s going on here, what is?"

http://4lakids.blogspot.com/2009/09/stand-and-deliver.html

Good point.

[alp227]

6. The bidder better be a philantrophist...

not tax-waster as I've read in other threads round here if Garfield doesn't improve.

This is not surprising. Obama's education secretary, Arne Duncan, also shut down a lot of failing public schools in Chicago. And so did Washington DC's public school chancellor right?

[madfloridian]

7. Duncan is 100% pushing charter schools. He has over 4 billion dollars...

with which to "urge" districts to follow his test more, make more charter schools philosophy.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/3757

He has a way to bully the school districts...money. He just gave AZ 54 million because they are starting more charter schools...yet they can not manage the ones they have.

[alp227]

11. Duncan seriously needs to think about the public schools

From what you're saying he's creating a schism...the charter school/public school achievement gap will widen I guess?

[madfloridian]

24. Yes, a schism is being created unfortunately.

It is just unbelievable to me how easy it was to make the public schools look so bad, and bring in new alternatives that will involve corporations. The movement to begin the privatizing has been hugely financed by Walmart and Bill and Melinda Gates...hundreds of millions of dollars.

Hard to fight that, easier to give in.

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

8. 250 schools to outside bidders. "process could apply to more than 250 schools"..alarming.

"This “request-for-proposal” process could apply to more than 250 schools under a Board of Education resolution passed last month, but the initial set of schools will number 12, sources said. "

Putting our schools up for outside bidding.

Why are not more alarmed it has come to this scenario?

[Blue_Tires]

10. let education wither on the vine, and this is the result...

and the fast-buck artists come swooping in...

[AlecBGreen]

12. lol

DAMNIT! hit the unrec by mistake. This is an article I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! Please rec this for to make up for my careless clicking :)

[madfloridian]

13. That happens to me. Maybe someone will make up with a rec...I am shameless...

we are giving away our public schools. 250 in CA....why are we not hiding our heads in shame??

[Bette Noir]

14. It's because California is broke.

[Star]

15. One of two things will happen

Either student performance will improve (unlikely IMHO) and if it does, that's good for the students.

Or, student performance will not improve, and people will see that its the students who are attending the school and no one else who are responsible for their performance. and if they do, that's good for education.

[madfloridian]

16. That is exactly the philosophy of the GOP.

You said it perfectly.

No need to argue, your mind is set...the GOP believes no other factors exists than do it or its all your fault.

They have won the argument.

We are losing our public school system. And few give a damn.

Demeaning public education has worked since the days of Reagan.

Our Democrats agree, thus public schools will die.

[waiting for hope]

17. +1 and a sad K&R

that so many have bought into the lie. :(

[Star]

18. What's the GOP philosophy, madfloridian?

I'm interested to know how you think that's GOP philosophy.

How long have you been a teacher?

Where do you teach?

[anigbrowl]

19. Anything the OP doesn't agree with

Merit pay, testing, whatever. I've given up trying to discuss education here.

[madfloridian]

21. You are right, I don't approve of turning education in mindless testing.

Otherwise your insult just went right over my head.

[anigbrowl]

29. I don't think testing is mindless or useless in education.

Passing tests is not the sole goal of schooling, but it's one way to get an objective measure of development, and ultimately, it's where the rubber meets the road. It's better to discover and address problems via testing in school than via failure and unemployment in the workplace.

[madfloridian]

20. It is the same as the Democratic philosphy now. Demean public schools...

cause them to fail, and turn them over to private entities.

[2Design]

22. I have said NCLB was a union busting movement and huge mistake

this ranking teachers based on the students they are given will be the other part. Pile on the losers so they can get rid of a teacher (good or bad) if a school district wants someone out for whatever reason, they just load them up with students who cannot succeed because they don't want to or are unable.

[Rex]

25. Well hell! Let Big Biz take care of that. Let the same companies

that build and run prisons run the schools! That way they can just escort the 'bad kids' right to prison with no fuzz...or mess! That sneaky George Bush and his NCLB! It is as if their game plan all along was to make public school systems fail in mass.

[eppur_se_muova]

26. Struggling schools are treated like broken horses -- sold to the slaughterhouse, or glue factory.

These people aren't "reformers", they're knackers. :grr:

[joeybee12]

27. That teacher who inspired the story was a strong Bush supporter...

..so me thinks he wasn't so great a teacher and it was all hype.

[madfloridian]

28. Bush's policies ARE the policies being put forth under Democrats now.

Since this administration is following the policies of Bush and Gingrich, et al....we should be critical of all or not any.

Gingrich's education plans coming to fruition under Democrats.

Introduce competition among schools and teachers

We should apply the free enterprise system to our education system by introducing competition among schools, administrators, and teachers. Our educators should be paid based on their performance and held accountable based on clear standards with real consequences. These ideas are designed to stimulate thinking beyond the timid “let’s do more of the same” that has greeted every call for rethinking math and science education.
Source: Gingrich Communications website, www.newt.org Dec 1, 2006

Support charters; insist on change for failing schools

We should encourage the spread of public charter schools--one of the happiest new developments on the education scene--so parents, educators, & students working together can enjoy the maximum freedom to explore options and innovations until every child has a genuine opportunity to learn. As a corollary of this, we must identify the worst schools. We should insist on immediate change for bad schools. To start with, there should be no tenure and no binding contracts in the worst 20% of schools.
Source: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, by Newt Gingrich, p.208 Jul 2, 1998

Private scholarships for students at hopeless schools

If there were families left without an acceptable public school, scholarships should be available for them to find a private one. I am a graduate of a public school, as are my wife and two daughters. All of us remain committed to the idea of public education. However, if the available public school is one that gives parents legitimate worry for their children’s future, there ought to be alternative to having to stand helplessly watching an incompetent bureaucracy destroy their children’s lives.
Source: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, by Newt Gingrich, p.209 Jul 2, 1998