I had to listen to that part of their board audio recording five times to make sure what I heard was right. Newly crowned Head of School for Delaware Academy of Public Safety & Security, Margie Lopez-Waite, at their July 18th board meeting, openly and publicly talked about getting private student information from other Delaware charter schools. How is she going to do this?
Three years ago today, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed Senate Bill #33 into law. Among the many changes to Delaware special education, one of the key facets of this legislation was the following:
Each school district and charter school enrolling any child with disabilities shall, on an annual basis, contact the parents of each such child to attempt to facilitate the creation and maintenance of a parent council for the parents of students with disabilities. Parent councils will advocate generally for students with disabilities and provide person-to- person support for individual parents and children. The charter schools and school districts shall collaborate and coordinate with existing parent groups and other information and support groups to facilitate creation, maintenance, and effectiveness of the Parent Councils.
While my own son was not in Capital School District when districts and charter schools were required to create the Parent Councils, he was for the 2017-2018 school year. I contacted the Special Services Office at Capital this morning and was told letters went out to parents about the Parent Councils. I advised them I never received such a letter. Apparently there were three meetings during this school year. The maximum attendance at any of these meetings was eight parents, at the first meeting. There is absolutely no mention of the Parent Councils anywhere on the district website. None of their school websites have this information on them either.
I don’t feel we, as parents, should have to wait around for the district to comply to state law. To that end, I am creating a Capital School District Parent Group and I invite all to attend. Please email me at kjohlandt70@gmail.com if you interested in joining this group. Even though it is the summer and our kids are out of school, I believe we should meet and hold discussions on what the district is doing in terms of special education for our children. Three meetings over one school year is not enough. I believe we should meet monthly and if warranted to get things going, every other week. It is also my intention that we should pick a spokesperson for the group to present our findings at each Capital Board of Education meeting each month. They generally meet on the third Wednesday of each month. Even if you believe the district is doing everything right, we want to hear from you. I will also create a Facebook group which will be private so we can discuss things in a private forum. If you would like to join this Facebook group, please message me on my own personal Facebook profile, under Kevin Ohlandt.
I find it very discouraging that a school district that continually stresses a need for parental involvement can’t proactively advertise for something that is required by state law. Sending one letter out to parents (which I didn’t even get) for an entire school year is doing the bare minimum. The United States Supreme Court ruled on a special education case dictating schools must do more than the bare minimum with special education services for students with disabilities. While that case does not provide a case against Capital not advertising Parent Councils, it does show a consistent pattern in terms of special education. As a Capital parent, I received robo-calls throughout the year. Not one robo-call talked about Parent Councils. My son had many IEP meetings this year. As well, I was in constant contact with his Principal. Never once were the Parent Councils mentioned.
I hope to hear from many of you as soon as possible. For a school district that has 18.3% of their student population designated as Special Education (which means having an IEP) and probably higher due to 504 plans not being listed in that percentage, we need to band together now more than ever. The district, based on their 2017-2018 student unit count has 1,188 students on IEPs. 8 parents out of 1,188 attended the district’s Parent Council meetings this year. That is unacceptable and I would hazard a guess most of you did not even know this was an option.
Please share with as many parents of students with disabilities in the Capital School District as you can. For parents of these students in other school districts or charter schools, please make sure your school or district is following Delaware state law under Title 14 in this area. Thank you.
Yesterday, citizens and residents of Delaware lamented the very poor turnout for local school board elections. All told, based on unofficial results from each county’s Board of Elections, less than 7,500 people voted. Those numbers are a source of ire for many this morning on social media. Everyone is asking why.
As myself and others pointed out, school board elections are held every single year on the 2nd Tuesday of May. The polls are open at various schools in each district from 10am until 8pm. Current legislation would change the start time to 7am in an effort to be consistent with other elections in Delaware. In competitive districts, such as Red Clay and Christina, signs are placed by candidates all over the place.
