Jerry Brown = ally of Eli Broad, school deformer

[Hannah Bell]

Randolph Ward, Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2003


In 2003, Ward began his year of training with the Broad Superintendents Academy. During that time he was chosen to be the state administrator of the Oakland Unified School District, where he worked for three years. This was arranged by Jack O'Connell, the State Superintendent, and Jerry Brown, who was Oakland's mayor at the time.

According to an Oakland Tribune article which is posted on the Broad Foundation’s Web site, “… Center was called in by Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to recommend an administrator to run the Oakland schools following a state takeover. Brown and Broad are longtime allies, and O'Connell is a major recipient of Broad campaign contributions…” (my emphasis)

Ward was accompanied by another Broad graduate, Arnold “Woody” Carter (BSA 2002), who served as his Chief of Staff for two years. Carter was embroiled in scandal several years later when he was superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District. Randolph Ward left Oakland in the summer of 2006 and became the San Diego County Superintendent of Schools.

* * * * * * *

HUNDREDS OPPOSE CAMPUS CLOSINGS PARENTS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS RESIST RANDOLPH WARD'S PLAN, January 9, 2004, Oakland Tribune
OAKLAND -- School chief Randolph Ward's plan to close several campuses in neighborhoods with declining enrollment met heavy resistance from hundreds of parents, teachers and students Thursday.

Protesters crowded a public hearing at the school district's 2nd Avenue headquarters, blasting the plan and asking Ward to spare their campuses.

It was the most large-scale public opposition Ward has faced since he was appointed to run the Oakland schools seven months ago, when the state took over the district for massive financial failures.


OAKLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT: IS IT BETTER OFF AFTER THE STATE TAKEOVER?, March 26, 2010, Oakland Tribune

...Although financial problems triggered the Oakland school district's takeover, the state administration appeared to be more focused on redesigning schools and overhauling central office services than on stabilizing the district's finances.

None of the three state-appointed administrators had strong financial backgrounds, and the district has had three chief financial officers since 2007.

It wasn't until 2008 that the district hired a private auditing firm to address the problem and "disentangle" the old financial records. The firm had grim news this spring: They had $5.6 million less than previously thought. Auditors found other problems, totaling $9 million, bringing the size of the shortfall to nearly $15 million.

The Alameda County civil grand jury, in its 2007-08 report, found that "the district was hampered by continuous staff turnover, particularly in the area of finance, numerous reorganizations and a succession of state administrators. "... After nearly five years of state management, OUSD's budget remains unbalanced and the district's future is unclear."…

http://thebroadreport.blogspot.com/2010/07/randolph-ward-broad-superintendents.html


Jerry Brown's Oakland charter schools: worth scrutiny in the governor's race

With former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown in the running for governor (he was previously state governor in the '70s-early '80s and is now state attorney general), the fact that Brown founded and lavished attention and fundraising efforts on two Oakland charter schools -- while, many say, ignoring and scorning the schools in the rest of Oakland that serve the other 98 percent -plus of Oakland's students -- is newsworthy and should be getting close scrutiny. VERY close scrutiny.

Oakland's Perimeter Primate blog posts today about Brown's charter schools, the Oakland Military Institute and Oakland School for the Arts, with lots of detail:

Jerry Brown’s Two Pet Charter Schools: Part One

Jerry Brown wants to have another turn on the Governor of California ride. The "About" page on his campaign website features a little story about him. Of the 1035 words written to summarize Jerry’s long political career, 196 words are dedicated to Brown’s accomplishments while he served as Oakland’s mayor from 1998 to 2006. Of those 196 words, 53 words quite accurately describe Brown’s involvement in education during that time...

"Brown personally founded the Oakland School for the Arts and the Oakland Military Institute. Both schools serve students from the 6th grade through the 12th and are among the best performing schools in Oakland. Their graduates are now studying in such outstanding universities as Yale, Vassar, Stanford, West Point, UCLA and UC Berkeley."

