The Charter Fight Continues
Over at the Washington Policy Center, their education person, Liv Finne, is claiming I am spreading "disinformation" about the support for charter schools in Washington State (specific to my column in the Washington Post).
I have to smile. I don't have to spread anything. What I wrote was factually true.
She does want to argue over why the two charter bills didn't make it out of committee. Her take is that the leadership "employed procedural maneuvers" to prevent a vote. (I'd say that's akin to what the WA State PTA did with their alternative schools resolution.) That's true but I think if the argument was valid, why couldn't they convince the leadership. If not, then fight to get new leadership, right, Liv?
She is also claiming I didn't put enough detail into the piece (like when the last vote was on charters which was 2004 and those are dog years to her). I can only say that anyone who has written for media knows you get a certain number of words and yes, some degree of detail gets left out.
And look at who she singles out for support:
The influential Washington State PTA voted the week before last, in a nearly 2- to- 1 vote, 170 to 92, to make charter public schools a permanent part of their legislative platform.
I would take issue that the state PTA is all that influential. I mean, I marched a number of years at the Legislature - we all have voted numerous times - and yet, education is still not fully funded. But they are good to use as cover and this is precisely what we all thought would happen if this vote went through.
She also cites Nick Hanauer's e-mail on how terrible Dems are on education. Yet, she doesn't acknowledge that what the road-kill Dems did - jumping ship from their own party - on the budget to try to get charters in.
She cites two "polls" showing Washington State voters want charters but fails to state that one of them was done by her own organization and was practically a push poll and the other one was also from a right-wing think tank. But I'm the one leaving out facts.
She ends on this note:
Washington has not deliberately said “no” to charter public schools, as Ms. Westbrook claims. Reactionary forces have won a temporary victory, yes, but the public and fair-minded legislators, Democrats and Republicans alike, all want to lift the state ban on charter schools. Washington’s students will soon be allowed access to this successful option for learning.
It's reactionary to speak out? Funny how all this civility stuff keeps coming up and yet anyone not on their team gets called a name.
Bring it to a vote and we'll see.
But until then, we will continue to disagree.
I have to smile. I don't have to spread anything. What I wrote was factually true.
She does want to argue over why the two charter bills didn't make it out of committee. Her take is that the leadership "employed procedural maneuvers" to prevent a vote. (I'd say that's akin to what the WA State PTA did with their alternative schools resolution.) That's true but I think if the argument was valid, why couldn't they convince the leadership. If not, then fight to get new leadership, right, Liv?
She is also claiming I didn't put enough detail into the piece (like when the last vote was on charters which was 2004 and those are dog years to her). I can only say that anyone who has written for media knows you get a certain number of words and yes, some degree of detail gets left out.
And look at who she singles out for support:
The influential Washington State PTA voted the week before last, in a nearly 2- to- 1 vote, 170 to 92, to make charter public schools a permanent part of their legislative platform.
I would take issue that the state PTA is all that influential. I mean, I marched a number of years at the Legislature - we all have voted numerous times - and yet, education is still not fully funded. But they are good to use as cover and this is precisely what we all thought would happen if this vote went through.
She also cites Nick Hanauer's e-mail on how terrible Dems are on education. Yet, she doesn't acknowledge that what the road-kill Dems did - jumping ship from their own party - on the budget to try to get charters in.
She cites two "polls" showing Washington State voters want charters but fails to state that one of them was done by her own organization and was practically a push poll and the other one was also from a right-wing think tank. But I'm the one leaving out facts.
She ends on this note:
Washington has not deliberately said “no” to charter public schools, as Ms. Westbrook claims. Reactionary forces have won a temporary victory, yes, but the public and fair-minded legislators, Democrats and Republicans alike, all want to lift the state ban on charter schools. Washington’s students will soon be allowed access to this successful option for learning.
It's reactionary to speak out? Funny how all this civility stuff keeps coming up and yet anyone not on their team gets called a name.
Bring it to a vote and we'll see.
But until then, we will continue to disagree.
Comments
About that overwhelming 172-90 vote. According to wastateptsa.org, they have 138,775 current members. Seems like the convention turnout is a little low.
or maybe Mark Twain is more applicable "Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"
172 people is not representative of the PTSA membership. The vote is not representative of the people of this state. PTSA continues to devalue its image. An image which has already been devalued in my part of town.
Southie
LOL and power to the little people.
SavvyVoter
Pretty overwhelming if you leave out that 0.12% voted in favor.
Up to 299 memberships:
2 voting delegate
300-499 memberships:
3 voting delegates
500-699 memberships:
4 voting delegates
700-899 memberships:
5 voting delegates
Over 899 memberships:
1 voting delegate for each
additional 200 memberships
(looking for a PTO)
Disinformation is that I would be deliberately spreading intentionally false or inaccurate information.
Her past analysis of charters is FULL of disinformation because she wants to win her case (as I do). The difference is that while I want to win, telling the truth and educating people is the way to do it.
I learned math in public schools!
