Sec. of Education Arne Duncan officially supports corruption

[erodriguez]

In some places this would be considered a corrupt farce, but in Mayor Bloomberg's world it is business as usual.

Half of the panel appointed to judge Bloomberg's request that his homey non-educator Cathie Black run the NYC public schools either worked for him or recieved money from him.

Panel on Pick for Schools Has Close Ties to Bloomberg

New York State’s top education official on Friday named an advisory panel of eight experts, at least half of them with strong connections to the Bloomberg administration, to help him decide whether to approve Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s controversial choice to run the city’s school system.

Three panelists selected by David M. Steiner, the state education commissioner, worked as senior officials at the city’s Department of Education.

One of those three now works at a foundation that was, for many years, the vehicle for Mr. Bloomberg’s personal charitable donations.

A fourth panelist is the head of a museum that has received almost half a million dollars from Mr. Bloomberg in donations since he took office.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/nyregion/20panel.html?_r=1&hpw



For all you DUer's who have been applauding the Obama educational plan which supports mayoral control as a model of school reform, take note.

Arne Duncan: Mayors Should Run Schools

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday that mayors should take control of big-city school districts where academic performance is suffering.
Duncan said mayoral control provides the strong leadership and stability needed to overhaul urban schools.

Mayors run the schools in fewer than a dozen big cities; only seven have full control over management and operations. That includes Chicago, where Duncan headed the school system until joining the Obama administration.

Speaking at a forum with mayors and superintendents, Duncan promised to help more mayors take over.

"At the end of my tenure, if only seven mayors are in control, I think I will have failed," Duncan said.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/arne-duncan-mayors-schools-033109.html


Mayoral control lends itself to corruption and should not be pursued as a model for our public school system.


Edited title for hyperbole.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Those places are few and far between these days.

>>>In some places this would be considered a corrupt farce, but in Mayor Bloomberg's world it is business as usual.>>>

The alarming part is that it ( $$$$$$ and the death-grip control it exerts over our political system... and now our public school systems) is generally accepted as the norm.

Stick a cute label on something completely heinous .... like "school reform"... and liberals nod off in seconds:

"It sounds OK, and, besides, it's not my problem."

[erodriguez]

2. No doubt, Smarmie.

[LWolf]

3. It's okay that those controlling public education are corrupt, though,

because the disdain for public education and educators overrides all other concerns.

[erodriguez]

4. Seems like that is the case LWolf...

It's the fault of those dang teachers' unions and life-long job security!

[LWolf]

6. I wish I could afford to retire. I'm sick of it. Truly. nt

[roody]

11. Tell that to my laid-off teacher friends.

[Starry Messenger]

5. Of course they do. Laws are for little people like us.

"Men of worth" always give each other passes.

[erodriguez]

7. Ha! Nice quote, Starry!

[Starry Messenger]

8. I'm reading a lot of 19th century writing today.

It's amazing to me how little things have changed. But why would they? The system hasn't changed one bit. It's up to us to call out these technocrats for the robber barons that they are.

[Rex]

9. Why the fuck does Arne "avast I'm boardin your district' Duncan have a JOB?

Ugh and yuck.

[Karmadillo]

10. If Obama opposes corruption, shouldn't he fire Duncan?

nt

[Rex]

12. I just figured it out.

If he did that, then he would have to call out corruption across the board, ie, deal with companies like GFS and BOP by calling for hearings and trials over huge corruption...and that will never happen. If he says ONE small fry is corrupt, he has to acknowledge the other 100 global monsters at his doorstep are corrupt as well.

[erodriguez]

13. Hmm I think you are on to something there.

But...then there is something that a lot of people on DU don't want to hear; maybe Obama himself is corrupt.

[Rex]

15. There will be people here that defend him to the bitter end and

those that want to tar and feather him. The middle ground people (me) always get trashed for not supporting one side and get called the otherside. You just can't win, but yeah what if he is corrupt and complicit? What then?

[erodriguez]

14. kick for the evening