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Charter school power broker turns public education into private profits
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/charter-school-power-broker-turns-public-education-into-private-profits/
In late February, the North Carolina chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation 2014 a group co-founded by the libertarian billionaire Koch brothers 2014 embarked on what it billed as a statewide tour of charter schools, a cornerstone of the groups education agenda. The first 2014 and it turns out, only 2014 stop was Douglass Academy, a new charter school in downtown Wilmington.
Douglass Academy was an unusual choice. A few weeks before, the school had been warned by the state about low enrollment. It had just 35 students, roughly half the states minimum. And a month earlier, a local newspaper had reported that federal regulators were investigating the schools operations.
But the school has other attributes that may have appealed to the Koch group. The schools founder, a politically active North Carolina businessman named Baker Mitchell, shares the Kochs free-market ideals. His model for success embraces decreased government regulation, increased privatization and, if all goes well, healthy corporate profits.
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The schools buy or lease nearly everything from companies owned by Mitchell. Their desks. Their computers. The training they provide to teachers. Most of the land and buildings. Unlike with traditional school districts, at Mitchells charter schools theres no competitive bidding. No evidence of haggling over rent or contracts.
The schools have all hired the same for-profit management company to run their day-to-day operations. The company, Roger Bacon Academy, is owned by Mitchell. It functions as the schools administrative arm, taking the lead in hiring and firing school staff. It handles most of the bookkeeping. The treasurer of the nonprofit that controls the four schools is also the chief financial officer of Mitchells management company. The two organizations even share a bank account.
more disgusting crap at the link
Faux pas
(14,582 posts)not good. In fact, in religion (for all the 'christians') it's one of the seven deadlys.
indepat
(20,899 posts)schools?