Charter Schools are Hugely Controversial Nationally

It is surprising that MAP/RVC believed that their charter petition would be unopposed by our community. It shows a lack of understanding of the national conversation about charters, which are highly controversial and divisive. The turning over of taxpayer dollars to self-appointed charter boards and/or for-profit companies represents a huge policy shift. The influence of titans of industry (Koch Brothers, Charles Schwab, Fisher Family (the Gap), Bush Family, Bill Gates, Eli Broad & the Waltons) on our educational system and their financial support of charters is unprecedented. The assumption that a business model can successfully be applied to the education of our children is a gamble taking place across our nation.

For example, the US Secretary of Ed, and charter school champion, Arne Duncan, former "CEO" of Chicago Public Schools (click here to read his bio) has no experience as a teacher or educator. His recently announced resignation has caused reflection on his controversial tenure. 

According to Education Opportunity Network, the day he announced his stepping down,  "Duncan rattled the education policy world with news of a controversial grant of $249 million ($157 the first year) to the charter school industry. This announcement was controversial because, as The Washington Post reports, an audit by his department’s own inspector general found 'that the agency has done a poor job of overseeing federal dollars sent to charter schools.'"

Click here to read the article in its entirety. 

Charter schools divide communities - whether in Fairfax, Chicago or New Orleans, and it is incumbent upon us to follow the money to  try to understand why these business leaders are investing so much in privatizing our public system. Click here to read more about privatization on former U.S. Secretary of Education, teacher, and noted education historian, Dr. Diane Ravitch's blog, and here to read more about how the billionaire class is trying to rule our schools. Is nothing sacred??

"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

Read the timeline here of litigation related to Bullis Charter School in Los Altos. Sit down before you read it - dizziness will ensue!

Read here about Los Altos School District parents' reaction to learning that hundreds of their students will be displaced and a school site closed to accommodate Bullis, which educates the children of Silicon Valley tech execs.

We must defeat the Ross Valley Charter, because, if approved, it could drain millions of dollars over the next years from our local school district, displace students, and further divide our Ross Valley community.

Our Ross Valley Schools are great, and deserve our support!!

Take that, charter schools: Why a Washington court decision will force accountability to a movement that needs it badly

More on last Friday's historic Washington state Supreme Court ruling that charter schools are unconstitutional. Click here.

We do not need an expensive and burdensome charter school in our already cash-strapped district!

Let's shut the door on this nonsense ever coming to Ross Valley!

Let MCOE know that you oppose the RVC petition by emailing the MCOE Trustees c/o Superintendent Mary Jane Burke: marincoe@marinschools.org

Include the following:

1. RVC/MAP is no different than current RVSD programs, which are also aligned with Common Core and project based;
2. MAP has a long-standing history of discrimination which they will take with them;
3. Their financial projections are highly questionable due to unrealistic enrollment projections and an inaccurate assessment of the MAP waitlist.

Marin IJ Reports on Brown Act Complaint by Charter Board Members

The Marin IJ recently reported on the Brown Act Complaint filed by two members of the Ross Valley Charter School Board agains the Ross Valley School Board. The complainants, Conn Hickey and Sharon Sagar, are former Trustees of the Ross Valley School Board, and, as such, had direct oversight over the district's MAP program for many years. 

Click here to read how the duo is attempting to "spin a web of circumstantial evidence to make its case," and cost our public school district additional time, money and resources which our children sorely need.

NY Times on the Charter School Battle in the Suburbs

Found this interesting article (though three years old) on a suburban charter battle in New Jersey. The article shows how divisive the battle can be, and this charter was framed similarly as a "choice" for children within a very successful school district. A Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools spokesperson explained, “I’m in favor of a quality education for everyone,” Mr. Stewart said. “In suburban areas like Millburn, there’s no evidence whatsoever that the local school district is not doing its job. So what’s the rationale for a charter school?” 

In a parallel to RVSD, that District stood to lose almost $300,000 at a time when they didn't have "enough money to run the schools as it is."

According to Mr. Stewart,  "Public education is basically a social contract — we all pool our money, so I don’t think I should be able to custom-design it to my needs,” he said, noting that he pays $15,000 a year in property taxes. “With these charter schools, people are trying to say, ‘I want a custom-tailored education for my children, and I want you, as my neighbor, to pay for it.’ ”