Now, an astute observer will notice something’s missing – namely any mention of the 50,000 or so students who attended the schools which weren’t either of Jerry’s charters. With so little information about his views on public education or any other possible involvement he had had, an independent critical thinker will be curious how the claims on Jerry’s website mesh with reality...

http://thebroadreport.blogspot.com/2010/07/randolph-ward-broad-superintendents.html


So californians, in the coming gubenatorial, you may vote for the conservative who wants to privatize schools or the liberal who wants to privatize schools.

that's democracy, baby!

[yurbud]

1. I was afraid of this. He will be better than Whitman, but we'll have to fight him on this shit.

[The Northerner]

2. Wow. I never heard about this until now.

[blindpig]

3. What an asshole

Another New Age progressive on the make.

[Hannah Bell]

4. k

[Odin2005]

5. NOOOOOO!!!

:(

[Subdivisions]

6. goddammit. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Damn

I remember when California had the best schools in the country. This is so incredibly sad.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. An interesting question in this case might be

were they better when Jerry was governor before than they are now? The answer is yes, they were. Lots better. He has an 8 year track record in the job to look at.
Another interesting question might be how much better will Meg Whitman make California schools? The answer is she will make them worse.
There was in fact a Primary process in California, as I recall. I think Jerry is the Democratic nominee, and his opponent is an inexperienced bigoted Republikan. That sort of settles it for the time being, as far as I'm concerned.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Well at least you might have a seat at the table with a Democrat

And hey, I'll trade Jerry Brown for Sam Brownback any day. LOL

[Dawson Leery]

8. Again, the teaparties are going to be the only thing

to save Democrats this fall (at the rate things are going at).

[Starry Messenger]

9. Too late to rec, sorry!

He's not as left as his "moonbeam" reputation on the right would suggest. His tenure as Oakland's mayor was very pro-business too. Robert Bobb was his City Manager. I actually voted third-party in the primary. I'll see how I feel in the General. I hate Meg Whitman but I worry about Jerry. I hate this.

[lunatica]

11. The OUSD has been run by corrupt officials since the 1970s

So I don't know that the students were ever getting much of an education. Only the most dedicated good teachers stayed, among them my mother and other teachers of her age. She retired in the late 1990s along with many of her outstanding friends. The rest went elsewhere. OUSD has been taken over by the state and fined and forced to account for the money they gotten. The voters of Oakland have agreed to raise taxes again and again to fix the schools. We voted to legalize gambling so the schools would get revenue. Yet nothing ever gets fixed.

Jerry Brown started the military school in order to get the youth into something that would teach them discipline in order to keep them out of the public schools that are breading grounds for gangs.

The kids he gave a chance to are the poorest in Oakland. The most disadvantaged historically. Now they're going to Yale. I can't find fault with that.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. Anyone who reduces Brown and Whitman into some form of

equals is not doing anyone any favors. They do not have the same educational policies at all. It is false to say that they do, because they do not. It is also absurdly reductionist to claim that this is the only issue facing a State in crisis. Narrow, narrow vision. If it is the only issue that matters to you, you should be well versed in the vast difference between our Democratic candidate, Jerry Brown, and the right wing's totally inexperienced Meg Whitman.
I suggest that it would be far more instructive to look at Jerry's policies when he was Governor in the past, and to compare those policies to his Republican predecessor and the Republican who followed him in office. If you were trying to compare him as a candidate for Governor of California to Meg Whitman, the Republican that is.
The choices are Meg or Jerry, and their policies are not identical, not even close. They are nearly polar opposites, not just politically, but in their world view as human beings, as people.
I endorse Jerry Brown for Gov of California, without reservation. I lived in the State for 45 years, including during his time as Governor. I have met Jerry, and spoken to him specifically about educational issues. One on one. Well, almost, he had a date. I was a student at the time, and he was Gov. I asked him one question, and he talked my ear off and grilled me for information for about 15 minutes while his dinner got cold. To this day I have not met a politician like him.
I have no links, this is nothing but what I have to report, as myself, about Jerry then and the choice facing California today.
So there you go. I'm Bluenorthwest, and I endorse this message.