BLOB Watch: District of Columbia Superintendent's Anti-Charter School Propaganda Campaign

Below is the text of a flier that was enclosed with a letter, dated December 21, 1999, from Leonard L. Haynes III of the District of Columbia Public Schools, Office of the Superintendent. He writes:

To: Neighborhood Advisory Commission Chairpersons Re: Important points on the impact of Charter School Conversions

The enclosed information should be of interest. Please share with the members of your Commission and constituents.

Sincerely,

Leonard L. Haynes III

THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF CHARTER 
SCHOOL 
CONVERSIONS ON THE DISTRICT OF 
COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM 
AND YOUR COMMUNITY

December 1999 - January 2000

Please find below a brief overview of our concerns over the prospects of charter school conversions of District of Columbia Public School buildings.

Simply stated, a charter school conversion of an existing District of Columbia public school can mean many or even all of the following:

  • The complete disruption of an existing school for the students, parents and community,
  • The displacement of the students,
  • Turf wars over school property,
  • The derailing of education reforms well underway,
  • Administrators who may prefer charter status and then use their work day to lobby for this status,
  • The potential conflicts of interest between a principal and the Superintendent,
  • Private for profit management firms acquiring public property, for private financial gain and profits,
  • Splintering the community over charter vs. non charter issues, ¨ Forcing policy makers to politicize the educational reform process by "taking sides" on matters of educational policy,
  • A Balkanization of the Public School System, creating parallel boards of education , multiple administrations, increased overhead costs, and confused, convoluted curricular programs that cheat students of a continuum of learning, 
  • Differing curricular standards, 
  • Fragmented and separate boards, separate curriculums, separate budgets, and differing standards and educational pedagogy,
  • A loose amalgamation of the school systems not in sync with any over arching set of educational standards,
  • Migration of students in and our of the various school programs creating a lack of curricular accountability and continui8ty,
  •  Exclusion of the larger community when a vote for charter school status occurs at a school,
  • The loss of school system property for school systems and community educational use.

The above issue oriented items are but a short list of a larger issue. The Board of Education and the Board of Trustee gave a joint press conference on this issue at 11:30 a.m., on Wednesday, December 17, BoardRoom. This issue of charter conversion is like giving a non-profit corporation, 501-(c) 3 the power of "eminent domain" over public school system property. And, obviously, we are concerned about what all of this means for public education and our community.

Thank you, for your consideration regarding this matter of important public policy.

Return to February / March 2000 Monthly Letter Return to BLOB Watch