Pike Creek Charter meeting tomorrow, Tuesday May 21

Reblogged from the seventh type:

The proposed Pike Creek Charter Middle School is hosting a public meeting tomorrow, Tuesday May 21 at 7:00 pm at the proposed school location, the current Delaware Swim and Fitness club in Pike Creek at 4905 Mermaid Blvd.

This is the second "town hall" meeting for Pike Creek Charter. The first meeting was on December 13 and was reported here…

Read more… 163 more words

The works of Publius on morals and government as related to education discovered

I’ve located handwritten documents by Publius on morals and government as related to education. Go here to read >>>>>>>>>>

The time has come for Delaware teacher unions (locals) to come clean on Gov. Jack Markell #netDE #edude

Schools to chop support staff in droves Written by Matthew Albright The News Journal May 20, 2013

Cuts in state and federal funding are causing school districts throughout Delaware to plan layoffs that could hit paraprofessionals and other support staff particularly hard.

 Go read entire article before it goes to NJ archives >>>>>>>

Like we didn’t see it coming! The Education Jobs Act funding was meant to “save’ or “create” jobs! And let’s not forget about this, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) had the same goal. ALSO make note, Race to The Top funding 4.5 billion dollars came out of the ARRA and it was used to re-engineer public education and create consultant jobs and non direct classroom positiions. The funding for those teacher incentive bonuses is ARRA money and could help defray the layoff of paraprofessionals. But the unions and school boards (one voting yes on the RTTT MOU) decided teacher bonuses were more important than paraprofessionals.

As Jack Markell was cutting state funding to Delaware public schools he was telling district superintendents to cover some of those cuts with ED Jobs Act funding.

It comes down to this, the $$$ party is over the “CRACK” is gone! Race to The Top is heading into it’s final year of federal “grant” funding. Now we must ask why Did Jack Markell forced change to Delaware education laws and regulations as if Race to The Top was a federal mandate aka law? Why in the FUCK did Markll hire so many RTTT people at DE DOE rather than give others within “added responsibility” like what was happened in the private sector? Private industries had to get meaner and leaner! Why did Jack Markell “create” a job for Judas? The $$$$$$ hurricane was coming and what was being done to prepare? WHY did Red Clay administrators get raises year after year during this recession? Why did Red Clay pay Teach for America $300,000.00 over and above paying TFA teachers salaries and benefits? Has the Delaware Transparency Czar Matt Denn publish a list of those being funding with RTTT grant money who “will” be terminate once funding expires at the end of school year 2013-2014? Matt, nice guys don’t always win and your downfall will follow that theory. Your not the vice president of Delaware! You were elected independent of Jack Markell but you allowed yourself to be his bitch! 

Now we’re down to extra curriculum activities and sports! Yea we all want well-rounded children but schools were made for academic learning and that’s where priorities need to be! EPER is costly! Parent will have to rely on community sports and activities! Hard to believe but yes Kilroy was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout!  Kilroy played little league baseball. 

Remember how I told you local tax-dollars will back-fill Markell’s budget cuts and Race to The Top! Still don’t believe me?

Many don’t know this but Jack Markell is setting the stage for capital funding for charter schools with a planned 5 million dollar start-up $$ pool! We already have Alan Levin brokering conduit bond deals. I don’t oppose conduit bonds for charter schools as they are not grants but rather loans with low interest. However, Markell little start-up $$ pool will be combined with hands on assistance re: conduit loans. 

Matt Denn’s refusal to support and fight for H.B. #23 demonstrates he doesn’t take transparency to heart! Matt, we need leaders not followers! No one is saying rock Markell’s boat to let all the fish out! Matt we’re Delaware remember! The people use to have great voice but Jack sold out to special interest! He has teacher unions eating out of his hands with younger members awestruck being in his presence. First thing they say is can I get a picture with you rather than, will you support the call for greater transparency? I am sure fellow union brothers and sisters all cheer when they see their leaders embracing Markell in photo.

Did Publius just school Transparent Christina’s blog master?

