Charter Schools Gone Wild: Study Finds Widespread Fraud, Mismanagement and Waste
Bill Moyers - May 5, 2014, by Joshua Holland - Charter school operators want to have it both ways. When they’re answering critics of school privatization, they say charter schools are public —...
Bill Moyers - May 5, 2014, by Joshua Holland - Charter school operators want to have it both ways. When they’re answering critics of school privatization, they say charter schools are public — they use public funds and provide students with a tuition-free education. But when it comes to transparency, they insist they have the same rights to privacy as any other private enterprise.
But a report released Monday by Integrity in Education and the Center for Popular Democracy — two groups that oppose school privatization – presents evidence that inadequate oversight of the charter school industry hurts both kids and taxpayers.
Sabrina Joy Stevens, executive director of Integrity in Education, told BillMoyers.com, “Our report shows that over $100 million has been lost to fraud and abuse in the charter industry, because there is virtually no proactive oversight system in place to thwart unscrupulous or incompetent charter operators before they cheat the public.” The actual amount of fraud and abuse the report uncovered totaled $136 million, and that was just in the 15 states they studied.
Diane Ravitch on school privatization.
According to the study, fraud and mismanagement of charter schools fall into six categories:
Charter operators using public funds illegally — outright embezzlement
Using tax dollars to illegally support other, non-educational businesses
Mismanagement that put children in potential danger
Charters illegally taking public dollars for services they didn’t provide
Charter operators inflating their enrollment numbers to boost revenues
General mismanagement of public funds
The report looks at problems in each of the 15 states it covers, with dozens of case studies. In some instances, charter operators used tax dollars to prop up side businesses like restaurants and health food stores — even a failing apartment complex.
The report’s authors note that, “where there is little oversight, and lots of public dollars available, there are incentives for ethically challenged charter operators to charge for services that were never provided.” They cite the example of the Cato School of Reason Charter School in California, which, despite its libertarian name, collected millions of tax dollars by registering students who actually attended private schools in the area.
Perhaps the most troubling examples of mismanagement were those the report says actually put kids in danger:
Many of the cases involved charter schools neglecting to ensure a safe environment for their students. For example, Ohio’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Richard A. Ross, was forced to shut down two charter schools, The Talented Tenth Leadership Academy for Boys Charter School and The Talented Tenth Leadership Academy for Girls Charter School, because, according to Ross, “They did not ensure the safety of the students, they did not adequately feed the students, they did not accurately track the students and they were not educating the students well. It is unacceptable and intolerable that a sponsor and school would do such a poor job. It is an educational travesty.”
Integrity in Education and the Center for Popular Democracy aren’t the first to warn of problems plaguing an under-regulated industry fueled by billions of tax dollars. A 2010 report to Congress by the Department of Education’s Inspector General’s office warned of the agency’s “concern about vulnerabilities in the oversight of charter schools” in light of “a steady increase in the number of charter school complaints.” It blamed regulators’ failure “to provide adequate oversight needed to ensure that Federal funds [were] properly used and accounted for.”
Read the full report for the watchdogs’ recommendations for how policymakers could strengthen oversight and bring real transparency to the charter school industry.
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The resistance is making opposition to the GOP health bill impossible to ignore
The resistance is making opposition to the GOP health bill impossible to ignore
Congress is back in town on Monday after a week-long July Fourth recess that was — at least for most Senate Republicans — anything but a restful break from the health care debate roiling Capitol...
Congress is back in town on Monday after a week-long July Fourth recess that was — at least for most Senate Republicans — anything but a restful break from the health care debate roiling Capitol Hill. Senators ran into constituents at Independence Day parades who urged them to reject the GOP health bill.
At the few town halls GOP senators held, opponents to the health care bill yelled their objections. Not a single person spoke in favor of the bill at Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran’s town hall. If senators didn’t hold town halls, objectors made their voices heard anyway. On Thursday alone, about 50 protesters were arrested in acts of civil disobedience staged by more than 1,000 people in over 21 states.
