Wednesday Scan: Charter school initiative rises from the dead; 520 workers drink on the job
Charter school advocates are channeling George Romero as they attempt to bring a thrice-shot down initiative to the ballot. Meanwhile, 520 bridge workers find inspiration in a 12-pack of brewskies.
Charter schools are a love that dare not speak its name (at least in genteel company or at Democratic district meetings.) Now Washington's charter school advocates, galvanized by George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, have risen again, hoping to elbow voters to revisit the issue and embrace reform. (Note that by the third or fourth sequel, the zombies usually win.)
"Backers of charter schools filed an initiative to the people Tuesday that needs almost a quarter-million valid voter signatures by July 6 to qualify for the fall ballot. The move to file the ballot measure grew out of a failed effort to drive a limited charter schools measure through the Legislature, and it marks the fourth time Washington voters could be asked to weigh in on the issue – the last coming in 2004," the Olympian's Brad Shannon writes. "The coalition has no name yet but includes such reform groups as League of Education Voters, Stand for Children and Democrats for Education Reform."
The proposal, capped at 40 charter schools, doesn't sound especially radical, although opponents fear a slippery slope and will dig in hard to defeat it. What's the endgame? If supporters manage to garner 300,000 signatures by July 6 (!) then perhaps there is voter appetite for something new. Just as likely, if the signature campaign craters, it could mark the beginning of a statewide grassroots campaign to push lawmakers in Olympia to give charters another shake.
There are certain people who shouldn't drink on the job (scribblers excepted, of course). These people include neurosurgeons, school bus drivers, and mohelim. What about 520-bridge workers? KOMO 4 Problem Solvers has a damning report that documents on-the-job imbibing at the headquarters of the 520 bridge replacement. The good news is it may not include the day-to-day work crew. The bad news is it includes the managers making all the decisions.
Tracy Vedder reports, "We went to the project office at 3 p.m. on Friday looking for the boss. While we were waiting — to our amazement — we saw two workers walk in the front door, each carrying a 12-pack of beer. Neither man would talk to us, nor would a third who was identified only as a manager. When we told this third individual we'd seen numerous people drinking on the job, some while working on their computers, and asked how common that practice is, he would only say, 'I'm not commenting on any of that.'"
The proposed Seattle arena is like a banquet that nearly everyone wants to attend, although no one wants to get hit with the tab. Give us the NBA, give us the NHL, but let that hedge-fund honcho with the Scandinavian surname pay for it all. Seattle and King County voters have long memories, it seems.
"Seattle and King County voters generally have favorable responses to a proposed $490 million sports arena in Sodo — until the potential to spend taxpayer money on the project is raised, according to a poll released Tuesday," the Seattle Times' Lynn Thompson writes. "The Elway poll found that 63 percent of Seattle voters and 61 percent of King County (non-Seattle) voters surveyed said any new professional sports arena should be privately financed and that there should be no risk of any public money being needed to pay for the arena."
Washington U.S. Rep. Adam Smith is getting pushback for his effort to update the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948. (Swig your java dear reader, it's a compelling issue.) The question revolves around how and if to update the Cold War act to keep public diplomacy in step with social media. The challenge is Smith-Mundt prohibits U.S propaganda that targets a domestic audience (No Voice of America for you, America!). Civil libertarians and human rights advocates, delighted by Smith's neck-extending leadership on Guantanamo Bay and indefinite military detention, don't yet know what to make of the proposed Smith-Mundt Act reforms.
"Smith said the act, in its current form, prevents the U.S. government from combating anti-American propaganda posted by extremist groups online because the U.S. response could be viewed by audiences here," My Northwest's Brandi Kruse writes. "'If you put something out on the Internet or social media, even though it's intended for a foreign audience, it may well be viewed by a domestic audience because it's the Internet, it's everywhere,' Smith said."
Lastly, why didn't voters elect Bill Bradley president in 2000? Was he too smart, too soporific, too tall? Bradley was in Seattle to promote his new book, We Can All Do Better. Bradley's theme revolves around the primacy of the rich and what to do about it. The Seattlepi.com's Joel Connelly has the story.
Link Summary
The Olympian, "Fourth try: Coalition files initiative for charter schools"
KOMO TV, "Hidden camera shows 520 bridge workers drinking on the job"
Seattle Times, "Voters like Seattle arena idea, but not paying for it"
My Northwest.com, "Rep. says outrage over propaganda bill 'dead wrong'"
Seattlepi.com, "Bill Bradley: The rich will rule until we do something about it"
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Comments:
Posted Wed, May 23, 12:17 p.m. Inappropriate
Washington voters are going to send Charter schools back to the graveyard where they belong. The problem with schools isn't the way they are managed. It isn't that lower teacher pay is going to help students. Historically the Charter school groups have been funded by religious groups that want their religion taught with public money. Or anti middle class rich guys who want to get rid of teacher unions.
