(Note: This is a long post, but worth it! At least in my opinion. Perhaps I’ll email it to Jack Wells’ massive email list!)
The leader of the Delaware Black Caucus said if the state’s Race to the Top education reform plan doesn’t result in greater racial equality in schools and a fairer distribution of education dollars, the group may consider taking legal action.
Speaking Wednesday night during a forum at Delaware State University in Dover, New Castle County Councilman Jea Street, who chairs the caucus, said racial inequality is alive and well in Delaware’s public school system.
While Race to the Top may be the trigger, the re-segregation of our schools was well underway long before RTTT with the help of Choice, Neighborhood School’s Law, and Charters.
Jea Street spells it out: “The new millennium term is ‘charter school’ and ‘choice school. I call it segregation. There are black charter schools and there are predominantly white charter schools. You can call it what you want, but it is what it is.”
It is segregation, just repackaged into terms designed to hide the truth. Go back and look at what happened to Red Clay’s city elementary schools when Brandywine Springs opened.
Let’s review, and this time I’ll add the racial breakdown. Shortlidge was already struggling with re-segregation before Brandywine Springs opened while Highlands hung onto balance for several years. Warner felt the effects of Brandywine Springs overnight.
WARNER:
1999–2000: The Year Before Brandywine Springs Opens
823 students
40.7% African American
2.1% Hispanic
52.7% White
34.9% Low Income
10.6% Special Ed
2000-2001: The Year Brandywine Springs Opens
600 students
68.3% African American
4.2% Hispanic
23.5% White
51.3% Low Income
12% Special Ed
2011–2012: Today
555 students (K -5th)
77.7% African American
16.9% Hispanic
3,8% White
87.4% Low Income
16.6% Special Ed
HIGHLANDS:
1999–2000: The Year Before Brandywine Springs Opens
348 students (K-3rd)
36.8% African American
16.7% Hispanic
43.4% White
44.8% Low Income
6.9% Special Ed
2000-2001: The Year Brandywine Springs Opens
359 students
35.4% African American
18.7% Hispanic
43.2% White
44.3% Low Income
7% Special Ed
2011-2012: Today
367 students (K-5th)
51.5% African Americans
31.6% Hispanic
14.2% White
83.4% Low Income
10.9% Special Ed
SHORTLIDGE:
1999–2000: The Year Before Brandywine Springs Opens
483 students
79.5% African American
11.2% Hispanic
8.5% White
70.8% Low Income
8.9% Special Ed
2000-2001: The Year Brandywine Springs Opens
482 students
82.8% African American
12% Hispanic
5% White
68% Low Income
8.5% Special Ed
2011–2012: Today
311 students (K-5th)
95.5% African American
2.6% Hispanic
1.6% White
90.4% Low Income
12.9% Special Ed
Wow, talk about white flight!
No wonder Red Clay wanted an All Choice District. Choice re-segregated schools faster than the Neighborhood School’s Law – and it didn’t involve those pesky feeder patterns. I believe Red Clay spoke out against the Neighborhood School’s Law not because it re-segregated, but because the way it re-segregated schools was a court battle waiting to happen.
Now… what’s the plan with Charters?
Mike O., The Seventh Type blog, connects the dots.
But also in Chuck Baldwin’s (President of the Charter School of Wilmington) post was this:
“This building, which will be used for education, will allow for successful models to replicate in Delaware (KIPP, Montessori). Schools will be established in the inner city and provide educational opportunities for thousands of our children. DuPont and Bank of America are committing million of dollars in resources and are truly “putting their money where their mouth is” when it comes to education reform.”
He also points to Charlie Copeland’s post on the BofA, 2000 seat school:
The Longwood Foundation plans to take that building and create the “Community Education Building” (CEB) and put 4 Charter Schools right in the heart of the City of Wilmington. Wilmington’s own “Charter School District” — an idea that I floated in January 2006 on a Comcast Newsmaker Broadcast but could find no supporters at the time.
And there you have it. Those in the know obviously know the plans for the 2,000 seat school the rest of us just learned about. Charter, baby.
Now, pay attention… Wilmington’s own “Charter School District?
There you go. That’s the plan. Public schools in the city will be decimated when the new mega-charter opens, and will most likely be turned into Charters themselves. You are familiar with these nifty Charter Laws?
provided, that a school district must make unused buildings or space (defined as space no longer needed, permanently or temporarily, for non-charter school purposes) buildings or space in buildings available to a charter school, and shall bargain in good faith over the cost of rent, services and maintenance related to such space; [emphasis mine]
And what about this:
(a) A public school may only be converted to a charter school by approval of the board of the school district in which it is located and that the charter application received the approval of over 50% of the teachers and over 50% of the parents residing in the attendance area of the school with a child or children under the age of 18 years, who, after 30 days prior written notice to all teachers and parents eligible to vote, attend a public meeting held for the specific purpose of voting on the proposed conversion; provided, however, that such approval shall not be required where a district school board converts a choice school or program with a specific career or academic subject matter focus already approved as of the effective date of this chapter to a charter school with the same focus. [emphasis mine]
Let’s consider these two points. City students leave their failing public schools creating UNUSED space that a school district MUST make available to a charter school. My guess, Warner goes first.
The second part should have Cab and Conrad parents sitting up and taking notice since both have a “specific career or academic subject matter. No teacher or parent approval needed in this case. The School Board decides.
And while this Charter wave is starting in the city my bet is that it won’t stop there. Are we witnessing an attempt to end public education? I think so.
And it may take a lawsuit to find out what’s really going on.