Virtual Schools in Florida, New Hampshire, to Add Blended Models

By Benjamin Herold on July 31, 2013 11:42 AM

Two prominent providers of full-time virtual education, including Florida's largest hub of online K-12 classes, will look to add physical spaces to deliver face-to-face instructional programs after receiving grants earlier this month from a group called Next Generation Learning Challenges.
"We're getting into the space game," said Amanda Mann, the competitive grants manager at the state-run Florida Virtual School.

"There's a lot of interest [among traditional school districts and brick-and-mortar charters] in applying station-rotation models and blended strategies, which broaden the range of when, how, and what students can learn," said Sarah Luchs, the K-12 program officer for Next Generation Learning Challenges.
The notion of adding face-to-face programs at full-time virtual schools, many of which have come under withering criticism for poor academic performance and high student turnover, is comparatively new.
With its new $150,000 planning grant, FLVS, which currently operates a full-time virtual school in partnership with the for-profit Connections Academy and provides individual online classes to thousands of students across in traditional schools across Florida, aims to lay the groundwork for a statewide network of "community learning centers" where both students and non-students can go to "attend a TED talk, work one-on-one with an adult, or collaborate with peers and adults," among other things.

READ MORE HERE:  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2013/07/virtual_schools_get_funds_to_g.html

Welcome to Moyer:  The only comprehensive high school program in Wilmington, DE, provides students in the New Castle county area in grades 6-12 the opportunity to realize their full potential through a world-class, tuition-free public education. This program provides a truly unique learning experience that couples the award winning curriculum from K12 with traditional brick-and-mortar education. http://www.thenewmoyeracademy.com/Moyer_Academy/Home.html

Wilmington, DE Public High Schools		Students	Free or Reduced Lunch	Student to Teacher Ratio
School	School District
Brandywine High School	Brandywine	1203	28%	14.9
Charter School Of Wilmington	Charter School Of Wilmington	935	3%	19.5
Concord High School	Brandywine	1173	25%	15.6
Delaware Military Academy	Delaware Military Academy	509	0%	19.1
Delcastle Technical High School	New Castle County Votech	1520	24%	12.5
Dickinson (john) High School	Red Clay Consolidated	992	34%	18.7
Dupont (alexis I.) High School	Red Clay Consolidated	1323	25%	18.1
Howard High School Of Technology	New Castle County Votech	869	38%	12.8
Howard R. Young Correctional Institution	Corrections Doe
Mount Pleasant High School	Brandywine	988	37%	15.0
Sarah Pyle Academy	Christina	78	0%	7.1
Thomas Mckean High School	Red Clay Consolidated	1103	34%	16.2

http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/student-sues-school-district-for-using-her-facebook-bikini-picture-in-school-wide-presentation/?utm_source=ob&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ob

Here's the gist:

While on a family vacation Chelsea Cheney, clad in a bikini, posed with a cardboard cut-out of a rapper to have her picture taken.  Like many facebook users, Cheney uploaded the photo to her profile.  The photo was then pulled by the Director of Technology for the Fayette County School District and incorporated into a district-wide presentation on what not to do on your social media accounts.  Cheney's name and the district-imposed caption, "Once it's there, it's there to stay" ran along with the pic. 

The district claims its use of the photo was entirely random.  However, Cheney was present for the presentation and found herself horrified and humiliated b/c she felt it branded her as “sexually-promiscuous abuser of alcohol."

Cheney's suing for $2 million.

Hmmm.  Sounds like Fayette County School District sanctions data mining of students' social media accounts. QoD:  Is that an effective and appropriate use of staff's time and tax payer money? 

Baltimore Broadie Scams the Tax Payers While Complacent School Board Looks Away...

Alonso’s Benefits: Former Baltimore City Schools CEO Andres Alonso has been paid nearly $150-thousand for unused vacation time and sick leave. One analyst tells the Baltimore Sun that Alonso’s benefits package “should have been scrutinized” when it was originally approved. Dr. Alonso resigned from the helm of the city school system in May after six years on the job; in doing so, he did not give the 90 days’ notice that his contract required… but the city school board waived that requirement without penalty. Recently, the Superintendent of the Anne Arundel County School System also resigned without giving the required 3-month notice; but Anne Arundel reaped $20-thousand in penalty fees for that. http://news.wypr.org/post/camden-line-delays-alonso-s-benefits-and-misdemeanor-convicts-removed-voter-rolls

Damn! How many paras can $150,000 buy?

