Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Alert: “Accountability” Bill Could Turn to Nuclear Option | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Alert: “Accountability” Bill Could Turn to Nuclear Option | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:



Alert: “Accountability” Bill Could Turn to Nuclear Option

Filed under: Charter Schools,Low Performing Schools,Vouchers — millerlf @ 6:04 pm 



The following article from today’s Journal Sentinel states that Democrats are part of the problem in advancing an “accountability” bill through Wisconsin’s legislature. The truth is that many Republicans want a bill that is more draconian in its policies toward Milwaukee Public Schools and holds little oversight for voucher programs.
The present proposed legislation, even with Senator Olsen’s amendments, is a declaration of war on Milwaukee Public Schools. Anything more extreme would be the nuclear option.
Be honest people, the “accountability” legislation proposed by up-state legislators is about MPS, with the intent of destroying the district and making reform impossible.
By all indications MPS is improving. If our reforms work, the plans of the voucher charlatans and charter management organizations will be cast aside and privatization will be set back. So the intent of the right-wing is to move as quickly as possible.
Expect a new bill during this legislative cycle to be drafted by Senators Farrow and Darling that is even more severe in its policies toward MPS and Wisconsin public schools and makes no demand of substance on voucher school accountability.

Lawmaker: school accountability measure may stall in Legislature this year
By Patrick Marley and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel Jan. 29, 2014

Madison — A lead author of a school accountability bill signaled Wednesday the measure may not have enough support to get through the Legislature this year.
“Right now, we don’t have the votes and that’s all right,” said Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon). “Some of these things, when you do it, it takes more than a year.”
Olsen spoke to reporters Wednesday just after he canceled a committee vote on the bill that had been scheduled for Thursday. Olsen is chairman of the Senate Education Committee, but said he didn’t have support for his plan there because of initial opposition from Democrats and Sen. Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee).
Farrow hasn’t yet provided an interview on the accountability bill. In a Capitol hallway Wednesday, Farrow indicated he was willing to talk but had been very busy and unable

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