*Joe Nathan from St Paul wrote: "Hiawatha does not yet operate a high school."
Oh that's right. It was Hiawatha that signed a contract with Supe Johnson
(without the knowledge/approval of the board) to use district money/services to
advertise their brand new High School at MPS events (they have a booth at the
district school info nights). They also get the first refusal of the
district's old buildings, access to the district's sports and the district's
transportation. It is hardly one-sided though, from Hiawatha, the district
gets the opportunity to pay Hiawatha to teach our teachers how teach. I have a
copy of contract if you want it.
Since this contract clearly has financial implications, it is funny that only
Rebecca Gagnon is calling for it to be revoked. And was there a bid process
for those services?
*Chris Stewart from St. Cloud wrote: "which rules are different for charter
schools?"
Well, I started that list in the earlier email, but I have more since you
asked...
It isn't only that some of the rules are different, also the oversight is
different. We've got people from St. Paul and St. Cloud with oversight eyes on
every mis-spent $46,000 at MPS (see CSI from earlier post), and people from
out-city and out-state paying for negative ad campaigns about that $46K. But
where are those voices when it is time to speak out about Charter
mis-steps/fraud/poor decisions? (I could link a few if interested)
Rules regarding Money:
*MPS must pay for some of the transportation and some of the building rent for
charters.
*MPS must pay to bring some students to Hopkins, Minnetonka or other schools
for Choice is Yours.
*MPS must pay the extra $ needed for the medically fragile special needs
students with full-time one-on-one care, elevators in buildings for
handicapped, teachers and administrators in juvenile centers, contract
alternatives for other issues, etc (which charters don't).
*MPS must pay for their own buildings (charters get 90% rent paid by state)
and pay for the empty buildings when students leave for charters,
and sometimes even pay for them again when charters "rent" MPS's buildings
(There was one situation when the majority of a $1.6 Million unpaid rent due to
MPS by a charter was forgiven in a 8-1 board vote -only Gagnon voted no. And
then the state said charters don't have to pay the remaining 10% if they are
"renting" a district building).
*MPS chooses to pay for Transition Services for students ages 18-22 who are
usually ELL or Special Ed. These students graduate (but not in 4 years)
*MPS chooses to pay for helpful services such as TV broadcast of their board
meetings and language translation services for documents, meetings and
conferences.
*MPS continues to offer much the same program to low enrollment schools as to
fully enrolled schools (AP and IB classes to groups of 7 kids, and sports to
groups of 10 kids) even though it is expensive. (Then Charters sign contracts
to get some of those services for free from MPS)
*MPS pays living wages for teachers, charters don't have to. IMHO I think it
is just a matter of time before the charter school teachers join a union
-unless the "powers that be" (or perhaps "the powers that SPEND") break the
union first.
And then MPS gets singled out for spending $20K per child (this misleading
amount is courtesy of Carla Bates, who SHOULD know better). Then charters say
they do a better job for a fraction of that cost. Yes they can, because they
have a different set of students, fewer responsibilities and aren't responsible
for paying all of their own expenses.
Rules about discipline: Read the parent reviews in GreatSchools.com. Some
parents love it, but some feel it is like a Military School. "days too long -
children up and gone for 12 hours. school starts 745 ends 415. pick up starts
6am kids home latest 6pm most of time buses run late. children come home
exhausted woren out from long day. school is ran military style." MPS
doesn't have that option, they would be sued.
Rules about attendance: Read the "successful" charter's Scholar Handbooks.
Here's one: "If a scholar has a total of 10 or more unexcused absences, they
can be automatically dis-enrolled." and "For every three (3) times a scholar
is late it will be considered one (1) day of absence." Again, something
charters can do, that MPS cant.
Oversight:
- If an MPS school is "losing money" and the parents want to keep the school
open, those parents are most often heard and we spend the $ to keep it open for
the community and build upon that school. If Lucy Laney needs a 1-to-9 ratio
to get results, MPS spends for it. Are charter parents heard like this? Do
they have a voice without the press and whole city support?
- Where is the MinnPost article of public outrage at the high percentage of
suspensions at our "successful" charters?
- Where are the parent letters regarding CHARTER spending -on highly paid
charter "operators" or no-bid contracts for in-family building rent?
- Why isn't Chris Stewart writing the district with outrage about the $1.6
Million MPS was cheated out of by a charter?
- Where is the conversation when there is no diversity in some of their
buildings/schools?
Charters don't operate schools within jails (juvenile detention) or offer
Transition Services for struggling 18-22 year olds, or really high-needs,
medically fragile, dangerous student or special ed services. They also don't
have an achievement gap (upper/middle income whites). You see, charters don't
have the same kids, yet, districts and charters are compared as if they do.
And everyone can continue the narrative of the "failing" district schools.
*Chris Stewart wrote: "To pretend that charters are some sort of haven for
especially good poor kids of color is baseless."
For the record, I never said "especially good" - I never said "poor" -and I
never said "kids of color". Those are your assertions. My assertions are not
"baseless". What I said was "kids with similar issues" and "well behaved
students doing good hard work". The suburbs have mostly white students
(similar issues) doing good hard work too and I don't support the unfettered
creation of those schools either.
Without some regulations on the growth of charter schools, eventually many
schools, even charters, will suffer such fluctuating enrollment that few
schools will be able to offer stable services for their students with needs.
We can't follow the principals of capitalism in school creation. It isn't a
business going under, its our kids.
Gwen Spurgat
Leadership Council at 2 MPS Schools,
Parent of 5 MPS Students
and Supporter of Rebecca Gagnon and Ira Jourdain for School Board
Minneapolis citizen, Linden Hills Neighborhood