Read the full article here.
Starbucks Workers Confront Executives To Demand Scheduling Reform
03.23.2016
SEATTLE –Starbucks workers staged a protest at the company’s annual shareholder meeting today to call for better scheduling practices, a day after...
03.23.2016
SEATTLE –Starbucks workers staged a protest at the company’s annual shareholder meeting today to call for better scheduling practices, a day after the Seattle City Council held a study session on proposals that would require employers like Starbucks to raise standards for work hours. Starbucks baristas at the protest were members of Working Washington, a statewide workers’ organization that has led the fight for secure scheduling at the company and in the City Council. As part of the demonstration, baristas called attention to a national petition signed by more than 20,000 supporters calling on Starbucks to end clopenings and provide 11 hours of rest between shifts.
Scheduling problems at Starbucks were unveiled in a 2014 New York Times feature, which found employees were often given notice about their shift just hours in advance and often forced to both close a store and open just hours later – a practice known as “clopening.” Though the company vowed to introduce reforms in response, a report from the Center for Popular Democracy’s Fair Workweek Initiative a year later found many workers were still struggling with erratic hours. Starbucks workers in Seattle have continued protests across the country from Seattle to Atlanta to Connecticut and have delivered a letter to the company calling for a meeting.
With no meaningful changes in sight, workers have taken their case to the Seattle City Council, which is currently considering legislation that may include provisions to ensure flexibility and advance notice, adequate rest between shifts, on-call pay and access to hours for part-time workers. Recent polling found overwhelming support for such policies. Similar protections are already on the books in San Francisco and Santa Clara County, and are being considered by a growing number of cities and states around the country, including Washington, DC, San Jose, Maryland, Massachusetts and Minnesota.
Darrion Sjoquist, a barista at Starbucks, released the following statement:
“Even after asking for changes again and again, workers at Starbucks still face constant uncertainty about something as simple as when they need to come in to work. Unpredictable schedules are harmful to workers, and make it incredibly hard for people like me to plan our lives. We can’t wait any longer for real change to come.”
Leila Kopcic, a barista at Starbucks, also released a statement:
“It’s really hard to live your life when your priorities are, ‘what’s my schedule? How many hours am I getting?’ Basically you get off at 7:30, go home, get ready for bed, wake up at 4 AM and go to work. It’s not enough time to rest and recharge yourself. I have to skimp on groceries. Sometimes skip meals. Just to be able to live where I want to live and afford that. A lot of people have it worse than me and I just want to make a difference for everyone.”
Carrie Gleason, Director of the Fair Workweek Initiative, also released a statement:
“Starbucks baristas have put the national spotlight on the crisis hourly workers face in their workweeks. Starbucks would not let its customers wait endlessly for a latte, and it should not let its employees wait a day longer to meet with them to find a long-term solution for better hours.”
Sejal Parikh, Executive Director of Working Washington, also released a statement: “This is a venti-sized problem that deserves immediate attention from corporate executives. For more than a year, Starbucks workers have been demanding schedules that let them actually plan their lives. We will continue to push for change in local laws and corporate policy until every Starbucks barista has a schedule that respects that their time counts.”
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www.populardemocracy.org
The Center for Popular Democracy promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda www.fairworkweek.org The Fair Workweek Initiative, anchored by the Center for Popular Democracy and CPD Action, is driving the growing momentum to restore a workweek that enables working families to thrive.
www.workingwa.org
Working Washington is a statewide workers’ organization that fights to raise wages, improve labor standards, and change the conversation about wealth, inequality, and the value of work.
Contact: Asya Pikovsky, apikovsky@populardemocracy.org, 207-522-2442 Anita Jain, ajain@populardemocracy.org, 347-636-9761
Dems rally for same-day voter registration
Democrats rallied at Legislative Hall on Tuesday in favor of legislation that would allow Delawareans to register to vote on the same day as a primary or general election.
"We should so...
