For-profit management firm founded by David Brennan has too much power, boards say
By John Higgins
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The governing boards of 10 Ohio charter schools are challenging the legality of the state law regulating the for-profit corporation that operates their schools, Akron-based White Hat Management.
In a suit filed Monday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, the school boards argue the law is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to White Hat, one of the largest charter school operators in the nation.
The company was founded by David Brennan, a prominent Akron businessman and Republican donor.
The suit charges that White Hat lobbied the state legislature for changes to the charter school law in 2006 that made it possible for White Hat to fire any school board that tries to sever ties with the management company.
Nor is it financially feasible for a charter school to switch operators because White Hat's contracts state that it owns the school's property, furniture and equipment — even though they were all paid for with tax dollars, according to the complaint.
''Essentially, White Hat created an educational model where tax dollars flow to the private corporation with little room for oversight or control by the schools' governing bodies,'' said a news release accompanying the filing of the lawsuit. ''Further, the law makes White Hat's receipt of tax dollars hard to stop.''
Next to Mulgrew was his press aide, Richard Riley. “Suppose you decide that Riley is lazy or incompetent,” I asked Mulgrew. “Should you be able to fire him?”
“He’s not a teacher,” Mulgrew responded. “And I need to be able to pick my own person for a job like that.” Then he grinned, adding: “I know where you’re going, but you don’t understand. Teachers
Several women leaders from Sacramento are urging police to release investigation files related to allegations that mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson fondled a 17-year-old girl last year.
Johnson, speaking to supporters in Oak Park on Tuesday afternoon, said he wants to focus on big issues facing the city and dismissed the accusations as an example of the "ugly politics of distraction."
While police found no evidence of wrongdoing and no charges were filed, the women held a news conference Tuesday morning calling upon Police Chief Rick Braziel to let the public see the incident report.
Police said no report will be released because no crime appears to have been committed.
Johnson, a former NBA player who was key in transforming Sacramento High School into a charter campus, is one of six candidates challenging incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo, who is seeking her third term in office.
City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy labeled the women as Fargo supporters, and in an earlier statement called the move a "desperate tactic" by Fargo to combat Johnson.
Genevieve Shiroma, a member of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District board, said Tuesday she felt the police investigation into the case was "mishandled."
"There is a terrible cloud over this investigation and we think that the police chief could clear this up very quickly by releasing the files," said Shiroma said, who was joined by former Sen. Deborah Ortiz, former Sacramento Mayor Ann Rudin and others.
Shiroma added that she would like to receive assurance from Braziel that police are properly
By any standard, the rise was meteoric. The Robert M. Hughes Academy’s math scores this spring improved at the fastest pace in the state, with English scores not far behind.
It should have been a cause for celebrating this Springfield charter school, which was ordered by the state in January to improve its MCAS scores or face possible closure.
But yesterday, the state announced that it has launched a formal investigation into possible irregularities in the school’s administration of the exam, as well as additional allegations of mismanagement and fiscal improprieties that have subsequently surfaced.
“I take all of these matters very seriously,’’ Mitchell Chester, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said in a prepared statement. “Our investigation is continuing. As always, my primary concern is the well-being of the students, and I am committed to minimizing any disruption to their education.’’
Chester’s comment broke two months of silence on the issue. His office had previously denied the Globe’s repeated requests for information about why the department was probing the test results, and said that the state’s public records law allowed officials to with hold information about ongoing
TWO FORMER CHARTER SCHOOL EXECS CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLING SCHOOL FUNDS PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Pat Meehan today announced the unsealing of an indictment1 charging Martha Russell and Viola Bush with one count of conspiracy and one count of alteration of records with the intent to impede the proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice. The indictment alleges that from 2003 to 2005, Russell, as the Chief Executive Officer of Raising Horizons Quest Charter School, and Bush, Russell’s sister and Chief Financial Officer of the school, stole funds intended for the school and later attempted to hide their unlawful activities while being audited by the Philadelphia School District in January 2006.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANTS
A decorated San Diego high school principal has resigned in connection with a case of alleged cheating and grade-tampering. Observers say this is part of a growing problem, as educators' and students' lives increasingly rest on the results of a handful of high-stakes tests.
Preuss School Principal Doris Alvarez, a former national Principal of the Year, submitted a letter of resignation on Tuesday, said the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), a week after a university audit found that three-fourths of reviewed Preuss transcripts had one or more grades changed — most of them to benefit students. Alvarez denies any role in changing grades.
Preuss, a lauded charter school for middle- and high-school students, was founded eight years ago by a UCSD professor and earned several prestigious awards during Alvarez's tenure. Just last month, the school, which prepares low-income and minority students for college, ranked 10th out of 18,000 U.S. high schools in new rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Preuss ranked second
By Marty Hittelman
By Randy Shaw
Happy Election Day. Don't forget to vote!
Catalyst was referring to my report that only 42% of Illinois districts have signed on to the second round Race to the Top application.In Illinois, Fred Klonsky argues that efforts to drum up support are wallowing.
The University of California was set to unveil plans for a sweeping financial and administrative overhaul that could reduce annual operating expenses by more than $500 million, as the much-scrutinized public university system moves to deal with a widening budget shortfall.
Under the efficiency plan, which will be presented at a UC Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, the system intends to streamline, consolidate and standardize operations across its 10 campuses. Among other things, UC plans to roll out common supply-procurement and human-resources systems to replace individual campus systems.
Other measures include accelerating energy-efficiency projects, consolidating information-technology operations and loaning
The latest NYT Magazine preview is out, and its feature story is about unions and reform and alla that (The Teachers’ Unions’ Last Stand). But that's not all. When you're done there, EdWeek.org has some exclusive content from the article's author, Steven Brill. (Nice job, EdWeek.org!) Brill is everywhere these days, but not so long on the education beat. Last we saw him, Steve Brill was penning the umpteenth "rubber room" story (albeit for the New Yorker). I can't help but feel like Brill is slanted to the right on all of this stuff rather than coming at it from the middle, and also that he's slumming a bit writing about schools and teachers and stuff. But he's
"That’s where Obama doesn’t get it. It can’t even just be the Congress. It’s got to be school boards, city council, state legislature, county commission, governorships.” -- Gingrich calls for education overhaul (Politico) 
Union boss Randi Weingarten forces Education czar Arne Duncan to add third stop on visit to NYC NY Post: His choreographed visit comes as the battle over charter schools heats up ahead of the June 1 deadline for New York to apply for "Race for the Top" money... R.I. teachers subdued after agreement AP: The president of the teachers union said collective bargaining had worked. The school superintendent lauded a new era of collaboration for a failing high school singled out by President Obama. But the bottom line of a labor agreement approved yesterday showed another, hard-edged result... Tensions grow as Boston prepares for teacher contract talks Boston Globe: Boston parents, students, community activists, and civic groups have launched lobbying campaigns to press for changes to the teachers union contract, in what observers say could be the most acrimonious bargaining climate in a decade... Education" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/education/18brfs-STUDENTACCUS_BRF.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 68, 187); ">Student Accused of Faking His Way Into Harvard AP: A Delaware man has been charged with faking his way into Harvard and duping the university out of $45,000 in financial aid, grants and scholarships... School Buses Now Take Wireless Internet For A Ride NPR: The Vail School District in southern Arizona last year installed a wireless router above the front windshield in buses for students who have long commutes. After hearing about the program, about 25 U.S. school districts have also signed up for the service. But one concern for administrators is making sure every student has a laptop.
