The Echo

5/24/13




CSD informed today by DOE that even with the (partial) approval of its most recent requested amendment to its RTTT plan, that such approval will NOT restore year 4 funding.  DOE will NOT provide the federal RTTT dollars necessary to implement these new partial approvals. 

In other news, Charter schools to receive the very arbitrary sum of $2 million dollars in the 2013-14 state budget.

Where is all this money coming from?  The gov refuses to provide a pay raise to state employees due to the predicted masive budget deficit, but the JFC suddenly FINDS magic money for Charters and Technology upgrades? Not bashing charters, here. Just the strange and sudden influx of education dollars! Things that make you say...hmmmm. 

I'd like to start this post with a dedication:

To Publius: for schooling the masses, without you we'd all be just assess. :)

Back in October, the state's superintendents submitted a request for technology funding b/c the state's newest standardized concoction, DCAS, soon-to-be replaced by SMARTER BALANCE, was straining the already out-dated technology infrastructure in our soon-to-be-deemed by RTTT as World Class schools.  Since October, as supers have continued to evaluate their technology needs, the request has risen to $10 mil.

First, hat's off to the supers who figured out how to game for technology money.  Someone's been studying the psychology of gambling.   The Joint Finance Committee just halved a $10 mil request to $5 mil.  If the supers hadn't upped their request, the JFC would have halved a $2.5 mil request to $1.25 mil.  That's about a $4 million score for technology.  DOE and Ann Visalli just got played by the locals.  Nice.

Back to the conspiracy theory:

DOE receives feedback for USDOE that some of its RTTT deliverables are late.  The cause of the delay?  $$$.  So, to bring DeDOE into compliance, someone has to hunt for money to the tune of $2.5 million.   What appears to be an "eleborate" play is crafted - but it's not really that elaborate when one man will play the role of judge, jury and executioner.

Roll-out the VOLUNTARY talent initiative.  When the largest of district in the state, that just happens to be due $2.4 mil, volunteers to decline the program move in for the kill.  Fight about $200,000 but arbitarily punish them by scoring the full $2.4 mil.   Now, the $2.4 mil is supposed to revert to the feds - it's their grant, DeDOE is just the gate-keeper. Be sure to get that talking point into the media - DeDOE doesn't benefit from the district's imaginary non-compliance, we don't get to keep the $$$.  At the same time, turnaround and begin to negotiate with the feds to actually keep the funds in the state.  Toss out this talking point so that you sound like you are trying to protect children (even though we all know that DOE hates kids.)  So many moving pieces - so while you are stealing the money and negotiating with the feds to keep it, divine an impassable hearing process to ensure the district never gets that money back.

Voila! $2.4 million found to fund the techno upgrades to ensure the DeDOE has the muscle to implement SMARTER BALANCE and coast into compliance.

God, that is so much easier than just funding best practices in education.  Right, we can't do that.  It's not about the kids, it's about the privitization of public education.

Of course, this is all just a theory.  Any facts happen to be coincidental.