Duane Tron to former student re: 'worthless charter schools, the biggest waste and boondoggle, of public tax dollars in Ohio'

Duane Tron to Congressman Jim Jordan, February 13, 2009
Subject: The charters' sponsor throws up the smoke screen and attempts to come in the back door....
Congressman,

I loved this article! It really starts getting to the nuts and bolts of Ohio's worthless charter schools and the scam they've been running and calling education. If your buddy David Brennan has to close up shop it's going to put a dent in your campaign war chest isn't it? Jim, we didn't vote for Obama at our house because we find him and his ideology quite scary but for the first time in our lives my wife and I voted for a Democrat for governor of Ohio. In fact I know a ton of Republicans who defected and voted for Strickland and we're going to support the dismantling of the charter school fraud that has been taking place under the guise of improving public education through competition in Ohio. Jim, charters have never posed any real competition to public education as far as educational value provided to each child. I was able to access some of Brennan's charter schools in Ohio, through close friends who worked in them, and they are a farce, a total waste of taxpayer dollars. Students were sitting around doing nothing. They would have one instructor, often not even certified in education, trying to work with two dozen students at different computers and nobody knew what they were doing. Three former directors told me that the bottom line was the number of students they could enroll. All of them told me that after they enrolled students the majority only attended less than half the time and when they did come to class they did NOTHING but disrupt and waste everyone's time. And you and other conservative Republican's try and tell us this is quality education?? You try and tell us this provides a better alternative to public schools? Jim, I'm a very well educated man with nearly 40 years as an educator and I know the difference between quality education and educational fraud.

You claim to be a fiscal conservative, a watchdog, of the public's money! Jim, I agree with your opposition to the stimulus package because I understand it's not going to do anything to permanently stimulate the economy! It's a major waste of taxpayer money and resources. On a smaller scale, it's kind of like the charter schools you so fervently defend and support. Does this make you a hypocrite?? How can you oppose waste of public tax dollars on one front and support it when it comes to Brennan making large donations to charter school supporters. Doesn't this smack of the "good old boy" special interest crowd you publicly and vehemently denounce? You claim to oppose the waste of our tax dollars and charter schools are one of the biggest wastes of tax dollars in Ohio. As a taxpayer I can assure you we aren't getting anything close to what you and your special interest friends have been peddling and that is the idea that charter schools are good and are helping kids. They aren't good, they aren't helping kids, they aren't helping improve education in Ohio, and they have become a drain on necessary tax dollars needed to improve existing schools. For the past eight years I have served as principal of a faith-based after school program, for at-risk, children in grades 1-3 from Springfield City Schools. None of us are working for the money. We are committed to improving public education and helping children become successful students in their regular schools. We scrounge and beg for every dime we get to help kids. We give our own money to make education work. In the past four years since we've partnered with Springfield City Schools we've raised proficiency test scores, on the fourth grade proficiency tests, from academic emergency to continuing improvement, in three of ten buildings and this year another three buildings may make the jump. And we do this with committed volunteers, part-time teachers, retired teachers, and retired administrators such as myself. You see unlike your buddy, Brennan and the scam he runs, we are doing what we do for the good of the community, our state, and the nation. We are presently serving 117 children because it's what needs to be done.

Let me point out that you, Jeff, and Jenny all profited quite admirably from your public education experiences! Polly and her brothers all did quite nicely as a result of their public education experience as well. Then after you placed your children in the public schools Rachel, Ben and the others have all benefitted from attending public school. When I reflect back on all of the students I've had the opportunity to work with, in four schools systems, the overwhelming majority have all excelled in their chosen fields of endeavor, including those who came out of Fremont City Schools. Amazing!

