Education proposal: Corporations could reserve student places, board seats in charter schools

[teach1st]

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune

...

House Bill 421 by Rep. Steve Carter, R-Baton Rouge, would allow corporations to secure spots on charter governing boards and reserve student enrollment slots for children of employees. To qualify, a corporation would have to donate the parcel on which the school is built, donate an existing building for the school's use or pay for major renovations to an existing school building. The corporation could lay claim to up to half of the enrollment spaces in the school and control up to 50 percent of the seats of the governing board. The measure includes a caveat that the bill could not be used to displace students who are already enrolled.

The committee's 12-2 vote sends the bill, which Gov. Bobby Jindal supports, to the House floor.

Carter and business lobbyists framed the bill as another tool in Louisiana's economic development efforts. But a stream of critics representing teachers associations and local school boards said it would mark a fundamental negative shift in public policy.

Michael Walker-Jones, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Educators, said the bill would allow "corporations to open private schools to serve their own interests." LAE is one of the state's two major teachers unions. Carter said he remains a strong supporter of traditional public schools and public charter schools. The bill, he said, should not be framed as a threat to those institutions.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/05/education_proposal_corporation.html

[marasinghe]

1. sweet. always liked the romance of the dark ages; & monty python's quest for the grail.

on a tangent: while being totally ignorant of particle physics, appears to me that the time dimension is constructed not of straight strings, but rather of spirals - kind of like a space slinky, or a cosmic screw - and we've reached the end of the thread and are winding back in reverse. caveat emptor: this apparent phenomenon could be the result of trying to drown out the stupid in the environment with judicious use of cocktails - kind of a metaphysical screwdriver.

[comtec]

4. What the HELL are you on about?

This is a serious issue, and some brain dead sarcastic remark isn't going to cut it.
please do try to sound like an intelligent human being about this will you?
assuming you are capable of that.

The ironic part is that students of some corporate schools just might get decent educations... with a seriously heavy corporate slant of course.

I imagine that we'll see slant in historical facts much like we did in the 50's -> 80s between the soviets and american school books.

of course that would be the executive corporate schools. the prole schools will get just enough to be turned into good corporate drones with said drone work. no drive to excell or succeed instilled into the students.

I can think of a few dark future movies that comes to mine immediately such as Robocop and um... that one with emilio estivez where they steal his body.

the running man also comes to mind.... powerfully in fact considering the level of "entertainment" on tv now a days.

[HankyDubs]

2. correction

Michael Walker-Jones, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Educators, said the bill would allow "corporations to open private schools to serve their own interests."

This is incorrect, Mr. Jones. This would allow corporations to open PUBLIC SCHOOLS to serve their own interests. Charter schools are funded by taxpayers.

[liberal N proud]

3. Sounds very communistic

Your career will be selected for you.

[iwishiwas]

5. "reserve student enrollment slots for children of employees" Whow, just

plain whow!!

[LetTimmySmoke]

6. Last week I made a joke about teachers eventually having to give 2 minute product ads every period

That joke may be closer to reality than I realized. Between this, the union busting in WI, the child labor law repeal in MO, the voter caging in FL, and the Ryan Plan, there's no telling what the GOP is willing to do. It is truly scary.

[Scottybeamer70]

7. and the destruction of public education

has now begun!

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

[Monarda]

9. It's only logical

Corporations already reserve boxes at sports stadiums, free admission at most museums, and blocks of luxury apartments for their employees. The public be damned.