John,

As for whether or not charter school capital ” screws” the “public school system”, consider this: charter schools ARE public schools under the law. It s official. You need to check you ideology at the door, the decision is a matter of law. If charter schools now seek to claim a reasonable share of public funds dedicated to school capital, that is a logical consequence of the fact that they ARE public schools first and foremost. Get over it. Traditional school governance has many failures, and the alternatives (charters) have legal standing. And wide public support. Your brand of school governance is not the only game in town, charters are a viable and attractive alternative deserving of commensurate public support.

Publius

The counter attack:

Charter schools are public schools, under the law!

They are also CORPORATIONS, under that same law. They are public in one way only: we finance them because a group of misguided legislators wrote a horrific law in 1995 and have walked away from it.

Hence the current morass. Witness PCHS, et al.

Get over it yourself there, Publius.

Markell & Denn’s mentor comes under fire!

Lizzie is bitch-slapping the News Journal OUCH

News Journal Editorial Board SPEWs utter NONSENSE! May 18, 2013 by Children and Educators First

I’m sorry, folks, but it take more than one teacher to raise a child up.  It takes a team – parents, multiple teachers, whole schools, and frequently specialists to create successful learners – and the DAMN TEST DOESN’T MEASURE THAT. Read more here>>>>>>>>>>>>

Delaware Gov. Markell and Lt. Gov Denn help whitewash the truth about Delaware’s charter schools #netde #edude

Charter schools are my family’s best education choice; Letters  to The Editor News Journal by  Darlene O’Neill

While many schools lack the ability to foster a student like this because they are focused on students who are struggling, at the Odyssey Charter School my daughter’s gift is recognized and her growth is encouraged.

The writer’s comment “many schools ” seems to suggest she isn’t talking about Odyssey but rather schools in general and it’s not clear if she is referring to traditional public schools and/or other charter schools. However, she notes, “because they are focused on students who are struggling”. Regardless, she does raise a valid point, Schools faced with a large population of “struggling” students have a fight on their hands and that fight can impact resources needed for high achieving students. 

Rather than having the entire class work through the curriculum at once, the school groups students together who are on the same level, so my daughter and others like her can move forward when they are ready to, rather than having to wait.

Well here is an ideal that should be replicated back into traditional public schools. Honors / Tag programs for every grade level from K to 12. Also, here is something many may not know. You’ve heard the term school-wide Title 1 programming were all students benefit from Title 1 designed to serve high poverty students. The school must have at-least 50% student poverty population (pretty sure on that number) So this means funding meant for 50% can be used for 100%. The other method of serving Title 1 students is Targeted Assistance via a pullout programng. Some say this would end-up being a racially identifiable program. Meaning black kids in one reading class and whites in another. So now we label entire schools Title 1 creating a stigmatizes school community which project failure and a flag for many whites to stay clear. Tile 1 many be going undercover and be transformed into “college and career” type name. No poor kids will be served by a “college and Career” pathway program. God forbid we have honors and tag programs in Title 1 school “for” real Title 1 students. However, I see the letter writers point and respect it.

Charter schools instill a love of learning in their students from the very beginning which translates to future success in school. 

Does that mean traditional schools don’t? For charter school students, that so-called love starts with parents completing an application. Naturally students who have engaged parents have a leg-up towards academic success. So my point here is, parents have a greater role in instilling the love of learning. Charter schools might just be a system meant for parents with that capacity of love.

Both my younger daughter and my older daughter who attends the Charter School of Wilmington understand they are being given the opportunity of lifetime.

The opportunity of a lifetime shouldn’t be defined by gaining a seat in a charter school. And sometimes that “opportunity of a lifetime” can end up as a nightmare . Such as in the case with Pencader and other failed charter and failing charter schools. Charter advocates like the queen rack it up to the bumps along the way.

They don’t complain about the extra homework or other commitments because they are seeing how these things are helping them fulfill their goals and get ahead.

Because engaged parents educate their children on commitment to excellence by perseverance and personal commitment. This can apply to any student in any school.

 Charter schools are setting the bar in education.  