The solution to fixing the big city school problems is steeped in breaking down the huge city districts into smaller school districts and providing local control. The formula has never been a big secret. Bigger isn't necessarily better anymore than charter schools are the way to fix education. I will continue the battle in opposition to charter schools and I will continue the battle to reduce the size of large mega school districts. Jim, there are a lot of things government can't do well and shouldn't be attempting to do in the private sector. Two things the government does well are run a highly effective and competent military, and given the right resources, providing quality public education for every American child. To these ends Mr. Tron does know what he's talking about! I look forward to hearing from you and in the meantime I will fight you on every street corner to eliminate worthless charter schools, the biggest waste and boondoggle, of public tax dollars in Ohio. Read the following from retired educator, John Curry, and article below it!

Regards,

Duane Tron
One of your former teachers!
St. Paris, OH 43072

From John Curry, February 13, 2009
Subject: The charters' sponsor throws up the smoke screen and attempts to come in the back door....

Remember that Fordham "study" about two years ago (http://www.edexcellence.net/doc/060707_Pensions_Report.pdf), you know, the one that criticized the Ohio retirement system for Ohio's public school educators (Ohio STRS)? My opinion is that they weren't criticizing the needed and ongoing reform at Ohio STRS....they were criticizing the "concept" of public education and using Ohio STRS as a scapegoat in the process....in effect, creating a smoke screen and diverting attention so as to enhance the spread of charter schools throughout Ohio. Fordham is also a non-profit(!) sponsor of charter schools in the State of Ohio, I'll bet you didn't know that, did you?

You see, charters and their sponsors really aren't in love with the reality that they too have to "part with" (translated = mandated) 14% of "their" teachers' wages into benefits for their educators. After all, that cuts into their "profits," doesn't it? They would be happier if their schools only had to part with 6.2% (Social Security employer contribution rate) to Social Security for their teachers as opposed to the current 14% rate those schools have to contribute to Ohio STRS as mandated by law. That would leave the charter school "employers" with an additional savings (translated=profits) of 7.8%, wouldn't it? Their (Fordham's charters) bottom line conflicts with their own educators' bottom line.....a retirement system (Ohio STRS) that pays far better retirement benefits than does Social Security. Of course, Fordham doesn't see it that way, do they? I often wonder if the charter school administrators inform their educators of the benefits(?) of a Social Security retirement vs. an STRS retirement? What do you want to bet that they don't compare and contrast these differences with their teachers......and for obvious reasons?

Well, Governor Strickland is helping to clear up that smoke screen in a way that the charters most certainly don't like....and, he's not just blowing smoke! How is the Governor clearing the air of the smoke? Well, read on...........

John

P.S. I know, most educators don't like to delve into politics as it's almost like them uttering a four-letter word, isn't it? Well, if public school educators really understood the politics behind the attempt to trash public education and their retirement system in this state, they'd be on the front lines, wouldn't they?

http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/index.html

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thank You, Governor Strickland

For years David Brennan of White Hat Management, Inc. has run some of the most notorious for-profit charter "schools" in the country--and definitely the worst in Ohio.about to end:
That is

. . . .Stanford noted that this budget does not seek a moratorium on charters, unlike two years ago when such an attempt failed to win support from legislators.

But it does once again go after the for-profit management companies that some charters hire. New contracts would be prohibited, and existing ones wouldn't be renewed.

The companies would include White Hat Management, which is headed by Akron businessman David Brennan, a long-time contributor to Republican candidates. White Hat runs Brennan's Life Skills centers, Hope academies and an online charter, the Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy.

The ban on for-profit management companies goes too far for Terry Ryan, who heads the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's Ohio office. The related Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is a nonprofit sponsor of charter schools.

"Quite frankly, some of the for-profits are good and some are bad," Ryan said. "But let's not throw out the baby with the bath water."

Strickland, however, is adamant. The day after his State of the State speech, he was asked about his stand during an appearance at Cleveland's Louisa May Alcott Elementary School.

"I do not believe injecting the profit motive into public education is a good thing," he said.

When the profit motive of the "non-profit" charter schools is understood by politicians who stupidly praise them, perhaps we will see a similar phenomenon. The tax-dodging non-profit corporations are definitely the more prominent threat to public education.