Madfloridian's Journal - Resistance now in Indiana as low performing schools are given away to private companies.

I guess the reality is setting in now. Perhaps some are realizing that giving public property to private companies may be risky.

State takeover of failing schools meets resistance

A committee of state legislators last month heard arguments from parents, teachers, and administrators about implementation of a law that would let the state turn schools over to private companies to manage.

Much of that testimony revealed how just messy the process of a school takeover by the state can be. Legislators who sit on the Select Commission on Education heard accusations that one of the first takeover targets, the Indianapolis Public System, had obstructed efforts to transfer four of its failing schools to the private operators hired by the state to turn the schools around.

State and school officials both conceded there have been wide-ranging arguments as IPS prepares to turn over those schools; arguments ranging from access to student records to who owns the weight equipment in the takeover schools’ gyms.

Of course the Indiana Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction felt free to quote the Democratically-appointed Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

During his presentation, the Republican Bennett — up for re-election this fall — quoted U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, a Democrat who’s been pushed for education reform, including the aggressive takeover of failing schools.

“It is at the end of the day, as Secretary Duncan has said, about having the courage to do the right thing by our children,” Bennett said.

That takes public education out of the column for Democrats, doesn't it? Nothing much we can say.

One thing Arne Duncan twittered recently showed that he truly has not been listening to those who are speaking out about the current rush to corporate reform.

Teachers, how do you think we can recruit more outstanding teachers to work in the neediest schools?

I thought one of the best responses to him came from blogger Susan Ohanian.

Susan Ohanian ‏@susanoha

@arneduncan You want "more outstanding" teachers in neediest schools? Stop demeaning & degrading outstanding teachers who already work there.

I could add that they need to stop hiring principals and superivisors with a punitive mindset toward teachers. Their goal seems to be getting rid of experienced teachers, turning teaching into a temporary kind of job instead of a profession.