As the state Education Department moves to oversee the East Ramapo school district, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan on Tuesday urged caution in taking away local control of the district.
“When we move in any way shape or form to usurp local control, we have to be extraordinarily judicious,” Flanagan said. “I’m not suggesting for a moment there aren’t extraordinarily acute issues on that district, because there are.”He added: “It’s important to recognize that in the state of New York where we’ve directly intervened in school districts, our track record isn’t very good.”
That's an interesting admission since the state is set to take over 144 schools in the next year or two if they don't "improve."
Flanagan's sending a message to Dennis Walcott and his East Ramapo monitoring team to not upset the Hasidic men who sit on the school board for the school district that serves a largely black and Latino population of students.
And I get the politics of that - the Hasidic community knows how to use political donations to make sure that politicians take care of them.
Witness the Kiryas Joel/Cuomo relationship.
Nonetheless, Fanagan has unwittingly also admitted that state ought to be careful in how it administers the school receivership program pushed by the governor and approved by the state Senate and Assembly in the last budget.
There it is, in plain language from John Flanagan, former head of the education committee in the state Senate, current state Senate Majority Leader (at least until he's indicted like the last five):
“It’s important to recognize that in the state of New York where we’ve directly intervened in school districts, our track record isn’t very good.”
Yeah...those 144 schools and the not-very-good track record of state intervention in school districts.....well, lets not think that somehow that we are approaching a period of real honesty and clarity. We are not. What we are approaching is a state-wide, political, rhetorical, and administrative push towards CHARTERS. Thats where this entire thing is going. The state will push for charters in these 144 school districts. They will admit, as this post points out, that state intervention hasn't worked. They will point out that the teaching in the districts haven't worked, and they will leave the only "research based" alternative on the table being CHARTERS.
ReplyDeleteThats what the governor and all of his yes-people and message people are moving towards. CHARTERS.
144 charters.
They'll rig it so the local boards have some choice in what charters or some nonsense, but this is and will be all about charters.
Coming to a district near you.
Cue the flying attack monkeys!
ReplyDeleteRoosevelt was a great success...millions down the toilet and finally NY State proclaimed victory and surrendered. More of that be just what we need!
ReplyDeleteThe "era of daytime double-talk...the secretive nighttime murderous walk".
ReplyDeleteThe real John Flanagan...protector or destroyer?
Now York...be cautious and watchful...do his actions justify his words, or are his actions taken with "heavy heart"?
Senator John Flanagan is a buffoon. I can say this easily right now because I am completely recovered from once being a Flanagan supporter. You see, he is my state senator and was previously my Assemblyman.
ReplyDeleteJohn Flanagan's father was a public school science teacher for many years before becoming a lawyer and serving 14 years in the Assembly.
John Flanagan attended Harborfields High School, a public school in Suffolk County. He sent his three children through Northport High School. He wife currently works at Northport High School.
John Flanagan was once a huge supporter of public school teachers, NYSUT and public education.
When John Flanagan got elected to the state senate, he began to change. Prior to his election, he never uttered a single word of support for charter schools.
John Flanagan has sold his soul to the highest bidder. As he began to turn vehemently against public education he lost NYSUT's endorsement. When this happened in 2010, he turned his back on all of us once and for all.
John Flanagan takes tens of thousands of dollars from the charter school crowd. When you look at his campaign committee disclosure forms you can see his campaign pays for his phone, food, Christmas gifts, car, etc.
John Flanagan is a lost cause. The best thing that can happen to us is the GOP loses control of the Senate. I am a Republican, but nothing would make me happier if the GOP was swept out of the majority.