 "When you get to more than $100,000 in accumulated leave, that's very surprising," said Audrey Spalding, director of education policy at the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy and a researcher of superintendent contracts. "And if the school board is not willing to give a breakdown to substantiate it, it raises a lot of questions."

Spalding said it would be helpful to see specifics of how such leave is accrued.
"If he did earn it, it was a lucrative contract that the school board handed out to the point of being irresponsible," Spalding said.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-ci-alonso-leave-pay-20130725,0,5447508.story#ixzz2aSb6LIEa

Hey, now, It helps to have a Broadie Hook-up:

• Alonso's super'ed one of the poorest and lowest-performing disticts in the State of Maryland, yet the Baltimore Sun confirmed that his personal driver was paid more than the mayor or governor when over-time was factored in...  

The Baltimore Sun also found that

• This infamous contract included a car and $750/monthly stipend for auto costs.
• Alonso also received an annual payment of 40 % of his salary - $104,000 each of the last two years termed a "supplemental income program."
• Alsonso also received $29,000 per year under his first contract, performance bonus, which he earned in each of his first three years.  The administrators union actually asked him to give those bonuses back after Alonso alleged that his school had during the time he was awarded the bonus for the rising test scores!
• And wait for it... the holy cow of all holy cows...  The Baltimore school system will pay Alonso's health insurance benefits until it is confirmed that he receives them at his next job.
  
  Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-ci-alonso-leave-pay-20130725,0,5447508.story#ixzz2aSdivwu0

President & Publisher, Wilmington, DE

Gannett Co., Inc. Wilmington, DE 7/27/2013

While the crux of the Cape Henlopen Controversy over teaching the historical influence of the bible in a public school appears to have gone on hiatus - I found myself struck by one particular comment offered in the NJ story,

“Why is everybody so scared of a book? You would think that if someone read the Bible then, boom, they’d become a Christian,” said resident Larry Mayo. “I didn’t grow up reading the Bible. But I’ve learned more from the Bible about life and the meaning of life than I did anyplace else.” http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013307260036

Why is everybody afraid of this book? 

Holy men notwithstanding, I would argue that those who oppose this class have never read the bible in the context of historical purpose or for its influence on literature.  Just look at board member Roni Posner's comments during the Cape debate: 

“How exactly do you take the spirituality out of the Bible?” she said. “That’s the purpose of the Bible. It was never meant to be a literary text.”

Roni is wrong. 

Teaching professors at the University of Delaware have successfully taken the "spirituality" out of the bible.  For at least 15 years, our own public/private partnership post-secondary school has been offering:

ENGL320 The Bible as Literature

Academic year 2013 - 2014
3 credit hours
Studies the cultural contexts, narrative strategies, poetic forms, and literary archetypes of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.
College: Arts and Sciences ( AS )
Department: English ( ENGL )
Prerequisites: ENGL110

Ahhhh, the bible as literature. Notice that this class is listed in ENGLISH, not RELIGIOUS STUDIES.

I took this class about 15 years ago with Prof. Flynn - an inspired teacher who had perfected the art of re-directing the classroom discussion away from the tangents that can railroad the learning process.  If I had to guess, I would suppose Prof. Flynn was a Christian who lived the christian ideals.  But, I could never tell you for sure b/c he maneuvered the literature of the bible with such deftness that despite teaching the bible twice a week for an entire semester, he never once revealed his faith or his potential lack of. 

Now, I was raised of Catholic faith, attending Catholic School through 12th grade.  I thought myself well-prepared to succeed in Prof. Flynn's classroom.  I'd had religion nearly every school day from three to eighteen.  This class should have been an EasyA, right? 

Wrong.  Because there is a definitive difference between reading the bible for spirituality and the bible as literature or history. I owe Prof. Flynn a tremendous debt.  While he introduced me to a variety of works of literature, he really cultivated my interest in John Milton's Paradise Lost and its connection to the a predecessor text more commonly revered as the Bible. 

Nearly 15 years later,  I remember fondly this particular class in great detail not only for my prof's tremendous teaching talent and skill, but because the bible is a technical text - something my religion teachers in Christian education failed to teach me during those 15 years dedicated to studying the bible for spiritual purposes.

There are only two legitimate reasons for not supporting a class about the historical significance of the bible:

1. The class is elective and there is more support for another elective than there is for the bible, or
2. The particular curriculum to be utilized violates the separation of church and state - as in the emphasis is on teaching spirituality rather than technicality and influence.  In which case, you pick a different curriculum.

Pick your poison. Each option delineates the magic elixor that will cure your ills.