None of them have any compassion for the kids, or a drive to teach them anything. It's not rocket science. Kids whose home life is on the brink don't focus well in school.
Posted Wed, May 23, 4:38 p.m. Inappropriate
I always love fact-free commentary! So 41 states have passed a law driven by religious groups who want their religion taught with public money? Realllly? And how have teacher unions fared in states with charters? Are they all gone? Going away? Realllly?
Posted Wed, May 23, 4:52 p.m. Inappropriate
However modest the proposal and however much parents in a particular school district might want them, Charter schools have to be opposed as a matter of principle because the only people who support them are religious fanatics and evil rich people.
Posted Wed, May 23, 7:03 p.m. Inappropriate
The proposal, capped at 40 charter schools, doesn't sound especially radical, although opponents fear a slippery slope and will dig in hard to defeat it.
Have you read it? Taken the time to sit down and read the 40+ pages? Then yes, anything can "sound" like anything you want it do.
I have read it. It's basically the same template as the charter school bill with some tweaks. But it still has major problems (and that's just this initiative and not just charters themselves).
So the Secretary of State says they may not have their petitions finalized for "several weeks" plus anyone can challenge the title of the petition (and there will be someone doing that) so they might have between 1-3 weeks to get 300,000 signatures.
That's a lot of Gates money to throw just to get signatures. If it makes the ballot, look for really big money. And why? Because there is money to be made in charter schools (see Florida).
I don't doubt that there are truly people who believe this will help but there are those who are in for a buck. And the 17% rate of charters that are actually better than traditional public schools should give anyone pause.
Last thing - it's a law and not a pilot program. This "let's just try it" is misleading.
Did you read the part about conversion schools? After a charter application is approve, they can then go to an existing public school and have either teachers OR parents sign a petition saying they want to be a charter (and it only takes a simple majority of parents OR teachers) and voila! there's a charter school.
In one petition, you take a neighborhood school and it becomes a school in a neighborhood. It would throw a lot out of whack especially in a large system like Seattle. Plus, the district would have to maintain the building (they still own it) but they have no say over anything that happens there.
Posted Thu, May 24, 9:13 a.m. Inappropriate
Perhaps my favorite part of the proposal that was put before the legislature was the provision that children related to Board members of the non-profits that ran the charter school got guaranteed priority. Is that still in there?
On a practical level... if all 40 of the schools are K-6, with class size of 20 they will serve 140 students each for a total of 5600. No matter how you slice it these 40 schools would serve fewer than 10,000 students STATEWIDE! Talk about throwing crumbs to the needy. This is pretty much the ultimate insult: We won't fix your schools, but here's something to distract you and keep your tummy from grumbling so we don't have to listen to it any more.
Posted Thu, May 24, 10:03 a.m. Inappropriate
On the arena -- no public bonds, no support with taxpayer resources, without a public vote.
Voters are asked to approve a seawall for public safety and to protect the waterfront, for school levies to help educate the next generation, for libraries that are open to all regardless of income -- they should also be asked whether they want public resources to go to another professional sports facility, one that for many will be off-limits because they won't have the financial resources to pay the exorbitant ticket prices.
Posted Thu, May 24, 10:53 a.m. Inappropriate
Charter Schools? Who is it that said: "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." And God knows the opponents have - and will - spread a lot of fear around. Forty charter schools? The sky is falling, all hope is lost, and a bottomless pit will open up and swallow us all.
Posted Thu, May 24, 12:48 p.m. Inappropriate
Vannamocha, no that section is out. No set-asides for staff or charter board members but if they take over an existing school, they have to provide seats for students who choose to stay.
It's not the number of charter schools. That's just a starting number. The big news throughout the country on charters is how hard the industry is working to lift all caps. 40 is just a start.
Again, it's a law, not a pilot program. They will ask for more and more.
Posted Thu, May 24, 3:16 p.m. Inappropriate
Of course they will ask for more. What I've realized about these reform groups is that their entire existence is predicated upon continually asking for more. It's not like if they got charter schools, merit pay, and an end to seniority-based hiring tomorrow, they wouldn't be asking for "greater accountability" (ie more testing and more testing products) the very next day.
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