Democrats rallied at Legislative Hall on Tuesday in favor of legislation that would allow Delawareans to register to vote on the same day as a primary or general election.
"We should so everything we can to make sure eligible others have every opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote," said Rep. John Viola, D-Newark, the legislation's sponsor.
Democrats and activists supporting the bill dismissed concerns that same-day registration could lead to voter fraud.
"There's nothing there," Viola said, adding that he feels "confident" the bill will pass the House in the "next couple weeks."
The bill was voted out of committee in May, and would still need to go to the Senate for committee and floor votes if it passes the House. Delaware's current registration deadline is the fourth Saturday prior to an election.
Rep. John Kowalko, a Newark Democrat, told supporters gathered outside Legislative Hall on Tuesday that "you deserve the right to vote" and said the measure only reinforces the constitutional rights of Delawareans. Rep. Paul Baumbach, D-Newark, called the legislation "as American as it gets."
Representatives from several left-leaning advocacy groups attended the rally in support of the legislation on Tuesday, including the Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement and American for Democratic Action.
Same-day registration is already law in 11 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Mike Begatto, executive director of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, the public employees union, also spoke in favor of the bill on Tuesday. Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, a Wilmington Democrat, is sponsoring the measure in the Senate.
Source
Insurer To Cover Dying Activist’s Breathing Machine After Twitter Campaign
Insurer To Cover Dying Activist’s Breathing Machine After Twitter Campaign
The California-based insurance company HealthNet agreed to cover a breathing assistance machine for Ady Barkan, a 34-year-old progressive activist afflicted with ALS, after his complaints about...
The California-based insurance company HealthNet agreed to cover a breathing assistance machine for Ady Barkan, a 34-year-old progressive activist afflicted with ALS, after his complaints about the company went viral on Twitter.
The company had initially refused to cover the costs of the machine on the grounds that it was “experimental,” according to Barkan.
Read the full article here.
Toys 'R' Us employees demand severance pay for 33,000 workers
Toys 'R' Us employees demand severance pay for 33,000 workers
The push comes as a part of a campaign supported by the advocacy group Center for Popular Democracy. The campaign will host a series of events at Toys "R" Us headquarters and the offices of...
The push comes as a part of a campaign supported by the advocacy group Center for Popular Democracy. The campaign will host a series of events at Toys "R" Us headquarters and the offices of private-equity owners. More than 50,000 people have already signed a petition calling for Toys "R" Us workers to receive severance pay.
Activists confront Fed leaders to warn against rate hike
The liberal Center for Popular Democracy has launched a "Fed Up" campaign to urge the central bank’s chairwoman, Janet Yellen, and her team of policymakers against raising interest rates.
...
The liberal Center for Popular Democracy has launched a "Fed Up" campaign to urge the central bank’s chairwoman, Janet Yellen, and her team of policymakers against raising interest rates.
Many Fed watchers anticipate Yellen and her team to increase the interest rate, lowered to zero percent following the 2008 economic crisis to spur economic growth as soon as September, citing steady growth.
But the campaign, whose board includes members of the AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), says that the economy hasn't recovered enough to adopt such a policy.
"The economy remains far too weak to slow it down. We shouldn't mince words — when the Fed raises interest rates, it's doing that to slow the economy down," said Ady Barkan, Fed Up campaign director, on a conference call with reporters.
He called the prospect of the Fed raising interest rates "an insane perspective to take and an insane policy to take at the moment."
The group is sending about 50 activists to the annual Economic Policy Symposium, which includes members of the Federal Reserve, global bankers and top economists. The activists will hold "Teach Ins" that coincide with the annual summit.
Among the planned events is one titled, "Do Black Lives Matter to the Fed?" — a nod to the national movement to highlight policies that disproportionately hurt the African-American community.
Some progressives criticized Yellen’s testimony in the House last month, when she was asked what Fed officials could do to lower the African-American unemployment rate.
At 9.5 percent, the African-American unemployment rate remains significantly above the 5.3 percent national unemployment rate.