Our state's premier public/private post-secondary school has managed to navigate these same murky waters rather successfully.  The K-12 set can do it, too. 

In a room somewhere in Delaware a small committee of agency heads (or their designees) meet to determine the future of some our state's most severely disabled students.  These nine individuals compose the Interagency Collaborative Team,  ICT, which is charged with determining whether a child's educational needs due a severe disability can or cannot be addressed through the existing resources of a single agency - specifically, the Delaware Department of Education and the programs, districts, and schools who receive their funding through the DOE conduit.

The Interagency Collaborative Team (ICT) is authorized in Title 14 Delaware Code, Chapter 31, Section 3124. The purpose of the ICT is to provide a collaborative interagency approach to service delivery for children and youth with disabilities who present educational needs that cannot be addressed through the existing resources of a single agency. In addition to planning for individual children, the ICT identifies impediments to collaborative service delivery and recommends strategies to remove them. 

 ICT is comprised of representatives from:

• Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services, 
• Division of Family Services
• Division of Youth Rehabilitative Services
• Division of Developmental Disabilities Services, 
• Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
• Office of Management and Budget
• Controller General 
• Exceptional Children Resources Group, DOE
• Teaching & Learning Branch, DOE 

Collectively, this group charts the future for this very special subset of children and their families. Often, their decisions will permanently impact a family - geographically moving children out of the State of Delaware and away from their families. 

In 2012, the cases of 105 children were brought before ICT. This committee evaluated 32 new cases, while privately placing 99 children and providing six with other unique alternatives, namely deeming these children eligible for 1:1 services in their existing public school setting. Forty-two of the 99 privately placed children were moved into residential programs while the remaining 57 were served in private day programs.

Of the 42 students placed in residential programs, only 19 were actually served within the state, placed in the care of Bear-based AdvoServ, while driving 23 children out of Delaware, away from their homes and families and into other states for care and intervention. Nine of these 23 were fortunate enough to be accepted at one of two nearby facilities in Maryland.  The rest?  Scurried great distances away, nearly ensuring that these families will never be reunited under one roof for an meaningful period of time.

The average annual cost of placing a student in a residential program:  $200,082.00.  Collectively, Delaware spent an average of $8,403,444.00 on residential services.  ICT averaged additional costs of $6,370,063.50 on day placements - for a collective 2011-12 average expenditure of $14,773,508.00.  These costs do not include ancillaries like transportation.

And all of this is okay with our Governor, his Budget Director, the President Pro-Tempore, the Speaker of the House, and the Controller General.  As it stands, ICT issues one annual report, in February, to the aforementioned state leaders.  Here is the 2011-12 report as issued in February 2013:



As charged by regulation/law/code, ICT also identifies "gaps in services."

Gaps in Services
Children and youth with severe disabilities, mental health concerns, and significant behavioral needs present unique challenges to schools and families. Gaps in services that support families and children in their homes and communities continue to exist. This has contributed to an increasing number of students’ placements in residential settings by multiple agencies. Often these students can be provided an appropriate education within the local schools, but their mental health or behavioral needs prevent their ability to remain in their homes with existing resources.

Delaware suffers from a considerable gap in services - a tremendous shortage of in-state private placements for eligible children. Through the educational lens, these placements are envisioned for students whose disability is so severe that it precludes a child from meaningfully participating in the least restrictive environment (LRE) a public school or district has to offer.  In fact, administrative teams are required to prove that every possible environment has been exhausted - including what the layman would call the "most" restrictive environment. Unique Alternative Funding, established by Delaware code and accessed through ICT, was the mechanism by which a child and/or school's representatives could seek a private placement.

However, in practice, ICT has become the stop-gap coverage for placing disabled students whose disabilities impede their success at home - the results of which may spill over into the school setting, but that school officials lack the authority to mitigate because they cannot access the genesis of the behavior or impairment.  According to the 2011-12 ICT Annual Report, "Often these students can be provided an appropriate education within the local schools, but their mental health or behavioral needs prevent their ability to remain in their homes with existing resources."  And here is where the devil is in the details, and these children find themselves before ICT -frequently facing expulsion, not just from their schools, but from the state in which they live and the people who love them because this state has failed to invest in or attract the services and providers that these children need to remain here.

In 2011-12 upon meeting the requirement threshold, 23 families were forced to acquiesce to send their children out-of-state for the services they need. We sent these children to other states who have developed capacity to serve not only their residents, but to generate income by serving ours.