Some folks said doors were locked at schools when they went to vote. Others said they didn’t even know the elections were taking place. The state’s biggest newspaper, The News Journal, did not give out surveys to candidates and did not give the elections the coverage they deserve. Some people said it was the job of the candidates to get the word out.
Not every district had an election due to only one candidate filing. This was true in Dover, the capital of Delaware. Capital Board President Sean Christiansen ran unopposed. This is the first time that happened in Capital School District in many years. But in Red Clay, where only 1,724 votes were cast, and Christina, which had 2,246 between two elections, those numbers pale in comparison to the actual populations they represent.
School boards are very important to communities. They make decisions for the children that attend their schools as well as decide how much folks pay in school taxes. Those numbers are set by the business leaders in the districts based on their budget but the school board votes on it. It is a rare occasion where a school board does not pass their budget and tax matters. School boards also vote on when a school district has to go out for a referendum. By the time a school district feels they have to go out for a referendum, it is because they know they won’t have enough money in a certain area whether it is for operating costs or construction (known as capital costs). But they are the public face of a school district. Most of the big decisions have already been decided on by the district. The school board just votes on those decisions. In many cases, the board votes on the whims of the district with few exceptions. Some parents attend board meetings religiously but most do not. Parent engagement is something all school districts strive for but unless it is a sports or entertainment event, turnout tends to be low.
In some situations, school board members listen to the voices of parents or other residents and put forth policy for their board to vote on. This can be controversial at times with matters such as parent opt out of standardized testing, what books can be read in a district, or even how a board feels about current legislation or regulations such as the very controversial Regulation 225.
Not every decision in a school district is decided on by a school board. State law and federal mandates demand schools follow certain rules and protocols. Those are things, like the IDEA special education law or state testing requirements, that a school board can not tweak or change. At times, local school board members can develop a strong voice in opposition to certain state and federal laws. This can cause discontent amongst school board members. While many school districts tend to rubberstamp action items desired by the district, other districts like Christina can have lively board meetings where members openly challenge each other and do not always agree.
Charter schools, which represent about 15% of Delaware public schools, do not hold elections for their boards. It is decided on by the board itself. Charters can draw students from different districts so holding an election to the general population would be very tough to do.
For parents that reside in school districts but do not have children in those schools, whether they attend private schools, charter schools or homeschool, how do they even become aware of school board elections? If they don’t subscribe to the News Journal or other local media and do not follow school districts on social media, how would they even know a school board election is taking place? The same can be said for residents who do not have children such as the elderly. Many of these residents do not feel they have skin in the game so why should a local school board election matter?
What makes school board elections different is they are not based on a certain political party. It truly doesn’t matter whether you are Republican or Democrat as party affiliation should not play a factor. What drives many folks to vote in the General Election is whether or not the candidate is Republican or Democrat.
Like myself, there are others in the state who follow education like pollen to a honeybee. We tend to vote and write about education all the time. But we are not the norm. Unless you are actively involved on social media and follow things, you may not be acutely aware of things like school board elections or referenda. As well, the timing of school board elections is somewhat odd. It is in the heart of Spring during a time when many students are involved in spring sports. It is during a work day. But these are things that still occur during the General Election in November each year. What is the difference? State and national politics are written about in the media more extensively than school boards. There is more money that flows into candidate coffers during their elections. School board members do not get paid for their service whereas legislators and other elected positions do. That changes the landscape and the stakes for candidates. For some legislators, that is their primary source of income so they have to get out there and rally for votes.
I won’t pretend to have an answer to this question. Changing the start time could have a difference in votes, but to truly win the hearts and minds of Delawareans and why they need to vote in these elections is the challenge of the day. Some have suggested holding school board elections during the General Election while others feel candidates would lose their voice if they had to compete for attention against other elections. Personally, I feel the Department of Elections should place billboards up and down the state informing people of when school board elections are. Some have said the school districts need to make more parents aware but that limits the voting populace. In some districts, there could be more voters who don’t have children in the local school district than those that do. Why not hold school board elections on Saturdays instead of during the work week?