Highly successful charter schools in Delaware manipulate with full blessing of Gov. Jack Markell and Lt. Matt Denn admission preferences that were crafted by racist education reformers. So generous of them to allow charter schools to be set up to serve black at-risk students. They sleep in slave quarters while white children sleep in the main house full of food and warm heat. To top it off we have Uncle Toms in the community kissing Master Markell and Denn’s hand saying, “thank you boss”. History recorded the fact that black men helped roundup other blacks in African for the slave trade in America. The snake still run loose in the gardens in our communities. Let’s not sugarcoat the truth about charter schools and by no means I am suggesting the letter writer did. Call that the Kool-aid effect! Markell and Denn help whitewash the truth! 

They encourage autonomy, exercise accountability, and the quality of the education they provide is excellent. 

Delaware has racially skewed charter school law giving that autonomy and as far as accountability. why does Greg Meece cowardly fear recording public session of charter school board meetings? I don’t know of any school in Delaware that discourages quality education. 

Friday night oldies at Kilroy’s ;)

Would Markell and DE DOE REALLY pull a power-play and take-over Christina School District ?

The full withdraw of Christina school district from Race to The Top puts Delaware Governor Jack Markell behind the eight-ball.

CSD Super pretty much tactfully told Governor Markell to kiss his ass! Keep am eye-out for some political jockeying with Markell and Muphy  threatening a state takeover of Christina School District. I’d go ahead and shove CSD up their ass! 

Why not up the bar on being school and district union leaders re: teacher prep legisaltion

Toughened teacher preparation standards in Delaware win final approval Written by Nichole Dobo and Jonathan Starkey The News Journal May 16, 2013 11:26 PM

Delaware lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a measure that aims to strengthen teacher preparation standards at the state’s colleges and universities, a proposal that was central to Gov. Jack Markell’s legislative agenda.

The changes, proposed in Markell’s State of the State address in January, passed 37-2 in the House. It passed the Senate earlier this month and now heads to Markell’s desk for his signature.

Looks like two state Senators are doing more work for teacher’s rights than than teachers union representatives.

Amendments failed Thursday to nix the GPA requirement and data reporting elements of the bill. Rep. John Kowalko, a Newark Democrat, said the bill represented the “height of legislative intrusion where we don’t belong. It prematurely eliminates students from entering into their chosen career path by legislating away their choices and options,” Kowalko said.

Rep. Paul Baumbach, also a Newark Democrat, said the bill placed undue burden on the state Department of Education by requiring the agency to oversee data on grads.

Wild man Kowalko! He puts it on the line for labor and labor sits on the sideline with their heads up their asses! 

The new regulations would not apply to colleges outside of Delaware, and those graduates remain eligible to work in the state if they pass certification exams. However, the largest supplier of teachers in Delaware are in-state colleges and universities, federal and state reports show.

So if you’re coming from within Delaware it’s one set of standards and from outside Delaware it’s another! In the end it comes down to the certification exams! Common Core Standard across state-lines for curriculum but not for teacher preparation!

What real cracks me up is these local school level union leaders who cry and whine about the unfairness of this legislation effecting Component 5 call it bad legislation! God forbid they criticize Governor Markell! That’s some kind of union no-no unless the mother-ship sends a signal! I guess there is a little Judas in all union leaders.

This legislation is flawed and misguided. Yet union leaders don’t want to risk being unliked by Jack Markell and his shadow-puppet Matt Denn. Rodel calls these two men of courage so what do that make those who can’t call it like they see it?

I’ll put money on the U of D growing stronger alliances with the few highly successful charter schools like Newark Charter in order to secure teaching positions for those graduating from the U of D teaching program. Remember when teacher get rated so do “in-state” universities and colleges! So what about Phoenix U the poor man’s college? What about Wilmington’s high poverty struggling Title 1 schools? Why teach at a school with such great challenges? OMG! Shit!  Teach for America won’t be rated under this plan as they are out of state teacher prep program! Tactful move Jack, I’ll hand you that. Baby Hoffa was too busy making smoothies to see that one coming.  

Way to go local union leaders! I guess we’ll start an anal, I mean annual Judas Banquet.