There is no debate regarding whether or not these children need residential placements.  ICT has repeatedly chanted the mantra that these cost of  residential placements is prohibitive and drain on current resources.  Our state's failure lies in the fact that a state as small as Delaware has been unable to establish nor meaningfully invest in the services that the complex needs of these students demand.

Currently, only one in-state residential program, Advoserv, offers the types of services required.  And this organization lacks the capacity - either the appropriate model or the physical facilities - to absorb additional students.

The data is clear.  In 2004, ICT residentially placed approximately 80 students.  Placements trended downward in the ensuing five years to a low of approximately 30 in 2009 when the state moved away from educational classification as the gateway for special services to the Needs-Based Funding Model currently employed universally across the state. Since 2009, the need for residential placements is scaling upward with FY 12 demanding the same need as FY 07. Day program placements are also on the rise with the FY12 demand exceeding FY07, the previous high water mark of the last decade.

The road from point of crisis to placement is excessively long in Delaware.  Short-term placements are just that, short in term and lean in services. The families of beyond-complex students fight their way through the red tape to be rewarded on the other side with the message that there is no home for your child in our state. And our statewide leadership has no qualms about sending this message.

But, the drama doesn't end for these families when their children are ferried away.  Imagine fighting your way into a residential placement for your child, sending him or her off to a facility hundreds of miles away, and then undertaking the weekly or monthly travels necessary to maintain some relationship with that child.  Imagine learning that, after your child has been served in another state for untold years, that if you relocate to that state to be near your child, your child will loose their services offered under Delaware's ICT umbrella b/c he or she will cease to be a resident of the state when you move out of it.

Children seldom improve enough to simply leave ICT placements. That would be akin to a massive miracle cure.  It is far more likely that child that is residentially placed will age out of Delaware's system to be assumed by the home state of their residential provider upon the age of maturity - ultimately shifting the cost of lifelong care out of Delaware.  Again, the devil is in the details.  It's far less expensive to send 23 children out of state today, knowing that there is a determinate end to the expense of their care - 18 or more likely 21 - than there is in committing to assist in funding their lifelong care.

Forty years after IDEA, the State of Delaware has institutionalized discrimination against our most disabled citizens - denoting them to nothing more than second-class citizens.  Where's the outrage?  Where are the politicians?  Where are the resources that are so desperately needed to ensure families have a chance to be families?

http://www.delawareonline.com/viewart/20130725/NEWS02/307250042/State-board-stretches-grant-rules-giving-300-000-Delaware-Tech

Members of a state panel that doles out infrastructure-related funding for business projects stretched their own rules Wednesday in giving almost $300,000 to Delaware Technical Community College to buy equipment.

Seriously?  Del Tech's is led by the state's highest paid employee, President Orlando George, who in 2012 raked in $467,000.00.  And the school has the gall to ask the state's Infrastructure Investment Committee for $300,000?

Someone, please, call bullshit!  Don't let these funds flow until Orlando takes a pay cut!

What no one is saying, and you can read the News Journal version here, is that now at a score of 70-73, the actual results are down from the Markell goals by 10 points. Yet they are down from the original goals by 20 points! So despite an aggressive campaign and a lot of money paid to corporate educational companies, (one third of our budget), the purveyors failed. We went backwards.   http://kavips.wordpress.com/

From today's New Journal regarding the execution of a sales agreement:

Stephenson said the school is simply waiting for some procedural and bureaucratic hurdles to be cleared before signing a final document. And he said K12 was strongly committed to “standing by” Moyer.  http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130719/NEWS/307190038/Department-Education-denies-charter-school-s-requests-make-changes

From Moyer's Amended and Executed Lease Agreement:
 

FIRST AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED LEASE AGREEMENT THIS FIRST AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED LEASE AGREEMENT (this "Agreement"), is made this 28th  day of June, 2013, by and between THE NEW MAURICE J. MOYER ACADEMY, INC., a Delaware non-profit non-stock corporation Herereinafter called "Tenant"), and REINVESTMENT II, LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company(Hereinafter called "Landlord').

Only, I received the following information from the Executive Director of the Delaware State Board of Education in response to a request for assistance:

John Carwell of the DOE Charter Office has informed me that after speaking with the New Moyer Academy Board President, he understands that they do not have a current non-profit status with the IRS.  He also informed me that the Board president told him that they had not accepted any donations, thus no one had to be concerned about gifts or improper deductions.  Additionally, he stated that their attorneys have begun the necessary paperwork with the IRS to correct this matter.

The original Moyer charter school was verified as tax-exempt by the IRS in 2006 under the EIN of 56-2489408.  It was a B - Educational Institutions - and B29 - Charter School - organization.