In a state with almost a million people and over 130,000 children in public education, 7,500 votes is nothing. It is a drop in the bucket. Even though they don’t make state-wide decisions, they do make major decisions for the communities we live in.
*Editor’s Note: The Sokola Videos are back up now. Apparently, Delaware United didn’t announce the videos yet but forgot to put it on private when they uploaded them to Youtube. And of course the Sneaky Snake Blogger stumbled on them (which is how I find a ton of stuff… shhhhhh!). I was a bit rough on the rookie political grassroots group. They are new, and they will make mistakes. Growing pains of any new organization. I know I never make mistakes on here (stop laughing). And I never overreact (seriously, stop laughing).
This morning, I put up a series of videos between Delaware United and Delaware Senator David Sokola. I found these three videos on Youtube last night. At the request of one of the parties involved in the videos (not David Sokola), I was asked me to take the post down. I honored the request. I soon found the videos were made private on Youtube. I felt the interview was excellent and gave voters in the 8th Senate District a good vantage point on David Sokola’s views on education. Many topics were covered: the Charter School vs. Christina School District and the Delaware Dept. of Education lawsuit, the WEIC redistricting plan and what happened in the General Assembly, education funding, Newark Charter School, parent engagement, teacher unions in charter schools, and so on. But apparently, since Delaware United does not slam candidates, the perception of posting the videos on a blog that is very critical of David Sokola would be seen as the group slamming Sokola.
Delaware United has been around for a few months now. After Bernie Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in the Presidential Democrat primary, many upper Delaware Bernie supporters created Delaware United. Since their creation, they have reached out to candidates in Delaware at a state and federal level. While Delaware United claims to not be affiliated with any political party, every single one of their endorsements have been Democrat candidates. While I agree with some of their choices, I have serious issues with a group that claims to be non-partisan but every single one of their goals and endorsements are Democrat leaning. The group describes themselves as the following on their Facebook page:
Welcome to Delaware United, a proactive group of Delaware voters and volunteers from various backgrounds, all united to change the course of Delaware local politics.
But what is even odder is their rules for their Facebook page:
Policies and Practices for Delaware United Online Activity
Delaware United·Thursday, September 22, 2016 .
Policies and Practices for Delaware United Online Activity
Updated: September 22, 2016
*All rules are subject to change at the discretion of Delaware United’s Administrators
Rules for Facebook posts for Those Who Like, Visit or Follow Delaware United’s Page
When a supposed non-partisan group begins telling people HOW TO VOTE, I have serious issues with that. Any citizen’s right to vote is their choice. How a person formulates who they want to vote for and why is their own business. It gives a vibe of “if you don’t agree with us then you can’t be a part of our group.” By telling people we welcome everyone as long as you believe in our platform, that sends a very mixed message. But this October 15th post on their Facebook page really pissed me off:
Hey everybody, I just want to share this message of caution when it comes to some of the rhetoric that’s affecting the hardest working candidates in this election cycle.
One thing I have to say, that I forgot to mention in the video, is that we have people fighting for some of the most forward thinking policies in our nation, right here in Delaware, and they need your help to get re-elected to continue fighting that fight. Please consider volunteering and help us help Delaware. We need people to remain in the house and senate that have fought for living wage policies, public option health care, pay equity, campaign finance reform, and all the other issues we care about most. This clean out the house, and burn it down in the process rhetoric is not only dangerous, but it is also detrimental to our goals across the country.
You have to consider what the other option is in the general election, would we be going from a person with one policy position you don’t agree with, to a person with even worse positions? Is that a trade you really want to make? Additionally, please be aware that you can not just vote based on positions on one issue, that is dangerous and short sighted. If you agree with 90% of the candidates policies, but 10% you disagree with, on one side of the ticket, but on the other you disagree with 90% but agree with 10%, is that a trade you really want to make as well? Please vote, but please vote educated.
What percentage of a person’s issues that factor into how they vote is their own business. There is no formula to this. It is all an individual decision. This is just one of the many reasons I can’t wait until this damn election is over.