You could pull an Enfield and tell Liv Finne to retract the "disinformation" accusation or else.
What a sore loser Liv Finne has proven herself to be in her article.
Also, I just had a conversation with some primary students on what to do when you're jealous: Don't be mean or insulting, instead try a compliment--it will make the jealous person feel better. (That's advice for you, Ms. Finne.)
It clearly has rattled some cages that you were in the Wa. Post--you and your "community blog" that have long been dissed and dismissed by the powers-that-thought-they-be. It's a lot harder for them to rationalize you away now.
It's pretty slim pickings when Finne's primary source for credibility is Nick Hanauer--one of her own clique.
Keep up the good fight--you rock--and you are way ahead of the curve.
--enough already
The other part that is amazing is she can not have a pushback on on such things like funding for school. You are not going to solve anything unless you reduce the drop out rate. I lay a lot of blame on melissa westbrook and her lap dogs who fail to have a pushback and solutions.
The other part i find odd are the people whom write on here are good on the reactionary stuff, "the sky is falling". But they are not able to orchastrate a solution to TFA or funding for schools or IAs. That is often why I refeer to westbrook as the mit romney of the save seattle schools blog.
Just so yo know I am not in favor of charter schools.
I will never vote for you for school board, if you choose to run again. Your post here makes no sense and does not at all fit with was Melissa advocates for.
-sheesh
Watching all the politics and seeing corrupt governors and big money spinning every message, I feel sometimes as if it is futile. Just look at Wisconsin.
I watched Ruth DeMauro (I think that's her name)- head of the California Nurses - on Bill Moyers last weekend. She is dynamite and she's all for actively getting out there and empowering her people. I wish educators and nurses could join ranks because this really is a war on women. We have nothing similar in Washington. We need it. The spin and the lies are having an effect.
n...
I think my criticism of meilissa westbrook is right on the money. When you marginalize a class of people of race or ethnicity it is not building a stranger school for anyone. I think that melisa never offers a solution to the problem. End this or stop that. She never offers up anything to make progressive change. She does it all for her. Her ego, her pr and herself. Her Her Her. She is so phony she can't even come out and defend her own phoney baloney positions.
I guess the other part I want to see is people advocating for equal education for all people and races. But that will never happen. Failing schools affect everyon. Not just the white or black or asians, etc. The people of this blog got what they wanted. A school board that will do just what they want. We have a proxy school board. Until we change a situation and get rid of all the people whom have mismanaged money and run the school into the ground, we will be stuck in this rut forever.
I think the difference between melissa and I is that I am willing to sacrafice my time and effort to get change. I don't care if I say or do something that ruffles thier fethers. Change needs to happen one way or another. I think the only way to get change is if the Department of Education comes in and takes charge. There are too many problems at this time. Or just fire the whole board and start fresh.
The other thing that has to happen is we need to step away from the blog and inact change. We have to have salary caps on administration pay. We have to reduce the amount of central admins and give money back to the classrooms. We have to have a legislature on how money is spent. Mandate that money be used for Summer School, or x,y and z. Money is going in the trash and not being used correctly. We can save millions by getting rid of our consultants that do nothing for us. And we could stop educating children that are brought here illegally. it is a waste of our money and resources. Lastly, dump running start and bring it back to the k-12 system.
If we had a school district that would be transparent about how they spend money and selling schools are record losses, and fix problems with ignoring them we would be in a better place.
My challenge is to melissa to sacrafice some of her time and stop writing pointless blogs. Go out and accomplish something. What have you done or changed in your 11 years of blogging? Whenever you get critisized you run and hide and attack back "that is not what I said".
I am hoping for once in your career "YOU" can defend your own positions. But I am likely to come up snake eyes on that one.
-Nick Esparza- nickesparza@seattleschooldistrictexposed.com
Journalism is actively educating. Her role is to inform. If you want more, then I would look to myself to do more if I were you. Our forefathers in their wisdom granted the press (ie blogs - modern day press) great latitude to keep the people informed. Thank you, Melissa, for doing an excellent job of keeping us truthfully and factually informed. What we do with that is up to each and every one of us.
n...
n...
n...
I think the other thing that stands out in my mind is, there is too much goup think. We are not debating the issues and solving the problems. I have to agree with you to make this blog work is insanity.
I basically lay it on melissa's doorstpe. I think melissa happens to be a racist. She constantly marginally talks about people of color. She constantly writes about what wrongs they do. She never says anything about the rich and welloff kids.
Someone whom never worked a day in her life has no right to criticize a super whom has been an teacher and administrator. What eduacational background do you have?
The part that amazes me Melissa is that you are missionary of the blog and you are going to save the minorities. We need to be saved by your lack of intelligence. We did just fine before we met you. You did nothing then to help and you are doing nothing now.
This blog is like a lifetime movie. The guy attacks the girl and she does nothing to fight back. Nothing to show you mean business. Fight back toe to toe against the Ed reform. Everything in this blog is proving the ed reforms business. Unless you have push back or fight in olympia the ed reform will win and we will have charter schools.
