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May
14
White Hat Management operates schools in several states. In Florida, its been in the news quite a bit.
Today, TheLedger.com reports:
Life Skills Center, the troubled charter school in Lakeland, has been given a one-year “probationary contract” with the Polk County School District to improve its standing with the district.
The school that helps dropouts pass the FCAT and earn a high school diploma must provide more money to classrooms, and its board of directors must provide constant oversight, according to a two-page document written by Carolyn Finch, senior director of the Office of Magnet, Choice and Charter Schools.
…
If Life Skills fails to improve, the district will likely cut ties with the school.
Read the rest of the article for the full context, but basically, it sounds like they take the money and run, sometimes they run a program people like, as noted in the article, but they also run from providing the oversight the customers – you know, taxpaying parents and their kids – deserve.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:10 am May 14th, 2008 in Business, Education, Government, Youth
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5 Responses to “White Hat ordered to “provide more money to classrooms” & “provide constant oversight””
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This is really sad especially when many of the kids in these schools are already facing many challenges and among those that can least afford to have their education compromised by this kind of slack corporate behavior.
#1 – “many of the kids in these schools are already facing many challenges and among those that can least afford to have their education compromised by this kind of slack corporate behavior.”
But these problems or challenges they face dont exist in the public schools?
Ben – I’d be careful there – first, the problem of “provide more money to classrooms” is something that indeed districts talk about – but the GOP under Taft refused to recognize as an issue that needed resolution. Second, the oversight likewise of charters was dismantled by the Ohio GA in 2005 and except for Auditor Mary Taylor’s work, there’s not enough of it still.
White Hat hides behind a corporate veil with our public dollars, Ben. There’s really no way to defend it.
Just as parents with means can transer their child to a private school when the local public school is perceived to be falling short, so too the charter school provides options for other parents – or at least it should.
Sharon I agree with a caveat – charters were conceived in order to fill niches not being met, as opposed to the school falling short in performance. That’s historically speaking, not necessarily how they’ve functioned, of course.