I never participated in any of Delaware United’s events. I did share their video series with Sokola’s Republican opponent, Meredith Chapman. I just realized while linking to that article, the 2nd out of the three videos no longer exists. For a group that promotes transparency, I am having a very difficult time with their back and forth on what can be said, what views a person is supposed to have, what percentage of their mind should vote for a candidate, deleting of public posts, their very biased endorsements based on their overarching goal of the group, and the very bizarre handling of the Sokola/Chapman contest. What does it even mean when you post videos with one candidate in a contest but not the other candidate? I think this group has bitten off more than they can chew. I have no doubt Delaware Democrats love them to death. But this is not Delaware United. This is Delaware Democrats United. If you want to claim to be a non-partisan group, then stick with the original title. But their actions suggest something altogether different. I deplore any type of censorship. Their very strict rules in regards to what people can or can’t say goes against the most basic foundations of a democracy. If this is “Delaware United”, then count me out.
I will attempt to recollect to the best of my ability the highlights of the Sokola interviews. The first video was about Delaware education. The first question dealt with the charter school lawsuit against the Christina School District and the Delaware Dept. of Education. Sokola said there were inconsistencies with the formula but he laid the blame on the Delaware DOE for what happened. When asked if he would pick a side in the battle: charters or school districts, Sokola flat-out said his side is “the money follows the kid”. He made it look like the General Assembly will still attempt to bring all the sides together on this issue and hopes to have many parents attend. But he said “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink” in regards to getting parents involved. One question dealt with Newark Charter School and the lack of an organized PTA or PTO. As well, the question also touched on teacher unions in charter schools. Sokola said he will not write legislation forcing union membership as he believes that is a choice for each teacher to make in filling out a union card and collectively creating a union. He said the idea of charter schools creating innovative schools was written into the original charter law (which he wrote and took full credit for), but he claimed it is a two-way street and both sides need to come together to collaborate. He cited Kuumba Charter School having a Singapore Math program and how Brandywine reached out to them and came together. One Delaware United member said she asked NCS Head of School Greg Meece about this issue to which Meece said something to the effect of throwing out an olive branch and no one took him up on it. In regards to WEIC, Sokola said it came down to funding. When told the funding could have been made available, Sokola replied with a nonchalant answer about the original WEAC plan giving certain recommendations but when the WEIC redistricting plan came out it became much more with no clear way of knowing if those recommendations would work in the long run for students. A suggestion was made to Sokola that if legislation comes up in the Senate Education Committee where parents come to support an issue, that legislation should happen first on the agenda so parents can get back to their families.
When I first heard about Delaware United, a citizen approached me about it. This person said they were concerned about how the group was forming. I checked them out. I liked their Facebook page. But I made it very clear to this group I would not support all of their endorsements and I felt their censorship regarding certain things flew against what they stood for. Apparently that advice wasn’t taken seriously. I am putting up the Sokola interview article again. I am now seeing the 2nd Sokola video is still up. Read from that what you will. This blog will no longer play Ping-Pong over another group’s internal strife.
Delaware Senator David Sokola is up for re-election. But this isn’t just any normal re-election. He is up for the fight of his life! After a very contentious 148th General Assembly and education issues coming up left and right, Sokola is faced with a very determined opponent. Meredith Chapman is running on the GOP side of the 8th Senate District ticket. Delaware United interviewed Sokola in a three-part interview. One of the interviewees is Elizabeth Paige. While she is not interviewing Sokola in her role as the President of the Christina Board of Education, there is definitely some tension there! These videos, especially the first one, are a must-watch! Thanks to Delaware United for interviewing Sokola!
Matt Albright with the Delaware News Journal just wrote an article on Delaware Military Academy looking to expand. During their charter renewal process, Delaware Military Academy (DMA) asked for a modification to increase their enrollment from 566 cadets to 715 over the next five years. To do so, they would need additional facilities to hold the students. They need capital funding to do this. Delaware charter law explicitly states charters in the state do not receive capital funding. Another Delaware charter, Odyssey, was highlighted in the News Journal a couple weeks ago for wanting this as well. Albright wrote:
The school has a plan for how to expand, but it does not know yet how it will pay for it. This is a common concern for charter schools because they do not get capital funding from state government like traditional schools do. That means charters must stretch their budgets if they want to build new facilities or make major renovations.
