Ouch!! Alan Levin gets schooled

I obtained a copy of this E-mail a public school teacher sent Alan Levin  Director  Delaware Economic Development Office, educators and Delaware legislators. Apparently Alan Levin buys into the notions the business community should dictate what is best for education. It was the same business round table that dictated DSTP to former Governor Carper and bride in waiting Lt. Ruth Ann Minner. The business round table used political force to push those 3 Teired-Diploma that grade children like cattle.

One of my biggest concern with Jack Markell was with his alliance with the Rodel Foundation parents of Vision 2015. Jack took thousands upon thousands of campaign contributions from the founders of Rodel. Jack was a former board member of the Rodel Foundation. Rodel is in alliance with the Broad Foundation  where both a joined by their buttholes re: Vision 2015. Jack Markell knows my concerns about his relationship with Rodel and fear that Rodel would dictate education policies. It didn’t take long for Jack to pave the wave for a Rodel assoicate to a position at Delaware DOE. Put it this way, Markell will take the time to listen to parents concerns about Delaware education but Markell will take his marching orders from the business round table and will require appointees such as Alan Levin to fall in line. Surely after DSEA’s stand against Markell’s proposed pay cuts that included teachers his relationship with DSEA is strained. Markell helped secured Teach For America’s contracts with certain school districts. FYI the Broad Foundation gave Wendy Kopp the seed money to start TFA.  With the down turn in the economic TFA received record breaking applications from college students who are not education majors and for 75% will not end up in a classroom teaching.

I voted for Jack Markell and prior the primany election I told him, I had reservations about his relationship with Rodel.

Delaware public education has become a political football game where parents and teachers have become disposable pawns. 

The E-mail:

Alan,
“ I can’t even begin to imagine how you can say public schools are “servile” to business interests!   In what way?   I have taught for more than 25 years in the public schools and our problem is and always has been the push by Legislators to hire/include/use their business favorites.  I can’t think of any time when “public schools” if you mean teachers bowed to business.  We have sought grants from businesses because there has been no other way to get the funding for what our students need.   You might think about this:   The Governor is now justifying spending @ $500 an hour for lawyers to defend his favorite thing – gambling.   You need to know that before the 2.5% pay cut and the additional loss of local money by the 5 day furlough, my per diem (Master’s +30 at the top # of years) was $370.54.   So nine lawyers (and this is just one firm) x $500 = $4500, per hour!   9 (days) x 370.54 = $3,334.86. Are we to believe that no one in the Attorney General’s office is capable enough to represent the state here?   And if not, why not?   Then fire the bunch and hire those who are! You tell me how this business oriented Governor is pro-education!   And, just for the record, I have already spent more than a day’s pay (old scale) to add things to my classroom this year.  I’ll bet none of these lawyers have children in the public schools and so no vested interest in us.   For sure, the Governor’s kids don’t go to a public
school.”

“ As for TFA, these young people may very well be assets to the school in which they work.   Who knows.   No one can reliably predict how effective a particular new teacher can be before they start.   My question is and remains: If a new teacher can be placed in a school before they are Highly Qualified, earn that while working, and go from some other profession to a classroom in a summer, why should anyone spend years and thousands of dollars pursuing an education degree in the traditional way?   Telling me this is okay because they can join my union is BS.   How does that make the larger inequity acceptable?   When you have Rodel and the Business Round Table pushing all this with the help, money, and influence of Arne Duncan and our DC Legislators, you have to ask what the real purpose is here?   If Business thinks it can run schools I strongly suggest that people remind themselves to look at our economy now and in the past many months.   It wasn’t public schools that put us here.   The bright eyes that drove us into the ground almost all were educated in private schools and the Ivies. ” 

“Last but not least, in the ongoing, apparently incorruptible, problem of Delaware City refineries we were treated again last night to the wonderful aroma of sulfur here. “