Day: May 5, 2017

Governor Carney’s Letter About Basic Special Education Funding For K-3 Is Wishy Washy At Best

Basic Special Education Funding K-3

I received a letter from Governor Carney in my email today.  So did over 900 other Delaware citizens.  Two months ago, a push was made to send letters to Governor Carney concerning House Substitute 1 for House Bill 12.  This is the pending legislation which would provide Basic Special Education Funding for students with disabilities in Kindergarten to 3rd grade.  The state provides extra special education funding for all other students with disabilities who have an IEP, so why not these students who are just getting their start in elementary education?

For years, I have been advocating for this funding.  So has Rep. Kim Williams.  This is the second go-around with this legislation.  House Bill 30, from the 148th General Assembly, sat around in the Appropriations Committee from early 2015 until June 30th, 2016 and died.  I have yet to meet anyone who thinks this bill is a bad idea.  I understand we have a deficit Governor Carney, but the purpose of state funding should have a top priority of those who need it the most.  These students fit that criteria.  Response to Intervention does not take care of these students’ needs, nor as it designed to.  Please don’t perpetuate this myth.  You did not include it in your proposed budget and I am calling foul on that oversight.  I pray our elected officials in the General Assembly have the common sense to put children first when they approve the budget for Fiscal Year 2018.  They are the future of Delaware.

The letter was dated March 7th, 2017, but I just received it today.  I won’t bicker about that, but it is noteworthy.  What I will mention is Governor Carney’s refusal to commit to this funding.  I just don’t get it.  It is a no-brainer and everyone knows it.  Who is lobbying against this bill behind the scenes?

Rep. Virginia Foxx Blows Smoke About Success Academy During National Charter Schools Week

National Charter School Week

The following press release was just sent out by the U.S. Education and the Workforce Committee regarding National Charter Schools Week.  U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina and also the Chairwoman of the Committee, praises Eva Moskowitz and  Success Academy as if they were the greatest schools on the planet.  I would love to see these 15 out of 16 “independent studies” that state charter schools outperform traditional school districts.  If they are anything like certain Delaware charter schools, that statement is false when you look at the demographics of those schools with students with disabilities, minority students, ELL students and low-income students at much lower percentages than those charter schools.

This is what happens when corporations want to privatize education.  Smoke and mirrors at the highest levels!  We should all get down our knees and bow to the almighty charter school empire as the savior of education.  With discrimination lawsuits against Success Academy piling up over the past decade, I would not use this McCharter chain as a shining beacon of anything.

Charter Schools: Providing Hope and Opportunity

Parents should determine which school is best for their children — not zip codes. With the rise of charter schools across the country, more students are able to escape underperforming schools and receive the high-quality education they deserve. In fact, the success and popularity of the charter school movement during the last 25 years is truly remarkable.

  • What started as one school in Minnesota has grown to nearly 7,000 charter schools located across the country.
  • More than three million students are enrolled in a charter school today.
  • 15 out of 16 independent studies found that charter school students perform better academically than their district school peers.
  • More than 1 million student names are on charter school waiting lists, waiting for the opportunity to receive a great education.

To commemorate National Charter Schools Week — and the hope and opportunity charter schools provide — Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, spoke about her recent visit to a charter school that’s successfully serving the children of Harlem in New York City:

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate National Charter Schools Week, I want to highlight my recent visit to Success Academy Harlem 1 — 1 of 41 charter schools in the largest and highest performing public charter school network in New York City.

Success Academy currently serves 14,000 students and has more than 16,000 families on its waitlist. Founded in 2006, Harlem 1 is Success Academy’s first school and founder Eva Moskowitz served as its first principal.

With a focus on developing the whole child, Success Academy aims to make its schools joyful places of learning and I’m here to tell you these schools are getting results and they are joyful. Five of the top five schools in the state of New York in math and two of the top five schools in English are Success Academy schools.

Every student in every school deserves an excellent education. But unfortunately we are falling far short of that goal as a nation.  Thankfully, innovative charter schools like Success Academy Harlem 1 are providing thousands of families with new hope and opportunity.
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