TPS Lawsuit Plan Under Fire

[Double A]

Lawmakers, Charter Schools, Question District's Motives

The Tulsa County Democratic Party passed a resolution supporting Charter Schools chartered under this act at our last Convention. Hopefully our Chair will issue a press release condemning this baseless attack on Charter Schools, expressing the TCDP's support for Charter Schools and chiding the Tulsa Public School Board for filling a frivolous lawsuit that wastes tax dollars that would be better spent in the classroom or to shore up the underfunded teacher retirement system.

[Chicken Little]

Why is it frivolous?  Jenks and BA don't have to play by the same rules.  

I don't think TPS could end charter schools even if they wanted to.  The charter schools in Tulsa are doing well, so, yes, they should keep rolling.  But, they have to keep it up, and somebody has to keep their feet to the fire.  Some charter schools, in some places, have been nightmares.  You can't just hand some company the keys and cross your fingers.

Because the schools are doing well, Jabar is doing a good job representing his constituents in this matter.  But, performance is the nature of the beast, and I think that charter schools are always going to get "the business" from their sponsor.  It doesn't necessarily mean that TPS hates charter schools and it certainly doesn't mean that they aren't trying to do what is best for the kids.  When the government subs something out to a private company, don't you want them to continue to evaluate the performance of that company and weigh it against the value of hiring someone else, or doing it themselves?  

Deborah Brown slipped a little last year; and the sponsor is supposed to find ways to hold them accountable.  In that regard, I can see why turning them over to Langston in a year when their API scores dropped 15%, may worry some people on the TPS board.  Is now the best time to hand them over to a new sponsor?  

There are a lot of people out there who think that giving taxpayer money to any private company to do something that is the government's responsibity is wrong, under any circumstances.  Some people are going to see charter schools as a waste of taxpayer money, regardless.  I'm not one of them, but when my tax dollars are spent on private companies for things like garbage collection, I expect somebody to be keeping an eye on them.  Can't I expect the same accountability when it comes to educating children?

I think it is wrong of you to be ascribing selfish motives to TPS.  There are some very great reasons for them to be acting like jerks.  Those great reasons range in age from six to 18.

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

Why is it frivolous?  Jenks and BA don't have to play by the same rules.  

I don't think TPS could end charter schools even if they wanted to.  The charter schools in Tulsa are doing well, so, yes, they should keep rolling.  But, they have to keep it up, and somebody has to keep their feet to the fire.  Some charter schools, in some places, have been nightmares.  You can't just hand some company the keys and cross your fingers.

Because the schools are doing well, Jabar is doing a good job representing his constituents in this matter.  But, performance is the nature of the beast, and I think that charter schools are always going to get "the business" from their sponsor.  It doesn't necessarily mean that TPS hates charter schools and it certainly doesn't mean that they aren't trying to do what is best for the kids.  When the government subs something out to a private company, don't you want them to continue to evaluate the performance of that company and weigh it against the value of hiring someone else, or doing it themselves?  

Deborah Brown slipped a little last year; and the sponsor is supposed to find ways to hold them accountable.  In that regard, I can see why turning them over to Langston in a year when their API scores dropped 15%, may worry some people on the TPS board.  Is now the best time to hand them over to a new sponsor?  

There are a lot of people out there who think that giving taxpayer money to any private company to do something that is the government's responsibity is wrong, under any circumstances.  Some people are going to see charter schools as a waste of taxpayer money, regardless.  I'm not one of them, but when my tax dollars are spent on private companies for things like garbage collection, I expect somebody to be keeping an eye on them.

I think it is wrong of you to be ascribing selfish motives to TPS.  There are some very great reasons for them to be acting like jerks.  Those great reasons range in age from six to 18.

The militant teacher's union, pulling the strings at their wholly-owned, captive TPS School Board subsidiary, want to strangle the helpless infant Charter Schools, while the baby is laying in a crib, in a manger.

On Christmas Eve.

Mr. Livingood is the promoter of this litigation?  

Mr. Livingood must believe it is better to receive, than to give.

He needs to be RETIRED from the TPS School Board.

Having missed their chance to perform a coat-hanger, back-alley abortion on the Charter-Schools concept in the State Legislature, despite a well-funded, energetic stalling tactic through their OEA in the state legislature, TPS are stuck with the Charter Schools.  