"There really isn’t anything directly that the Federal Reserve can do to affect the structure of unemployment across groups," Yellen answered at last month's hearing. "There’s nothing we can do about any particular group.”
Barkan said that Yellen "was wrong to say there's nothing the Fed can do to help African-Americans."
He argued that Fed officials could help African-Americans and minorities by adopting an agenda that focuses less on pricing bubbles in the markets and more on lowering unemployment, a tactic that would mean keeping interest rates low.
Activists associated with the Black Lives Matter movement have grabbed headlines in recent months for its aggressive questioning tactics to Democratic presidential candidates.
"We hope very much to engage with Federal Reserve officials into these conversations," Barkan said.
Source: The Hill
Jobs Data Shows Economy Still Not Recovered, Far from Full Employment
Workers Still Face Low Pay, Part-Time Employment in Today’s Economy
Connie Razza, Director of Strategic Research for the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), released the following...
Workers Still Face Low Pay, Part-Time Employment in Today’s Economy
Connie Razza, Director of Strategic Research for the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), released the following statement following today’s jobs report:
“Today’s jobs numbers show we are still a long way away from a full recovery, particularly in communities of color. Labor force participation rates are still at their lowest levels in decades and the rate of involuntary part-time work is still far too high. The clearest indicator that there is still significant slack in the labor market is that wages are still not rising. With unemployment rates remaining stuck, the number of jobs added under-performing expectations and last month’s projections revised downward, the new jobs numbers show that the Federal Reserve made the right decision by not raising interest rates.
“In her comments following the Fed’s decision not to raise interest rates in September, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen responded to a question about the Fed Up campaign by speaking about workers who are still suffering from under-employment and don’t have the opportunity to work a full workweek. She is correct: the even this very disappointing headline unemployment rate understates the even greater weaknesses of the economy.
“This reality was illuminated by media reports in the past few days of unfair scheduling practices at Starbucks, which include workweeks that fall far short of 40 hours, and terrible scheduling conditions such as lack of notice and ‘clopening’ shifts. If the economy were healthy and we were at full employment, America’s largest employers wouldn’t be able to treat their employees this way. In a true full employment economy, workers would be able to demand fair schedules and better wages, to make up for years of rising inequality. Today’s jobs numbers continue to show that the economy is far from full employment and we still have a lot of work to do before everyone who wants one can find a stable, predictable, full-time job.”
Anthony Newby, Executive Director of Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change(MNNOC) released the following statement:
"A 15.9% unemployment rate for black Minnesotans means we have a two-tiered economy, here and across country. Some people have access to steady jobs with good pay, and some don't. At workplaces across the country, like Target Field in Minneapolis, people doing the same job have different standards for scheduling and pay for doing the exact same job. Workers need the same protections everywhere and we need the economy to keep growing to win them."
Sondra Jones, temp worker at Target Field for the past two summers at $8/hour, Minneapolis:
“Me and my co-workers at Target Field are not experiencing the economy or employment in our country getting any better. We are still struggling to get enough hours to live off and to plan our lives around our unpredictable work schedule. Once, I received a text message telling me to come into work later that day. I had planned to baby-sit for my sister, but I needed to go into work. Since my sister didn't have childcare that day, she lost her job. We need enough notice of our schedule to plan our lives, and we need enough hours to pay our bills.”
For additional interview opportunities with Connie Razza, Anthony Newby, Sondra Jones, or low-wage workers from other cities across the country in various industries, please contact Ricardo Ramirez at rramirez@populardemocracy.org, 202-905-1738 or Anita Jain at ajain@populardemocracy.org, 347-636-9761.
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Workers Rising! Reflections on the Low-Wage Worker Organizing Conference
The Sur Real Estate - February 14, 2013 - Yesterday, I attended an inspiring conference...