The original Moyer had its exemption status revoked Nov. 15, 2010.  The IRS published the revocation on July 13, 2011. 

The New Maurice J. Moyer Academy Inc. was incorporate on December 21, 2010, signed by Gloria Grantham.

Nearly three years after the New Maurice J. Moyer Academy Inc. incorporated for the purpose a developing a charter application that (1) would be approved by the DOE and the SBE and (2) essentially return the school to local control from the charter management organization, K12, that had been installed by DOE following the Old Moyer charter revocation, The New Maurice J. Moyer Academy, Inc. has failed to file document 990 with the IRS.  

With the charter approval New Moyer was able to assume governance of the school while continuing to partner with K12 for the daily operations of the organization.  The New Maurice J. Moyer Academy, Inc. has governed the school for an entire school year, was previously subject to an audit, worked in tandem with its partner, K12, and yet, never attained it's tax-exempt status.

Department of Education Chief of Staff Mary Kate McLaughlin said the state has several options at this point. The most severe route would be for DoE to put Moyer in front of the state board for formal review, which could lead to closing the school or other harsh consequences.

But McLaughlin said that, for now at least, the state will simply work with Moyer to find a way to bring them into line with the system. Until an agreement is reached, the state board will get updates on the school at each of its monthly meetings.  http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130719/NEWS/307190038/Department-Education-denies-charter-school-s-requests-make-changes

I'm not going to dog Moyer on this one. Pastor Curry is now engaged in rectifying the lack of status.  There is, however, a natural curiosity as to whether or not Moyer will pay Reinvestment Fund a sum closer to the $1.4 million they re-invested in the property to resume ownership from the defaulted Reinvestment II, LLC.  Or will Moyer, with a private mortgage through K12, purchase said property at the inflated price of $2.1 mil (per the unexecuted sales contract.)

However, the fact that a new corporation, created for the sole purpose of chartering a public school funded by tax payers, was able to move through the vetting process, receive approval, and assume governance of that school, all without a a non-profit status, potentially without ever filing with the IRS, is an epic fail that rests with the state and the leader charged with charter oversight.  It rests with Sec. Murphy, former secretary Lowery, and those who take their marching orders from Jack Markell. 

Perhaps, Moyer doesn't deserve formal review status.  Perhaps, it's DOE that should. 

Michael M. Crist, CPA, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Crist joined TRF in 2001. Mr. Crist leads the finance function of TRF and its affiliates through fiscal oversight, strategic planning, budgeting and financial projections, treasury operations, and financial risk management. He manages TRF’s information technology and office administration needs. Mr. Crist’s 20 years of accounting and operational experience include 10 years in numerous corporate level and line positions at Cendant Mortgage Corporation and as senior manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Delaware. http://www.trfund.com/about/bios.html

Michael M. Crist is the Chief Financial Officer for The Reinvestment Fund.  TRF owned the mortgage on the property that New Moyer Academy occupies.  TRF brought a writ of execution against its Mortgager - Reinvestment II, LLC.  Mr. Crist signed the lease modification on behalf of Reinvestment II, LLC that occurred prior to the July 9th Sheriff's Sales where TRF was declared the "buyer" because no entity bid on the parcels.


In addition to being the CFO for The Reinvestment Fund, Mr. Crist is the signatory for Reinvestment II, LLC.  He represents both the mortgager and the mortgagee. 

Exempt Organizations Select Check

Exempt Organizations Select Check Home

The federal tax exemption of this organization was automatically revoked for its failure to file a Form 990-series return or notice for three consecutive years. The information listed below for each organization is historical; it is current as of the organization's effective date of automatic revocation. The information is not necessarily current as of today's date. Nor does this automatic revocation necessarily reflect the organization's tax-exempt or non-exempt status. The organization may have applied to the IRS for recognition of exemption and been recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt after its effective date of automatic revocation. To check whether an organization is currently recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt, call Customer Account Services at (877) 829-5500 (toll-free number).

---

Revocation Date (effective date on which organization's tax exemption was automatically revoked): 15-Nov-2010

Employer Identification Number (EIN): 51-0095522

Legal Name: DELAWARE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION

Doing Business As:

Mailing Address: PO BOX 1277 DOVER, DE 19903-1277 United States

Exemption Type: 501(c)(3)

Revocation Posting Date (date on which IRS posted notice of automatic revocation on IRS.gov): 13-Jul-2011

This isn't new news.  It's really recently discovered news - as in, we never thought about Innovative as having the capital to finance charter school property acquisitions.  Apparently, they do and they have been.  And now, they even advertise!

