Merrick school protestors: for-profit isn't for children

[tonysam]

More on the charter school front:

Dozens of teachers and parents braved frigid temperatures to voice their outrage about the fiscal irresponsibility they say is taking place at a Jamaica charter school during a rally on Dec. 22.

The protesters are furious that Merrick Academy is spending $1.3 million in management fees on Victory Schools, a for-profit management company — that’s 25 percent of the school’s total annual budget, while they claim teachers and students are suffering.

“We’re here to be treated fairly,” said Margorie Berry, a Pre-K teacher at Merrick. “We don’t feel like we’re getting the respect we deserve. Our salaries have been frozen for a year and a half now. We just want the best for our kids and we want our teachers to stay, but the way we are being treated, teachers are going to be leaving.”

But according to James Stovall, chief administrative officer for Victory, the teachers have received their full salaries plus an annual 3 to 5 percent raise for the last seven years. It was only when they decided to join the United Federation of Teachers that their pay became stagnant, which he said the law allows while union members are in the process of negotiating a contract. Once the negotiations are completed, raises can resume and may even be retroactive.

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[Tansy_Gold]

1. Not enough recs possible, as I said on another similar thread.

Charter schools are an aggressive cancer on our public school system. They need to be excised ASAP.



Tansy Gold, proud supporter and defender of PUBLIC education

[LisaM]

2. They just want to break the teachers' unions

Schools do not need to be for-profit.

[abelenkpe]

4. +1 nt

[MichiganVote]

8. +11111

[valerief]

3. Why can't public schools be properly funded and properly enhanced? These charters are plain theft. n

[Chulanowa]

7. Because that doesn't produce ginormous profit for megacorps

Even the "liberals" in government are obsessed with generating profit in all sectors. it's absolutely ridiculous

[tonysam]

9. The neoliberals have infected the Democratic Party

There is no excuse for abandoning one of the great institutions of our democracy, no matter how flawed.

[Dinger]

10. That's For Sure (nt)

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. LOL just posted this in GD

[tonysam]

6. I know.

Yours is the Schools Matter blog, while this is the original article.