Solutions are needed and cleaning house is what we need. Currently we have more people in office becomeing part of the problem then the solution.
Always saying the seattle times is beating me up and saying I an not a journalist is crazy. You are not a journalist. You give no real solutions or arguments.
I know this will just blow though the hollow halls between your left and right ear. I look forward to your response.
I don't believe her job is to be out there crusading for anything but the facts and the truth. It is up to the rest of us to enact change if we believe it to be warranted. Her job is to give us the information we are not getting from any of our mainstream sources.
This blog is a news source. The recent personal attacks against her and this blog are irrelevant; it would be like attacking Walter Cronkite because he wasn't marching in the streets against the VietNam war. Bloggers are not activists; they are the new journalists.
Melissa, Charlie and other regular contributors to this blog spend a lot of time and effort to keep us all informed—time they are not being financially compensated for (unlike the various paid entities of groups like LEV, the Alliance, etc.). So lighten up, and stop the hate.
The attacks against Melissa (especially those that claim she "wants everything for the Northend"—back that one up with some facts or retract please) are unproductive.
I, for one, am glad to get some information that has not been distilled through the filters of some PR machine from downtown or other big-money sources.
SolvayGirl
since the goo-goos of the world want the world to be a better place and operate under the ethic of "do unto others as you'd have ..."
the goo-goos are ill suited with dealing with these nixon mccarthy tactics.
it wouldn't matter that the goo-goos are ill suited, if the goo-goos could recognize that they need their own roves and atewaters and ailes types -
given that despicable lying scum are bullies, and bullies LIKE whomping on people, especially whiny goo-goos, we end up where we are today -
messaging and policy and tactics that could activate and energize the bottom 75% doesn't happen, cuz, if it did happen, the lies and the policies of the despicable lying scum would be so socially unacceptable that the liars would get to have their annual march with the white guys burning the crosses and goose stepping under swastikas ... and that would be it.
dear goo-goos, it is o.k. if you're genetically too nice to fight bullies - just get the hell out of the way of those who are willing to put bullies in their place.
GoodyGoodiesAreGooGoos
Nick, I know you have a good heart, but dude, you need to sober up before writing any more posts here because you're embarrassing yourself. Writing posts with different names doesn't help your cause, especially because your writing style when you get like this is, well, uh, pretty easy to identify.
There are so many inaccuracies in your comments that I'm not even going to try to address them one by one, but Melissa is not only a journalist, but one of the stalwart citizens who actually DOES take time to do the real work to effect change. Things like getting on the FACMAC and ALTF committees. Advocating for changes to help ALL schools, in ALL areas of the city -- for years. Until you have a track record of doing the same thing week in and week out, year after year, you have nothing to complain about. And no, a short stint running for school board doesn't even compare.
Sober up, come back again and join the cause instead of doing these drive-by rants.
The otheother part is i write as myself not under a fake name or anonymous. I take the credit and blame for everything i say and do. Idont believe that my view point of what she does and did are far off.
I am somewhat puzzled as to why she is always the victom. Why cant she come out and defend her position. This shows she stands for nothing. I am used to being attacked on this blog. I believe in an opposit view. I dont group think.
I would say unless you are in favor of getting rid of the terrible board and newly bad members we are in for the same. No reason to have a board if they keep handing powet over to the super.
I am always puzzled as to why someone has a different view you assume they atewring, drunk or crazy. You need to have other views to get things moving and disscusdions going. If melissa jumped off a brindge you would all follow.
I happen to be a person whom want am
education for everyine. But you want an education only for the north end andthe well to do.
I am a doer, not just a writer on this blog--have been teaching for over 20 years--and have worked anywhere but the north end. I have been fortunate to achieve all of those outcomes you say you want for whom you mistakenly believe are "your" kids. Your blanket generalization about the people of this entire blog makes you sound like a Seattle Schools version of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. You are woefully misguided--you do not have a monopoly on caring and doing.
This blog does a great service but
doesn't fulfill all services. It gives information about those who want to corporatize schools. It speaks to the corruption in the school district. It allows people like me to write anonymously and be heard after 20+ years in the trenches. It is a source of change--look at the transportation about face that was catapulted from this blog, as one recent example.
Melissa Westbrook is not the enemy but is quite the opposite. Your attempt at divide and conquer has been the historical tool of those who seek to weaken the less powerful.
--enough already
I disagree vehemently that active solutions are not discussed in this blog. If anything, I think there is too much discussing, since there is rarely anyone in the district who listens to the ideas. Not that I am complaining, mind you, I just think it is a bit too much like tilting at windmills.
Though I completely agree that south end schools get the short end of the stick far too frequently, I usually learn about it from this blog, and from Melissa and Charlie. Again: the focus should be on the board and the district -- who control the resources and have the power to effect change -- and not on those who simply report it or uncover the news. Melissa cannot change these problems, but the superintendent, downtown staff, and board members most certainly can. Why not focus your rage on them?
- definitely an Alice moment on the blog