For a few months there, I had a great source at the Delaware Department of Education. When Delaware MET went down at the end of 2015, there was a lot I didn’t publish about what was going on there. You will find out why shortly. I’m glad I trusted my gut and didn’t send Wilmington into chaos mode. The below emails, between Dave Morgan and myself, not only shed a lot of light on Delaware MET, but also the Delaware DOE itself. Different names are thrown around in these emails. Going back and reading these is always fun! The last email between Dave Morgan and myself is particularly enlightening given that DAPSS is finally under formal review. The incompetence at the DOE is plain to see in these emails. I wish I could have met Dave in person. I probably did but didn’t know about their secret alias with me. I’ve had a few suspicions over the years, but have been unable to prove it. Some parts of these emails I redacted for a few reasons. That’s my business!
The fun began on a Friday afternoon. Acting Secretary Dr. Steven Godowsky (who wasn’t even confirmed by the Delaware Senate yet) got a major pile of crap handed to him with a brand-new charter school, Delaware MET.
I broke the news about Delaware MET’s issues after receiving this email and a few other sources confirmed the information. I did forward the above emails to the Delaware DOE. I had no idea who this Dave Morgan was. I would have never thought it was someone at the DOE. In the below emails, sometimes my response is above the original email.
Ah, the AFWG meetings. That was the whole bit about the opt-out penalty in the school report card. Something that eventually went away thanks to ESSA.
Sounds like the DOE couldn’t stand her either!
Delaware MET’s final CSAC meeting was on December 1st…
CSAC recommended Delaware MET for closure!
I asked Dave Morgan questions about other stuff to sniff around and see how much “he” knew…
The final CSAC report on Delaware MET was one for the record books. That report was the worst I have ever seen on a school!
In the below email, I was very close to getting key information on Innovative Schools but my source (not Dave Morgan) dropped off the face of the earth. I would love if that source resurfaced one of these days…
Of course, the State Board voted for Delaware MET to close down at their December, 2015 board meeting. But they couldn’t exit gracefully…
And here we are, the last email from Dave Morgan. And it was about Delaware Academy of Public Safety & Security. Everything has come full circle for that charter school. Tomorrow, they will have their final CSAC formal review meeting. Will they meet the same end as Delaware MET? I give that 25% odds…
It was never continued after that. All communication from Dave Morgan stopped after that last one. Many things happened after. People left DOE and the Department as it stands today is vastly different from the one during this timeframe.
The Season Of Myths 
To be fair, Innovative Schools cleaned house and brought in new leadership which has been helpful to many schools, especially in guiding Academia Antonia Alonso through their issues and in relocating to the Barley Mill Campus.
LikeLike