From:   http://innovativeschools.org/school-solutions

Facilities

Obtain financing for building acquisition, renovation, construction, or leasehold improvements
• Facilities Project Management
• Loan Guaranty Financing
• Direct Lending (NEW PROGRAM)

Note:  This program has been so successful, that Innovative is now offering DIRECT LENDING!

Thus far, the following charter schools have been beneficiaries of Innovative's finance menu of services:

• Newark Charter School
• DMA
• Family Foundations
• Sills/Moyer Education Foundation (Old Moyer)
• DCPA

Good, Bad, Indifferent?  Don't know.  But, K12's incorporation in Delaware is significant - K12 has been and is currently the only Charter Management Organization (CMO) operating a charter school in Delaware.

Meanwhile, the word on the street has been that K12 was planning an exit from New Moyer.  We'd argue that K12 is actually putting down roots and planning to stay.   In fact, the Moyer Superintendent, Stephenson, is a K12 Employee/Consultant.  And minutes of recent meetings regarding the New Moyer modification indicate that K12 is still deeply imbedded in Moyer - offering to fund the school's attempt to purchase it's premises  and further offering to defer payments owed (to be paid from future budget surpluses) to ensure the school makes good on budget obligations hanging around from the 2012-13 school year. 

If the stars align - K12 may be paving the road in for more CMOs.

Business name Trade name Address	Business category Current license valid License number
K12 CLASSROOM DELAWARE LLC        2300 CORPORATE PARK DR HERNDON, VA  20171-4838	PROFESSIONAL AND/OR PERSONAL SERVICES 1/1/13 - 12/31/13 2011602715

The rumor of the day:

School-Destroyer board members Former board members of closed charter schools are seeking seats on the Boards of Directors of Delaware charter schools.

"Please Give Me a Second Chance to Have a First Success!"

Because THAT'S a really good idea! (sarcasm.)

Laugh of the day:

One such former-and-wanting-to-be-current board member has seen posts online and thinks he/she/it can keep the bloggers off charter schools' backs.  

Yep, THAT'S what he/she/it is selling! (more sarcasm.)

No joke.  This landed in our inbox.



On a side note:

Dear Delaware Charter Boards,

If you think you need protection from the blogosphere, you are likely violating some law, code, or regulation that pertains to education in the State of Delaware (and you know that you are in violation).  If you are compliant and make wise decisions, the bloggers don't have time to turn you into a media darling. And if you think you need help, go to the DOE, AG, and the Auditor - do not waste time on former board members who've written the book on how-to-close-a-school regardless of the state in which the school was established!  Your students deserve the best, not the merry-go-round of players who simply sit on boards to feed their own egos and/or pad their buddies pockets. 

Sincerely,

The Tax Payers


 

The debate rages on - should school boards be required to record their meetings and to make those recordings available to the public?  Hell, YES.  But, legislation introduced in Dover this spring was nearly dead on arrival.  One has to wonder why anyone would oppose a measure that increases transparency and accountability?

Then again, maybe not.

While reading through the minutes of New Moyer's May 30th meeting with DOE, I was dumbfounded to read the following: (Red added for emphasis by blogger.)

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/schools/charterschools/files/MinMoyerFM53013.pdf

Ms. McLaughlin said that to be clear about this section, they are talking about the shift of the online curriculum to traditional and the concern is that the Applicant’s response still references similar verbatim language that was used for the online curriculum and there is

not enough support for the traditional curriculum and how it is going to be innovative in its approach to a blended learinng model.  She asked if this was an accurate summary.  Mr. Carwell said that this was correct.

Ms. Massett asked if they are saying charter schools are required to be innovative.  She said she hoped not.

Mr. Carwell said he is referring to the statute.

Ms. Massett said that the statute states that it "encourage the use of different and innovative or proven school environments and teaching and learning methods; provide parent and students with improved measures of school performance and greater opportunities in choosing public schools within and outside their school districts; and to provide  for a well-educated community."

She said we need to be careful in not putting charter schools in a box.  She said especially in what we say if they are articulating their mission then we cannot prescribe what that mission is, but rather we encourage the use of innovation. She said she is hopeful of innovation  but we cannot say that they have to. 

Mr. Carwell agreed and said those points are helpful. He said what he wanted to do was

to make it clear and to clarify; these pieces, particularly the online piece of the school,

that was a clear basis for why the school was approved. He said that was part of their educational program.