That is the way the law was written Matt! Come on, you know this. So why are you pandering to the charters? I don’t see you asking citizens to vote yes in traditional school district school referendums. This is just a big advertisement for the legislators. This is how the charter community works. They get the News Journal to write stories about what they are sorely lacking, right before the legislative session begins, in the hopes it will become an “issue”. If I were the Red Clay board, I wouldn’t approve this modification if the school does not have the ability to hold the additional students and doesn’t have the funding available. This is very poor planning on DMA’s part. Crying poor after they submit a modification but before it is even approved shows poor judgment.
A recent bill which passed in the Florida House of Representatives would allow charters in the state to get 40% of the district’s funding for capital costs. The capital funding part was just a part of a larger bill, but the bill had no controversy until the capital funding section was added. Other highlights of the bill include:
The proposal would create the Florida Institute for Charter School Innovation to help new charter schools. It would also make it easier for top-performing charter schools to replicate themselves in high-need areas and specify that charter schools receiving back-to-back Fs would be automatically closed.
This is something Commandant Anthony Pullella, the leader of DMA, is already pushing for.
Pullella isn’t calling for the state to instantly start giving charters as much capital money as it does traditional school districts. But he does believe schools should be able to earn some assistance if they prove they are effective.
He proposes, for example, a graduated system in which a charter could earn 25 percent of a traditional school’s capital funding after five years of proven success. It could progressively earn more the longer it continues to show it is successful.
I could easily see some of the legislators in Delaware trying something similar to what the Florida House just passed. In addition, other parts of the Florida charter bill are taking shape in Delaware. We are seeing this with the Statewide Review of Educational Opportunities. As well, the Wilmington Education Advisory Committee recommended an organization to oversee all the Wilmington charter schools.
Charter schools were required to be models of innovation that local districts could emulate. But the problem with the perceived success Pullella talks about is the fact that this is based on standardized test scores. This is the barometer of all public schools success in Delaware. There is also the question about the school population and how charters select their applicants. Any school can be a success if the application process is flawed and only the best and the brightest are allowed in. This is something quite a few charter schools in Delaware have issues with. Including the biggest: Charter School of Wilmington, another Red Clay authorized charter.
But the big kicker is this: what happens if the school closes? Since charters are considered corporations and they are not state-owned, the property would revert back to that corporation. Any funding a state kicked in would be lost forever. Something Delaware State Rep. Kim Williams brought up in the News Journal article as well:
“What if the school closes? Does the state get the building? It’s kind of a gray area,” she said. “DMA is very popular with parents. But they knew coming into this that that kind of funding was not available to them.”
Chances are we will see that exact situation play out in exactly one week when the State Board of Education will most likely revoke Delaware Met’s charter and have them close after this marking period ends. While the school received no capital funding, they did receive $175,000 as part of the Delaware Charter School Performance Fund. Money from this fund can go to capital costs with very little oversight. We are now seeing, after twenty years of charters siphoning off more and more local school district dollars, Delaware charters wanting to change the playing field even more in their favor. Even though they get tons of money from the Longwood Foundation, they still want more. Based on an illusion of success called standardized test scores. And as usual, they find a public spotlight in the form of the News Journal.
When folks say I am anti-charter, I’m not. I’m all about following the rules. If it isn’t Family Foundations Academy squandering over a million dollars, or Delaware Met’s self-nuking a month after they opened, its stuff like this that drives me crazy about charters. They brag about how great they are and act like they don’t have any money. But DMA apparently had extra money to spend when they went through their own investigation with the Delaware State Auditor’s office a few years ago. And lets not even get into special education at a lot of these charters. They know exactly what I’m talking about, right guys?
