Schools Matter blog. Anyone know them?

[proud2BlibKansan]

They posted the other day that the KC supt is closing schools so they can be reopened as corporate charters. So I left a comment after that item, saying I teach in KC and we have never heard this, where did you get this information? My comment wasn't published.

Yesterday I emailed the person who wrote that blog item. Haven't heard back yet.

I have talked to union officials, school district admins and local reporters. No one here has any idea what this blog item is referring to.

I really like this blog and have forwarded it to friends and colleagues many times since I began reading it. But unless they are willing to back up this claim about corporate charters in KC I can't trust them now.

Here is the item I am referring to:
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/04/broad-alumni-making-it-big-in-corporate.html#comment-form

[elleng]

1. My comment will be visible after approval.

I said, No one in Kansas City is aware of this. Unfounded assertions do not merit publication.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Thanks

I've made two comments now. Neither has been posted.

This is very frustrating. If we are about to be invaded by corporate charters I'd like some warning:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Did your comment get posted?

Neither of mine did.

[LWolf]

2. One of the frequent posters on that blog

posts on the ARN email list: Jim Horn.

I don't know if you can access the archives, but if you can, looking back over his posts might help:

http://www.fairtest.org/get_involved/k-12

Krashen has also posted there. I can't speak for anyone else.

[tonysam]

3. Try his email.

[e-mail]

If I mistyped it, just go to the right-hand side of the blog, click on Horn's profile and then click on his email provided.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. That's who I emailed

No response yet.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Thanks!

[Hannah Bell]

7. Is there a cap on charters in KC? At least one commentator thinks the closings

and sale of facilities represent an opportunity for charters:

Don Soifer is the executive vice president and an education analyst at the Lexington Institute, a free-market think tank.

The most critical question now is what happens for those children whose schools are closed. The availability of space in buildings previously housing the closed schools presents a valuable opportunity to open new, high-performing charters that can attract students. But growing successful charter schools is not easy, and if done too hastily and without a solid plan, can do substantial harm. Just as critical will be the effective response of leaders in those public schools that take in the new students to continue to improve educational quality for all children moving forward.

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/does-the-size-of-a-school-matter/.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. We don't have the kids

They have moved out of the city's central core. We lost 17,000 kids in 10 years but only 8000 are in charters. The rest moved away. So any plan to build more charters is just stupid. That's one reason this claim that corporate charters are moving into the district doesn't make any sense. Another reason is no one here knows anything about this. So far it's just a claim on a blog that the blogger can't back up.

I've lost a lot of respect for that blog and will probably stop reading it now.

[Hannah Bell]

10. is there a cap on charters in kc?

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. I'm not sure but I don't think so

The market is pretty saturated as it is. I can't imagine why anyone would think this is a good place to open a new charter.

[Reader Rabbit]

12. Has there been any resolution on the validity of this site?

Having allies is great and all, but if they're out there presenting bogus information, they aren't helping the cause. They're undermining it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Not yet

Several of us have contacted them. No response yet. And our comments have not been posted on the blog.

I'll post it when (if) I hear back.

Pretty disappointing, eh?