And there you have it - buried in the minutes of a meeting.  If charter school aren't "innovative" - a term the whole of the charter movement has latched onto to justify their existence, their flexibility in spending, and their tooth and nail claw for more public funding, then what are they? 

Massett's statement puts a context around a subset of schools that call themselves charters, yet actually function no differently than traditional public schools.  Which brings home a very important point - since this subset of charters appear to be performing on par or below traditional public schools and can be often found to be non-compliant with various laws/regulation/codes - why not shutter this subset of non-innovators and return the students and corresponding funds to traditional school districts?  Traditional school districts have the expertise, experience, and understanding (in general) to be "innovative."  What they lack is the incentive -  The flexibility to use their public funds in a way that allows them to establish new programs - based on successful, research proven models.

I'm not advocating the elimination of charters at all.  But, it is time to pull the plug on failing charter schools while reinforcing those that are succeeding. 

Now, how you measure success is up to you...

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/schools/charterschools/files/NMoyerRevComplaint2013_Redacted.pdf

As a part of the modification record submitted by New Moyer, DOE has posted a document that captures the complaints lodged against the school, including a shocking letter authored by Board Member Bebe Coker.  The most recent complaints are near the end of the doc.

Chip Flowers is going where other have gone before - and failed.  He's taking on the Governor and attempting to limit his control of the state treasury.  Few know that treasury position better than Jack - who was elected state treasurer ad naseum until he danced across Carney in the primary six or so years ago and sailed into the governorship.

According to today's NJ:  http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130707/NEWS02/307070041/Treasurer-Markell-appointees-should-go

The conflict between State Treasurer Chip Flowers and the state board tasked with overseeing $2 billion in state investments grew larger last week, as Flowers called for board members appointed by Gov. Jack Markell to resign and demanded that a Wilmington Trust executive no longer be involved with state business.

Some members of the Cash Management Policy Board have threatened to resign if the tensions with Flowers aren’t resolved. Last-minute legislation offered by Markell would have stripped the popularly-elected Flowers of some of his power and given more authority to the unelected board, but lawmakers didn’t act on the bill before adjourning the regular session last week. 

We've heard those threats of resignation before and worse.  We all know that Markell manipulates appointed boards and very publicly at that. When the Delaware Health Resources Board appeared close to denying Markell's Alabama-based Health South Corp. its bid to build an unneeded rehab facility in Middletown, the Gov. when full force, replacing board members who would vote as directed and who most certainly would disregard the approved formula for determining whether more rehab beds were in fact needed.  (They weren't.) Markell called all of this job-building when in fact it is nothing more than job-shifting - employees moving from one facility to another to essentially follow the patients/demand.  And of course, any jobs that may actually be created are in administration and duplicative - the same type of positions that are at the root for calling for school consolidation.

We all know that our Gov. doesn't take well to challenges, especially when they come from other publicly elected officials - calling on the sainted voices of those who have even more power than he to condemn and crucify.  In true Markellian form and in light of the challenges that Flowers has presented, the Gov. spear-headed a last ditch effort in the final hours of 2013 legislative session to turn Flowers into a eunuch. 

With a single day left in the legislative session that ended June 30, Senate President Pro Tem Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere, introduced legislation authored by Markell’s office to gut Flowers’ powers, giving the board total control over the state’s $2 billion portfolio.The bill also would have exempted the board from the Administrative Procedures Act, which would require the board to publish and accept comments on policy decisions. Blevins did not bring the legislation up for debate last Sunday after a private meeting with Flowers, Bullock and Cook appeared to resolve some of the issues between the board and the treasurer. Not all Democrats were on board with the bill. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130707/NEWS02/307070041/Treasurer-Markell-appointees-should-go

Clearly, there was some backroom wheeling and dealing.  And thankfully, Blevins thought better of putting a bad piece of legislation - one that actually seeks to offend the purpose of an open government and our representative democracy - out for the dutiful walkabout.

All that said, Flowers is now in the fight of his life - with Blevins threatening to walk the Gov's bill again come the new legislative session.  Old Treasurer vs New Treasurer?  Who will Reign Supreme?

http://transparentchristina.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/christina-school-district-bus-drivers-and-attendants-secure-union-representation/

The News Journal's recent coverage of Sen. Peteson's wedding following the passage of legislation last week that legalized gay marriage has generated some national recognition...and some good-natured ribbing.


The Journal ran a front page photo of supporters that included an interloper carrying a bright pink sign according to Salon.com.

"Among a group of people holding poster boards donned with messages like “I love my 2 moms,” stands a smiling man holding a pink sign declaring “I’m here for...” CLICK HERE to see photo and fill-in-the-blank.