I fully expect to see someone, possibly a Republican State Rep. or Senator, to introduce some crazy legislation like this in Delaware during the second part of the 148th General Assembly. The big difference between Florida and Delaware is that the Republicans don’t hold the majority in the First State. My recommendation to Delaware charters: stop whining about what you don’t have and looking for short cuts. You know where to go to get that kind of money, so give the DuPonts a call. Or one of the numerous charter-loving “foundations” or “non-profits” out there. But stop asking an already cash-strapped state for more money. And stop expecting to get more from the local districts. Because at the rate you are “expanding” and “growing”, you are getting more of the local share of school district money than you ever were. But what happens when those districts reach the breaking point, and they are no longer able to pass referendums? Look at Christina as a model of this. Cause if you don’t, you will end up shooting yourselves in the foot.
The one thing charters in Delaware do much better than traditional school districts is parent engagement. I don’t think anyone will contest that. But please, stop brainwashing these parents into reaching out to the media to get your way. The bizarre cult-like fascination with some Delaware parents and charters is bad enough as it is.
As for the News Journal: please stop with your charter loving articles. Yes, you write about the bad too. But you try to bring issues up not because they are truly newsworthy, but because you are getting calls from the charter lobbyists who also happen to be aligned with your biggest advertisers. It’s called bias, and it is well-known throughout the state.
The Delaware DOE has been saying they want community input and parent engagement to determine accountability. Recently they have received exactly what they were looking for. And the majority of parents who are engaged are telling them the same thing: the path you are on is bad for our children. As the Smarter Balanced Assessment started rolling out last month, parent opt-out started rolling its engines and left its mark on the First State. Now the DOE and Governor Markell are scrambling to stop legislation which would codify this God-given, fundamental right.
I’m hearing crazy stories from Legislative Hall. I’ve seen some crazy things at Legislative Hall. Watching a Governor’s Education Policy Advisor trying to get to a legislator who everyone knew was a swing vote right before a vote would have been comical if it wasn’t so offensive. How desperate has the Governor of Delaware become? And yet he won’t show his face during these debates. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Every single thing Markell has done as a result of parent opt-out has met with firm resistance from the opt-out crowd, teachers, and even legislators. And the sad, sad DOE… Where do I even begin? What happens when a State Representative with a third grader opts out? Will they give remedial recess time? Either they just don’t get it or they think their little “treats” will sway us.
The usual lobbyists have been in full swing down at Legislative Hall. Rounding up Earl Jaques and giving him pointers and advice. More like tying him up and giving him the Kool-Aid IV drip.
In the meantime, I am meeting some great and awesome people. Folks who have never spoken out against anything before in their life are taking to the podium and talking from the heart. It is truly an awesome thing to see. Delaware parents are finding their voice, and they are speaking loud and saying this isn’t the best thing for my child. They are exercising the very rights this country was built on. Freedom from tyranny and oppression.
A year ago, the DOE were so sure of themselves and very cocky and arrogant about it. I have to wonder what the atmosphere is like in those two buildings these days. Is all that zeal and zest replaced by fear and more clicks to their resumes? If I were working there, I would be updating my resume fast! I can picture them going to meetings and saying “let’s try this, maybe this will stop it.” They just don’t understand, and at this point I’m beginning to doubt they will. Even as the bricks and mortar of their corporate education reform movement fall around them, they will still be talking about rigor, assess and data.
And the legislators, God bless them. They are starting to realize “these parents are making a lot of noise, we better listen.” Some of them were already, and they have been fighting the good fight for all of us. And we have the Delaware PTA and the DSEA on our side as well. When all is said and done, the Race will be over, and hopefully our children will emerge out of this era wanting to learn. I can’t wait for that day, and it can’t come soon enough. Because they are holding the DOE accountable.
Keep in mind, this is the same Jack Markell who announced the initiative today regarding Smarter Balanced and Delaware colleges and universities with zero stakeholder input aside from his beloved Delaware DOE. Can we just get him impeached? Seriously?
The Season Of Myths 