Friday, December 20, 2013

UNO laying low 'til the heat blows over

Rahm and disgraced UNO leader Rangel (left)
The Reader's Ben Joravsky is at it again. He's still dogging UNO charter school hustlers who have handily ripped off the taxpayers for more than $98 million, thanks to the largesse of Gov. Quinn, Boss Madigan, and Mayor Emanuel.

Ben tells us how UNO uses its non-profit front, UNO Charter School Network, or UCSN, to hide behind while ace Sun-Times reporter Dan Mihalopoulos tries to make them accountable for how they spent all that money. Good luck on that one, Dan.

But at least all the sunlight shining on UNO has forced them to withdraw their bid for even more new charter schools. They are already the biggest private charter operator in the state. I guess Rahm must have told them to lay low for a while til the heat blows over. Rahm really needs to make this one go away before 2015. Good luck on that one, Rahm.

BTW, what ever happened to the feds's UNO investigation? Just asking.

SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS

As newly-elected N.Y. Mayor Bill de Blasio scrambles to find a decent chancellor to run the schools, he finds there's slim pickings. The New York Times reports:
No matter where he turns, it is almost impossible to find someone who has run a large school system in the last decade without having to close failing schools, expand charters or comply with state and federal guidelines on using tests to grade schools and teachers — all hallmarks of the education reform movement championed by Mayor Bloomberg, and all policies that Mr. de Blasio has said have serious flaws.
At least Byrd-Bennett has been dropped from consideration. But there's still got to be someone better than D.C. Rhee wannabe Kaya Henderson.

5 comments:

  1. Interesting to see if the Sun-Times stays on the UNO case. At some point, a FORENSIC AUDIT needs to happen. It is taxpayer money, after all.

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  2. Trying to find someone who has run a large school system in the last decade without having to close failing schools, expand charters or comply with state and federal guidelines on using tests to grade schools and teachers would be like trying to find a product labeled "Made in the USA"

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  3. RE: NYC chancellor search--oh, come on! How about someone--say, one of those protesting supers in Long Island or elsewhere--right there in NYS? Since there has been a plethora of young, TFA-trained principles & others--put in undeserved/unearned positions of authority--deBlasio et.al. are bemoaning a lack of candidates? And--how about all those unqualified Broadies? We don't need no stinkin' Broadies, nor do we need "someone who has run a large school system...championed by Mayor Bloomberg." In fact, quite the opposite.
    Now is the time for someone who has been involved in the NYS pushback to step up.
    NOW!

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  4. Diane Ravitch posted an insider essay on her blog on the failures of the Klein/Black/Walcott ed deforms in New York City http://dianeravitch.net/2013/12/20/tweed-insider-where-the-bloomberg-administration-went-wrong-on-education/#comments

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  5. How about Diane Ravitch? Linda Darling-Hammond? Mike Klonsky?

    ReplyDelete

Agree? Disagree? Let me hear from you.