They hammered it down to three.

They fear competition.

In every other respect, our society says:

Competition is Good.
Except in TPS?

All they believe is feeding more of their educational rat poison to the children, and then asking for more money to address why the child ails and fails?

Did you know that 50% of TPS children score below average?

Shocking!

Solution:  Spend more taxpayer money.

Uh, uh, Sugar.

No more sugar-coated rat poison for this bear.

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

Why is it frivolous?  Jenks and BA don't have to play by the same rules.  

I don't think TPS could end charter schools even if they wanted to.  The charter schools in Tulsa are doing well, so, yes, they should keep rolling.  But, they have to keep it up, and somebody has to keep their feet to the fire.  Some charter schools, in some places, have been nightmares.  You can't just hand some company the keys and cross your fingers.

Because the schools are doing well, Jabar is doing a good job representing his constituents in this matter.  But, performance is the nature of the beast, and I think that charter schools are always going to get "the business" from their sponsor.  It doesn't necessarily mean that TPS hates charter schools and it certainly doesn't mean that they aren't trying to do what is best for the kids.  When the government subs something out to a private company, don't you want them to continue to evaluate the performance of that company and weigh it against the value of hiring someone else, or doing it themselves?  

Deborah Brown slipped a little last year; and the sponsor is supposed to find ways to hold them accountable.  In that regard, I can see why turning them over to Langston in a year when their API scores dropped 15%, may worry some people on the TPS board.  Is now the best time to hand them over to a new sponsor?  

There are a lot of people out there who think that giving taxpayer money to any private company to do something that is the government's responsibity is wrong, under any circumstances.  Some people are going to see charter schools as a waste of taxpayer money, regardless.  I'm not one of them, but when my tax dollars are spent on private companies for things like garbage collection, I expect somebody to be keeping an eye on them.  Can't I expect the same accountability when it comes to educating children?

I think it is wrong of you to be ascribing selfish motives to TPS.  There are some very great reasons for them to be acting like jerks.  Those great reasons range in age from six to 18.

It's frivolous because the supreme court ruled that laws based on population are constitutional. In 2006, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of a law that had population restrictions, as long as all governmental entities that qualify are treated equally under the law. The particular lawsuit the court ruled on, City of Enid v. Public Employees Relations Board, was challenging a state law that would allow city employees to unionize, but the law only applied to cities of a certain population size. The City of Enid filed a suit against the law, saying it was unconstitutional because it only applied to certain cities, but the court eventually ruled in favor of the law. How do you like them apples?

The Tulsa Public School Board continues it's long tradition of being an embarrassing haven for status quo bureaucracy, mediocrity, and wasting tax dollars.

[Chicken Little]

quote:Originally posted by Friendly Bear

They fear competition.

No, they are the sponsor.  It is their job to hold them accountable to the charter.  If your work performance slipped 15% in one year, would your employer be okay with that?

You of all people, FB.  You are telling me you don't care how tax dollars are spent?  That TPS should just give those schools a blank check and hope those kids turn out alright?

The lawsuit is not about ending charter schools, anyway.  It's about equal protection under the State constitution.  If Tulsa has them, why shouldn't all 1.2 quadrillion Oklahoma school districts?

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little
 It's about equal protection under the State constitution.  If Tulsa has them, why shouldn't all 1.2 quadrillion Oklahoma school districts?

That issue has already been settled. I wonder if taxpayers could file a qui tam over this fraudulent waste of tax dollars against the school board? I wonder if the individual school board members could be held personally liable?

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

quote:Originally posted by Friendly Bear

They fear competition.

No, they are the sponsor.  It is their job to hold them accountable to the charter.  If your work performance slipped 15% in one year, would your employer be okay with that?

You of all people, FB.  You are telling me you don't care how tax dollars are spent?  That TPS should just give those schools a blank check and hope those kids turn out alright?

The lawsuit is not about ending charter schools, anyway.  It's about equal protection under the State constitution.  If Tulsa has them, why shouldn't all 1.2 quadrillion Oklahoma school districts?

I'm so TOUCHED; really TOUCHED.

It turns out afterall, the militant teachers union just so loves their students.

I get it:  The lawsuit is "For the Children".