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Saturday, October 12, 2013

10-12-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:




Another day in the life of Malloy’s Corporate Welfare Program
Thanks to Governor Malloy’s corporate welfare program, Connecticut’s taxpayers provided a Connecticut company with a $100,000 loan and another $26,320 grant to pay for their move from Bloomfield to Hartford. Malloy said the grant would help Connecticut’s jobless problem by retaining 11 jobs. In a press release as the time, Governor Malloy explained, “Hybrid Insurance […]The post Another day in the

Steve Perry: “No Excuses” – Except for himself…
In response to yesterday’s Wait, What? post about his latest twitter diatribe and the fact that his claims about Capital Prep’s success don’t match up the actual facts, Dr. Steve Perry, the self-proclaimed “Most Trusted Educator” in America, returned to tweeter to complain that, “One [critic] spent his morning counting my tweets not realizing I […]The post Steve Perry: “No Excuses” – Except for hi

OCT 10

Playing politics with his religion and religion with his politics – The Kenneth Moales Jr. story
In a recent Connecticut Post article entitled, “Kenneth Moales Jr., a man of wide influence,” the newspaper presented a fairly detailed profile of the man who serves as Mayor Bill Finch’s campaign treasurer, Chairman of the Bridgeport Board of Education and Paul Vallas’ biggest cheerleader. The story paints the portrait of a man who has […]The post Playing politics with his religion and religion w
Capital Prep’s Steve Perry: A Connecticut taxpayer funded voice for the education reform industry
Wednesday morning, October 9, 2013: The school day began and Hartford Board of Education employee Steve Perry is busy using his personal twitter account to attack his opponents.  His target on this day, Diane Ravitch, the nation’s leading public education advocate. Perry is the principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut. His six […]The post Capital Prep’s Steve Perry:

OCT 09

The State Department of Education’s NetStat to the rescue!
When in doubt, purchase a new data management system, give it a name that has nothing to do with education, hire more consultants and then hold as many meetings and “training sessions” as possible. All paid for, or course, by the generous taxpayers of Connecticut (while school districts across the state go without adequate funding). […]The post The State Department of Education’s NetStat to the re

OCT 08

Connecticut: Where laws are fricking optional
Question #1:  Must Connecticut teachers and school administrators have state certification? Answer:  Yes, it is mandatory unless you are Paul Vallas or one of a handful of other politically connected elites. Question #2:  Must Connecticut teachers and school administrators be evaluated? Answer:  Yes, it is mandatory unless you are Hartford Superintendent Christina Kishimoto. The Connecticut […]The
Did Connecticut’s Director for School Turnaround illegally teach in the State of Connecticut?
The question has been asked before, but it is worth re-stating… Did Connecticut’s Director for School Turnaround illegally teach in the State of Connecticut? Governor Malloy and his Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, have repeatedly claimed that Connecticut must improve the quality of its teachers. As part of that effort, Malloy and Pryor have proposed […]The post Did Connecticut’s Director

OCT 07

And in Windham, parents and teachers speak out against Adamowski
Last week, at a forum sponsored by the Windham Federation of Teachers and the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), parents, teachers and other local Windham residents met with State Senator Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-29) and State Representative Susan Johnson (D-49) to voice their outrage about the way “Special Master,” “Special […]The post And in Windham, parents and teache

OCT 06

Will Bridgeport’s teacher negotiations be another chapter in Malloy’s Waterloo?
Many school teachers have already decided that they won’t be voting for Governor Malloy if he runs again… And those who have yet to make up their minds may join their colleagues in voting against Malloy as they watch Malloy’s allies scapegoat teachers in the upcoming Bridgeport teacher contract negotiations. As the Connecticut Post recently […]The post Will Bridgeport’s teacher negotiations be ano
Hartford Courant editorial highlights ongoing efforts to make government more secret…
Americans should be increasingly concerned about the efforts to increase government secrecy and reduce transparency. Whether it is President Barak Obama in Washington or Governor Dannel Malloy in Hartford, it seems like a day doesn’t go by that we don’t hear about more efforts to reduce the right of citizens to know what their government […]The post Hartford Courant editorial highlights ongoing ef
A case study of how sound bites don’t always reflect reality…
Governor Malloy calls on Federal Government to pay unemployment benefits for Sikorsky shutdown adding its “unacceptable that Connecticut taxpayers be made to pay for the failures of Republicans in Washington.” It is unacceptable for Connecticut taxpayers to be paying for the failure of Republicans in Washington, but the Sikorsky situation isn’t the right example.  And […]The post A case study of h

OCT 05

We’re a charter schools, what do you mean we have to follow the law?
As the LA Times reported yesterday, “The founders of a San Fernando Valley charter school were sentenced Friday for the misappropriation of more than $200,000 in public funds in a case that could affect charter schools statewide.” The husband and wife co-founded the Ivy Academia Charter School.  The husband was sentenced to four years and […]The post We’re a charter schools, what do you mean we ha
Arne Duncan’s alternate universe
Fellow blogger and public education advocate, Wendy Lecker, has another “must read” commentary piece in this weekend’s Stamford Advocate. Wendy Lecker lays out the case against Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, observing, “Secretary Duncan is the one in an alternate universe, and our students, teachers and taxpayers are paying the price.” The commentary piece begins […]The post Arne Duncan’s al

OCT 04

A retired Bridgeport principal speaks: Leaving the “Education Reform” movement in tatters
Ann Evans de Bernard, Ph.D recently retired as principal of Waltersville School in Bridgeport.  In a two part commentary piece, she asks When is school reform not reform? And then, with the power and authority that only comes from having served on the front lines of the effort to provide Bridgeport’s children with a quality education, […]The post A retired Bridgeport principal speaks: Leaving the