In Pennsylvania, Judge Paves Way for Private Takeover of Public School District

[RiverLover]

In Pennsylvania, Judge Paves Way for Private Takeover of Public School District
12/27/14

Education analyst says judge's decision ushers in 'the death of local control and democracy in York City'

Control of the struggling York City School District in Pennsylvania has been handed over to the state, effectively paving the way for public education in that county to be provided exclusively by a private company.

State officials had previously said that, if approved for a receivership (as a state takeover is called), they would bring in Charter Schools USA, an 'education management company' based in Florida, to operate the district.

...In a statement, the state's largest school employee union said Linebaugh's decision "ignores the will of the community, puts students’ education at risk, and paves the way for a corporate takeover of the city’s schools."

"The newly appointed receiver’s charter school plan is just as troubling as the last-minute power grab," said Michael Crossey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. "There’s no real plan at all for more than 1,000 of the school district’s students with special needs. Apparently, they think these students should just enroll in cyber programs if they want to stay in district-operated schools or if a charter school provider can’t educate them. That is just astonishing."

The PSEA and other organizations said would appeal the judge's decision; the York County School District itself filed an appeal Friday.

"Be it noted that today’s education 'reformers' don’t much care for democracy," educational policy analyst Diane Ravitch wrote at her blog. "They would rather turn public schools over to a for-profit corporation that siphons off 20 percent in management fees and pays itself outlandish rental fees rather than trust parents and local citizens to do what’s best for their children."

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"Choice?" she continued. "There will be no 'choice' for the families of York City. Their children will have to attend a charter school whose headquarters are in Florida. Yes, it is the death of local control and democracy in York City."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/12/27/pennsylvania-judge-paves-way-private-takeover-public-school-district

[DetlefK]

1. Don't you know? States-laws are only for outlawing gay-marriage and abortion.

[Enthusiast]

2. This is fucking terrible.

[NJCher]

3. sickening

Cher

[Dustlawyer]

4. Follow the money to the Judge's re-election coffers and the Receivers bottom line.

They starve Public education and then says it doesn't work, despite generations of students who got great public educations.

[NewDeal_Dem]

5. K&R

"Be it noted that today’s education 'reformers' don’t much care for democracy," educational policy analyst Diane Ravitch wrote at her blog. "They would rather turn public schools over to a for-profit corporation that siphons off 20 percent in management fees and pays itself outlandish rental fees rather than trust parents and local citizens to do what’s best for their children."

"Choice?" she continued. "There will be no 'choice' for the families of York City. Their children will have to attend a charter school whose headquarters are in Florida. Yes, it is the death of local control and democracy in York City."

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Incoming Dem. Gov-elect Tom Wolf opposes this

and given that he was born and raised there in York (multi-generational) and intends to live there while governor (eschewing the governor's mansion and taking no salary for the position), he will have a vested interest in this school system.

"Gov.-elect Wolf knows that schools across Pennsylvania have been starved for resources over the last four years and our children are being put at a disadvantage. As a result, district like York have been forced to the brink of financial collapse. Gov.-elect Wolf will make education his top priority by working to restore funding cuts and providing adequate resources so school districts can deliver on the promise of a high-quality public education for all Pennsylvanians."

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/12/gov-elect_tom_wolf_other_leade.html

An appeal was filed.

Seems obvious that this was to be Corbett's final f-u to the man who took his job. Even the local Republican opposed this -

President York County Commissioner Steve Chronister said he'd like to see Corbett "step aside" and allow Wolf to develop a plan for York City's schools. Chronister, a Republican, said he believes Corbett's education policies are "probably a big part of the reason why he wasn't re-elected as governor."

"Regardless of what political side you're on, we've got to think about the poorest, most vulnerable kids in our county," Chronister said. "Let's cut the politics. Let the new governor make some of those decisions."

Chronister said he's concerned about the charter conversion proposal. So many people, including his grandmother in the 1940s, graduated from William Penn Senior High School, Chronister said.
"I think about all the people after her, maybe even some before her, that look to York City School District as their alma mater. And now we're just going to take that and just throw it away. It doesn't make any sense," Chronister said. "If they think I'm not Republican for that, then yeah, go to the voting polls and vote me out if I run again. I'm going to tell it like it is."