Really informative post and comments on the Parent Trigger...

[YvonneCa]

...in California:

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/education/schooled/article_60f07458-19e6-11e0-8d39-001cc4c002e0.html


The first comment, in particular, explains the PT/Green Dot Charter connection. Excerpt:

Apologies for repeating myself, but I think it's important to clarify what's going on here, and the press and public are pretty confused. So:

Let's further be clear that Parent Revolution is not a parent organization. It's an "astroturf" (fake grassroots) group started by the charter operator Green Dot. Here’s how the Los Angeles Weekly describes it: “Parent Revolution, with 10 full-time staff members and a $1 million annual operating budget, is funded by blue-chip philanthropic endeavors, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wasserman Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.” Gabe Rose and Ben Austin are both paid operatives.

Parent Revolution targeted McKinley Elementary in Compton for the Parent Trigger after looking around the state for a vulnerable school, and then Parent Revolution send paid staffers out around Compton to go door to door looking for McKinley parents to sign the petitions.

Needless to say, a true grassroots movement from within a school community does not require paid operatives to cold-call door to door in search of parents ...

[Reader Rabbit]

1. I wish the mainstream media would pay attention to this.

I can never figure out if they're complicit in the scam, or just lazy.

[Hannah Bell]

2. complicit

[Starry Messenger]

3. Thanks Yvonne. Here's another good informative read.

http://dailycensored.com/2011/01/08/corporate-charter-trigger-compton-chronicles/

It's bristling with material so it's hard to figure out a place to excerpt it, so I'm being lazy and putting the link in your thread. :) This part is funny, if scary.

Update on the veracity of McKinley Parents for Change

“We want to keep McKinley open under new management (Celerity Educational Group).” — Parent Revolution’s Gabe Rose posing as McKinley Parents for Change


Gabe Rose, Deputy Director Parent Revolution aka McKinley Parents for Change

The bottom of the McKinley Parents for Change flyer states “You can also call 310 866 2118 to have your questions answered.” Considering the certainty and conviction of the bullet points on the flyer by this newly formed, pro-Celerity “parent” group, supposedly wholly unrelated to the well paid professional staffers at the billionaire financed Parent Revolution, I figured my questions and concerns would be promptly addressed.

I left a message with my name and number for McKinley Parents for Change last night, and lo and behold Parent Revolution returned my call this morning. Yuri (not sure if I’m spelling that right, my apologies if I’m not ) must not be aware of my years of investigative journalism exposing the insatiable greed of the lucrative charter-voucher industry. The poor woman couldn’t answer any of my questions about Celerity’s lack of compliance with the Modified Consent Decree or the State Board of Education’s proposed regulations on their Corporate Charter Trigger Law, so she said she’d have Gabe Rose call me back to clarify.

She also was very helpful and explained to me that Gabe Rose played a major role in the creation of the flyer (who would have guessed), so he was the best person to explain it. So much for McKinley Parents for Change’s claim that they are parents at McKinley Elementary School. I somehow doubt I’ll receive that second phone call.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. What's up with that picture?

[Starry Messenger]

6. I *think* it's a beer bong.

I never went to that kind of party but I've heard rumors of this.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I know what it is

Please don't ask how I know :)

Who's that guy?

[Starry Messenger]

8. He's the Deputy Director of "Parent Revolution"

aka the astroturf org. which is posing as the grassroots org. I'd quote some more but I'm posting from my phone. I think the next para in the article has info on his DFER ties.

[YvonneCa]

9. No problem. I've been known to do...

...that from time o time. ;) Thanks for the link.

[maryf]

4. k&r nt

[YvonneCa]

10. UPDATE: More info on parent trigger ...

...http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/former-lawmaker-wont-support-changing-parent-trigger-law-7859

[FBaggins]

11. Additional updates

(Note the perspective of the author and take it into account when reading).

Compton School District Tries to Force 'Parent Trigger' Signers to Declare Discontent Face-to-Face With School Officials


At an unannounced Compton Unified School District meeting last night, district officials demanded that McKinley Elementary School parents -- over 60 percent of whom petitioned in December to turn their children's campus into a charter school -- come to campus and verify their signatures next week.

The attempted takeover was made possible by a highly disputed new law called Parent Trigger, which allows half-or-more of parents at any failing school (as designated by the U.S. Department of Education) to make major decisions about its future.

Ismenia Guzman, a Parent Trigger supporter who attended last night's meeting, says the 30 or 40 parents in attendance were given a shocking ultimatum:

Either show up to McKinley Elementary during a narrow two-day window next week -- Wednesday, January 26, and Thursday, January 27 -- for a roughly five-minute interview with district officials, or be eliminated from the official file of Parent Trigger petitioners.

"They told us that for those parents that signed the petition, we will receive a letter by mail explaining and giving two days -- the 26th and 27th, and they mentioned the times the school is going to be open -- for us to come in, look at petition, say is that really our kid and did we really sign the petition," Guzman says.


...snip...

Ironically, amid all this chaos, CUSD officials are trying to push an item that would close McKinley altogether, and -- among other possibilities -- consolidate it with another Compton elementary school or middle school.


http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/01/compton_forces_parent_trigger.php#