The Sur Real Estate - February 14, 2013 - Yesterday, I attended an inspiring conference called “Workers Rising: a Symposium on Low-Wage Worker Organizing in NYC” put together by The Center for Popular Democracy and United NY. The conference’s energy was incredible- the main room was packed with folks standing in the back, crouching along the walls. A wide range of people contributed working in sectors ranging from organizing, law, policy, city government, academics, and of course people working in low-wage jobs.
Here are some of the most important take-aways:
-A new labor movement has sprung up in the past year in which previously uncharted territories of the labor industry are being organized. Industries such as fast food and retail, for example, are organizing workers who often work for minimum wage ($7.25 in NYC). These workers are widely thought to be students looking for part time jobs, actors, or those looking to make an extra buck. Contrary to this assumption, the majority of fast food workers and those in the retail industry are attempting to work in those industries full time, depending on that work to support themselves and their families.
-Successful attempts to organize car wash workers, taxi drivers, and domestic workers are taking place across New York City
-New York City is coordinating organizing its low-wage worker campaigns with other efforts across the country- mostly in LA and Chicago. Organizers are sharing successful organizing strategies and change the face of the industry nation-wide. This collaboration across job sectors and cities clarifies that these efforts are part of a larger movement rather than isolated events.
-A great deal of organizing taking place in NYC is happening through “worker centers” and in collaboration with community groups rather than through unions. Groups like Retail Action Project, New York Communities for Changeand OUR Walmart are organizing workers outside of the traditional union structures.
-Integrating labor and other issues (notably immigration reform) is crucial to create real change in labor. Immigration reform will impact millions of low-wage workers across NYC, as well as the way the workplace functions. Important to note as well is the growing shift from full-time workers to outsourcing and employing temps in all sorts of industries, including fast food. This, according to many of the panelists, will only increase as more immigrants gain rights as legal residents or citizens. Immigration polices which promote guest-workers and outsourcing create challenges for organizing and regulation of rights in the workplace.
-The Center for Popular Democracy and United NY released a report entitiled “Workers Rising: Organizing Service Jobs for Shared Prosperity in New York City.” The report puts forth 4 sets of actions to improve the lives of low-wage workers in New York City. The actions are that:
The city should pass legislation that would ensure at least five days of paid sick leave (Earned Sick Leave Act) and protect workers from erratic scheduling (Predictable Scheduling Act)
NY should better regulate high-violation industries, and pass laws like the Car Wash Accountability Act and creating an “enhanced privileged permitting” system at airports
The City should create a “Mayor’s Office of Labor Standards” to educate employers, investigate worker complaints, and enforce worker rights
NYC should modify its “home rule” authority in order to set a citywide minimum wage, which would be higher than the current state minimum wage.
As an organizer with UHAB, this conference helped me to connect tenant struggles with their apartments to their struggles in the workplace. I work with one tenant leader, Ms. D., in Crown Heights who deals with horrible building conditions and a frustrating situation with an absentee landlord. In addition, she works as a home health aid, working hard for little pay. Not only has Ms. D stepped up as a tenant leader in her building, but she has also begun attending union meetings and standing up for her rights in the workplace. It must be hard and frustrating but Ms. D is working to create change in several aspects of her life, tackling huge issues through collective action.
Attending this conference reminded me that labor organizers need to work housing organizers who need to work with community organizers. Everyone has the same goal: to give low-income New Yorkers a bigger voice in how they are treated, as well as to assert and expand their rights. Keep up the good work!
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Sexual Assault Survivors Personally Confront Senator Jeff Flake, Who Said He'll Vote Yes for Kavanuagh
Sexual Assault Survivors Personally Confront Senator Jeff Flake, Who Said He'll Vote Yes for Kavanuagh
Sexual assault survivors personally confronted Senator Jeff Flake after he said he'd vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this morning. Flake, who is a republican from Arizona and...
Sexual assault survivors personally confronted Senator Jeff Flake after he said he'd vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this morning. Flake, who is a republican from Arizona and considered a key swing vote, made his announcement less than 24 hours after both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh testified on her allegations that the Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her in high school.
Read the full article and watch the video here.
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