The Third Way - A New School System. The Higherest Preformingest School System Ever Seen.

I looked at some data again. I'm almost always shocked at the result. It tends to poke enormous holes in what's being sold on the street (and in the Massachusetts State House) as "excellence". 

A picture's worth a thousand words, so...

(Oh, keep in mind that Commonwealth Charter Schools are now taking $125 Million... a year.... away from Boston Public Schools) (That's nearly $1 million dollars, per school)

Here you go.

I know, jaw dropping. It seems impossible given the constant drumbeat of rhetoric from Education Reformers about children being "Trapped in failing schools", (the schools they've been busy defunding) but look for yourself, here's the data. 

And... according to the ed reformers, Boston has "the highest preforming charter school sector in the country".  Wow. I don't know about you, but to me, if that's true, I mean, wow.

As shocking as this all is, wait, it gets better.

Of the children that graduate and go onto college, the charter school children fare less well, again.

Lest I forget, documentation.

That's right, worserer and worserer, all mixed together.

So... what I think we need is a third school system. The Higherest Preformingest system ever seen. We can defund the two current separate and unequal school systems - because that's what happens when you set up parallel school systems that all draw from the same pool of children - the same way our predecessors did, by absolutely not giving a damn that Boston's schools are funded by per pupil funding, and that by developing and expanding a parallel system we will remove any remaining chance the vast majority of Boston children still have at receiving a good education. 

I can't wait to get started. Who's in?



John Lerner, Roxbury, MA. 
Member of the Boston Education Justice Alliance. 

Is Ed Reform in Massachusetts About to Hit a Brick Wall?

AMENDMENT LANGUAGE

State Constitutional Provision

• Mass. Const. art. XVIII, ? 2: “All moneys raised
  by taxation in the towns and cities for the support of public schools,
  and all moneys which may be appropriated by the commonwealth for the
  support of common schools shall be applied to, and expended in, no other
  schools than those which are conducted according to law, under the order
  and superintendence of the authorities of the town or city in which the
  money is expended; and no grant, appropriation or use of public money or
  property or loan of public credit shall be made or authorized by the commonwealth
  or any political division thereof for the purpose of founding,
  maintaining or aiding any other school or institution of learning,
  whether under public control or otherwise, wherein any denominational
  doctrine is inculcated, or any other school, or any college, infirmary,
  hospital, institution, or educational, charitable or religious
  undertaking which is not publicly owned and under the exclusive control,
  order and superintendence of public officers or public agents authorized
  by the commonwealth or federal authority or both, except that
  appropriations may be made for the maintenance and support of the
  Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts and for free public libraries in any
  city or town, and to carry out legal obligations, if any, already
  entered into; and no such grant, appropriation or use of public money or
  property or loan of public credit shall be made or authorized for the
  purpose of founding, maintaining or aiding any church, religious
  denomination or society.” (Passed 11/06/1917)

Charles Yancey vs Billionaire Education Reform Movement Backed Andrea Campbell for Boston City Councilor

There's an election in Boston on November 3rd, and Bostonians have a city councilor race that's cause for concern. 

Mayor Walsh wants City Councilor Charles Yancey out, and here's why.

• Councilor Yancey wants to put body cameras on police, which the Mayor strongly opposes.
• Yancey has called for and held (30) audit hearings concerning the city's budget and spending.
• Yancey has been hounding the Mayor (and the city) for city workforce diversity data (which, to date, the Mayor has been unwilling to provide)
• Yancey has stood up for Boston's children and Boston Public Schools by voting NO on the cities education budget two years in a row - because of the $108 million Mayor Walsh has seen fit to underfunded our schools by over the last two years.

The powers that be - seem to have hand picked an opponent that will toe the line and not make waves. Her name is Andrea Campbell,  and some powerful people are backing her financially.

• Two are lawyers whom I'm told are associated with the law firms that threatened to sue the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to lift the cap on the expansion of charter schools. 
• Two others work for MATCH Education, a charter school company that would like to have the cap on charter schools lifted so they can expand in Massachusetts.
• Another works for Democrats for Education Reform, a faux grassroots education reform group that lobbies for charter schools. 

Councilor Yancey is working to ensure that all children will be given an opportunity to receive the best education possible. He strongly supports everyone enrolling the children they care for into any of the schools available to them, charter or public, and he's not against charter schools. At the same time, he can't help but see the disastrous consequence that having 42% of the states charter schools in Boston is having on the funding of the traditional public schools.

As a result of the expansion of charter schools in Boston, Boston Public Schools has lost an average of nearly one million dollars in funding, per school.

As a result of the expansion of charter schools in Boston, Boston's Public Schools have been forced to cut every position they can: all levels of service, teachers, busing, supplies, mental health services, food options, and schools are now asking for funding on DonorsChoose - for pencils. 

Councilor Yancey wants to see education in Boston improve for ALL children, not just the selected populations that the charter schools retain.

Councilor Yancey sees that the expansion of charter schools, without some drastic changes in funding mechanisms, will further harm the 57,000 students attending traditional public schools, 87% of which are minority children.

It's obvious that some of Andrea Campbells' backers might expect her help in blowing the lid off the charter school cap, and some of these same people would like nothing better than to force us to foreclose on the traditional public schools you and I have made a choice to send our children to. With the overwhelming evidence that many charter schools in Boston are little more than a scam, what other goal do you think they have - other than to take our public tax dollars and place them into private pockets?

In one city where this has already happened, Chicago, Twelve people haven't eaten since August 17th in an effort to save their one remaining open enrollment public school.

Councilor Yancey is fighting to stop this from happening here.

The traditional public schools in Boston are owned by us, funded by our tax dollars and attended by our children. Councilor Yancey will fight to keep local control of our schools. Councilor Yancey will fight to get our traditional public schools the funding they need to provide our children with a good education, and Councilor Yancey won't stand by and watch as 57,000 traditional public school children have their chance at a good education stripped away. 

Andrea Campbell's backers, well, seems some of them want to get rich by closing traditional public schools and opening privately managed charter schools - on the public's dime - consequences to the vast majority of Boston's children be dammed. 

District 4, I'm asking you to please vote for Charles Yancey for City Councilor on November 3rd. Our children and our city need to have him continue in his fight for us, and for all the children of Boston. 

John Lerner, Roxbury. 
Member of the Boston Education Justice Alliance.