After all, who can argue with that kind of sentiment? Of course, every child can learn. The title, though, is just a bit of misdirection. While one hand is spouting pious sentiments about children learning, the other one is making sure that the people who want to privatize education will be able to cash in.
That's the case with SB 616, prefiled Dec. 6 by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis.
Her options for turning around unaccredited schools are the same ones that are being proposed by Michelle Rhee's misnamed Students First organization. Take this passage from the bill:
When an individual school is classified as unaccredited, the school board of the district in which it is located must adopt and implement a school turnaround option for that school. The school board may use a restart model, a transformation model, or a turnaround model.
A restart model requires that the district convert the school or close it and reopen it using an education management organization. A school using a restart model must enroll any former student and may enroll any other student who wishes to attend.
The transformation model requires the district to implement various governance and instructional strategies, and implement evaluation and assessment systems, as described in the act. It requires the replacement of the school principal and removal of staff who have not increased student achievement and high school graduation rates.
The turnaround model also requires the district to implement various governance and instructional strategies, and implement evaluation and assessment systems, as described in the act. The school principal must be replaced and a new principal is granted operational flexibility. In addition, the new principal must select new staff. No more than fifty percent of the existing staff will be retained.
Ms. Nasheed's bill also calls for th boards of failing schools to be able to fire any teacher they want and for giving all schools letter grades.
Buried in the bill is a provision that on these letter grades- no more than 10 percent of the schools can be given an A. Five percent of the schools have to receive an F, whether they earn it or not.
If those thoughts seem to be remarkably in line with the thoughts of those who have been doing their level best to destroy public education, there is good reason- those groups have been priming the pump with Sen. Nasheed for the past couple of years.
Missouri Ethics Commission documents show Nasheed has accepted $8,200 in campaign contributions from StudentsFirst, $25,000 from Missourians for Excellence in Government, another front group funded by retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield, $1,500 from the Penman & Winton lobbying firm, which represents Students First and $2,754 as an in-kind donation from Pelopidas, Inc., which is also aligned with Sinquefield.
The anti-public education groups have also been wining and dining Sen. Nasheed, according to Ethics Commission documents.
Former Students First lobbyist Lea Crusey bought a $62.50 meal for Nasheed on Jan. 14 and gave her a copy of Michelle Rhee's book, worth $18.47, on March 28.
Kate Casas, state director of pro-voucher group Children's Education Council of Missouri bought a $6.39 meal for Nasheed on Jan. 7, paid $270.10 for another one week later, the same day that Crusey bought her $62.50 meal for Nasheed.
On Feb. 23, Casas spent another $222.40 for a meal for Nasheed, according to the Ethics Commission documents.
With that kind of support, Nasheed seems perfectly willing to push the same kind of misguided reforms that have not worked anywhere they have been tried, but stand to make a lot of money for those who are pushing them.
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