Sun Feb 10, 2013, 01:29 AM

FL charter schools claim 80,000 on waiting list. Not true.

Thanks to Bob Sikes at Scathing Purple Musings for this column. Those were very suspicious figures about the waiting list. Glad to see them refuted.

http://bobsidlethoughtsandmusings.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/smacking-down-florida-charter-schools-outrageous-waiting-list-claim/

Miami Demorat Representative Kionne L. McGhee didn’t let Florida charter school lobbyist Jim Horne off the hook during this week’s public testimony on the Florida House’s latest charter school bill. Horne, whom sources say wrote the bill, made the claim that there are 80,000 children on charter school’s waiting lists.

..."When McGhee inquired about the numbers, Horne quickly began back-pedaling with vague responses. Sensing Horne’s evasions, he asked two more questions about the numbers forcing FLDOE’s Michael Kooi to the podium to sheepishly admit the numbers were coming from the charter schools. Miami Dade official Iraida Mendez-Cartaya followed Kooi with testimony pointing out that in her district, students are likely to appear on more than one waiting list – an obvious reason for such inflated numbers.

The moment had to be an embarrassing one for Horne, a former state commissioner of education. It was clear he knew the numbers wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny. But the brief exchange again showed charter school’s high paid mouthpieces will say anything.

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10 replies	Author	Time	Post
FL charter schools claim 80,000 on waiting list. Not true. (Original post)	madfloridian	Feb 2013	OP
Just making stuff up, hoping no one notices.	madfloridian	Feb 2013	#1
Palm Beach Post repeats this 80,000, says will be used to get charters rent-free use of schools.	madfloridian	Feb 2013	#2
What happens if the public schools need the space back?	LiberalFighter	Feb 2013	#8
LOL!	Baitball Blogger	Feb 2013	#3
Lordy I hope so.	madfloridian	Feb 2013	#4
You know what kind of answer you'll receive when you do?	Baitball Blogger	Feb 2013	#6
I just got another expensive glossy mailer ad	RandiFan1290	Feb 2013	#5
Frauds and con artists.	jsr	Feb 2013	#7
Video of the exchange from Florida House website.	madfloridian	Feb 2013	#9
WP picked up on it now.	madfloridian	Feb 2013	#10

Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 06:58 AM

madfloridian (78,175 posts)

1. Just making stuff up, hoping no one notices.

That's a shame.

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Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:18 AM

madfloridian (78,175 posts)

2. Palm Beach Post repeats this 80,000, says will be used to get charters rent-free use of schools.

What is they say about lies? One variation is "A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on".

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-education/gop-bill-would-require-school-districts-to-offer-u/nWHjB/

"The legislation, approved 8-5 by the panel, would require counties with empty or half-empty schools to offer these facilities at no cost to charter operators.

The Palm Beach County School Board has allowed charter schools for several years to use surplus space. But district lobbyist Vern Pickup-Crawford said the bill’s standards would prove a “logistical nightmare,” for the county.

Under the legislation, charter schools also would be freed from current requirements that allow them to expand enrollment only with the approval of the local school district. Scott last fall singled out the need to lift these caps to meet demand, with supporters Wednesday saying a charter school waiting list now hovers around 80,000 students."

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Response to madfloridian (Reply #2)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:56 AM

LiberalFighter (31,155 posts)

8. What happens if the public schools need the space back?

Last edited Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:57 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Who pays for the utilities and maintenance of public school space used by charter schools?

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Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:21 AM

Baitball Blogger (11,658 posts)

3. LOL!

Exaggeration may have worked in the past, but I think their history is catching up with them.

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Response to Baitball Blogger (Reply #3)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:36 AM

madfloridian (78,175 posts)

4. Lordy I hope so.

They do it all the time, no one calls them on it.

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Response to madfloridian (Reply #4)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:43 AM

Baitball Blogger (11,658 posts)

6. You know what kind of answer you'll receive when you do?

"No one has ever asked us that before." or

Why? Why?? Why???

So intellectually dishonest that they will never understand what they did wrong.

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Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:41 AM

RandiFan1290 (1,831 posts)

5. I just got another expensive glossy mailer ad

Also seeing TV ads. They must have a lot of $$ to spend.

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Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 11:47 AM

jsr (3,530 posts)

7. Frauds and con artists.

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Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 01:06 PM

madfloridian (78,175 posts)

9. Video of the exchange from Florida House website.

The exchange begins about 33 minutes in. There should be more explanation than even this duplicate stuff. If there are waiting lists, they should be publicly available.

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.aspx?value=EE6AKxJwGlp5B1Qwgui%2f396kDYViQwUqwd78BRtpz5P%2fTQOJ9fTNaeVpu6ILXWEHvDu2HNq%2fw5PKOcZuUDcRGmTmKXclf%2bKqNXYiEThp%2faQsCN0q2plfbbNl0m1i8M0o5E%2b%2fPZv0nCItj3JMvxb8ZR686LJutUvA8ryVfvmdoEuMgFsAI1d8BVws2m%2buT969EIWpV9ptyt8M532QCWc%2b5v9kGKmp%2bppAfntPND4eVXA3n3002Ra3ujEbYmmmbIA29nRp%2fPPNO50kzCn2Z4rOQEe5MUc02BMD231XufSpLW7SHV8z24qu9np%2bvowcY%2fKwywBDrVXWbB2zDyTb5xYzAHkWLZnvOR3uGNyjHpWo%2bZyzmlKzqkFmrlGdmtPXRls%2b9TNlUy6L9ocr6HwffamlMHU6OS6YSsRJHZwzs%2faoTxO%2f9dgL%2bblNsE65tYXW%2fPAt2gW4FCPqJlcEWSA6qW9x9oV0VEeGFYCvG145MlGRjN9wb4EtaOyk60hCg7y6JBMcp9%2fGT7C3QRtk6yzvC7gB2%2fm0m3d1i1yoRM%2b5yXdjR%2blBzbUEOjindvevm0n6oINe4BvUxJ0bV%2f9rU7iOkBJbwu8r44KRnzYBC9Y9sEuwy8Y%3d

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Response to madfloridian (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:24 PM

madfloridian (78,175 posts)

10. WP picked up on it now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/10/the-exaggeration-of-charter-school-waiting-lists/

Thanks to those like Bob Sikes who do this research like digging into long videos. The truth will out.

"No doubt there are excellent charter schools in the country where the waiting lists are very, very long. But there also are instances where waiting lists aren’t exactly as long as they appear.

That became clear at a recent legislative hearing in Florida, when charter school lobbyist Jim Horne gave public testimony on a charter school bill, which includes a measure that some people are calling a land grab. It would require Florida school systems to offer, free of charge, the use of empty or half-empty public school buildings to charter nonprofit and for-profit school operators.

Blogger Bob Sikes reports that Horne said that there are 80,000 children on waiting lists for charter schools. State Rep. Kionne L. McGhee (D) questioned the number, at which point Horne started to back pedal. Under questioning, a Florida Department of Education official conceded that the waiting list figures had come from the charter schools. And then, a Miami-Dade County official pointed out that some students appear on more than one waiting list."

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