Only the Journal.  Only in Delaware.


http://www.salon.com/2013/07/02/bizarre_gay_pride_photobomb_makes_it_to_front_page_of_local_paper/singleton/

Well, here we are.  X marks the spot.  At midnight I become a private citizen again and you will continue to soldier forward, educating our children, despite a network of leaders who are hellbent on seeing you and your sister districts fail.  I know you won't. But, you have to believe it, too.

Don't listen the reformers.  They try to hide their mission behind soulless rhetoric.  And at even that, they did a lousy job.  We know what they want - your money, but not your children.  Yes, education may be the last of the untapped crude oil, the final get rich quick scheme.  Yes, Race to the Top created the avenues through rich corporate investors were able to wrest funding away from our children under the guise of "consultant" or "data coach."  And, yes, the Gov. may have already sent our children's private and personal data to conglomerates like InBloom Inc. for the purpose of selling it back to us.

But, you, Christina, you are better than that.  You don't need to play games, you need only to do your job with the passion that you first felt when you decided that you wanted to be a part of our children's education.  Easier said than done, yes.  But, we've also been here before, time and again, actually, with every un/under-funded mandate that's been thrown at education, and you've shown your resilience each and every time.

In short order, I will be forgotten to history.  Only my children will revel in the memories of the late nights when mom didn't make it home to tuck them in...  And I will take a few memories away with me, too

1. We saved the Delaware Autism Program residences and in doing so provided the chance that families fractured by autism could potentially be re-united before there is need to render a decision that will send these children to facilities out of state.  We kept them open, functioning as training facilities, for students whose IEPS demanded the services.  And we ended the briefly-enacted practice of co-gendering the residences, which I am certain, despite the wisdom of some experts, is completely inappropriate for children and possibly even adults. 
2. We enacted the first transparency policy in the state that compels the audio recording and online posting of our public monthly meetings.  These actions influenced the state legislature to introduce and pass legislation that requires the State Board of Education record their meetings and make the recordings available online.  
3. We invested in Montessori education, piloting Delaware's first and only public Montessori program, creating locations in  both the Cities of Wilmington and Newark.  Creating Choice where there hasn't been before.
4. We've grown SPA - our nationally recognized credit-recovery last-chance academy for students who've checked out of education.  Countless students have now check back in. (I lie. Dr. Richards, of whom I am awed by her talent and connectedness, can tell you exactly how many children she and her team have saved.)
5. We've re-homed Networks, bringing this best-practice-based, amazing vocational-skill-building program together - every division under one roof - for the first time - to the betterment of the way we deliver on the IEP goals of the students served therein.
6. We created the Christina Early Education Center - centralizing all of our preschool classrooms in Newark into one school that serves children of every need and every ability, providing CSD the opportunity to harness the talent of our pre-school team, administering another nationally recognized model of excellence.
7. We eliminated Zero Tolerance from CSD - a decision that was confirmed to be in the best interest of all of our students by the Office of Civil Rights. Zero Tolerance has been replaced by a jointly therapeutic and punitive code of conduct - and we acknowledge that it will require years of training to fully master. But, it is our springboard to really help our children rather than simply diminish them through disproportionate punishment.  Our funds are far better expended in the school room than in the prison.
8. We implemented a pilot of "therapeutic classrooms" in our quest to create the appropriate environment for each child we serve.  Going into this pilot's second year, our therapeutic classroom program will expand to be available to more students!
9. We listened to our constituents and installed a locally grown and beloved educator as our superintendent rather than engage in an expensive search firm to develop another slate of puddle jumpers who would use our district as stepping stone to the next "big job."
10. We survive the RTTT assault on education.  "Survive" in present tense, not past, b/c it's not over.  RTTT will live on in some ways beyond the grant expiration... And we all wait for the longitudinal data that will declare this devil-in-the-details-mandate the failure that it is.  In the meantime, we take solace in knowing that our non-PZ schools will exit RTTT and some of its many cumbersome mandates one year earlier than our sister districts because we refused to buckle to political pressure.  The disparate treatment extended to our district because we supported our teachers when they told us what they needed to be successful in our most challenging schools was not greater than local might.  We sent the bully back to Dover. 

Well...
In the end,
It's not quite the how I imagined it.
The ceremonious farewell, that final serendipitous right of passage.

Didn't quite happen as we planned.

Thank you for having me.  I am honored to have been of service to you.
             And I shall be a far better person for having known you, loved you, served you.

Carry on.