This weekend, Idaho news outlets were busy congratulating themselves about their self serving awards ceremony, in which everyone seemed to get a prize, while potential corruption brewed under their very noses without so much as a question. After I posted a detailed report on Friday regarding what appeared to be deceptive electioneering practices in the GBAD election, only two local media outlets chose to raise questions regarding the election financial disclosures, and both dropped the ball after getting what they apparently thought was a plausible explanation. Sven Berg's report in the Idaho Statesman buried the lede when it stated:

Tway, Berch and Walker recently questioned reports showing incumbents Peter Oliver, Rob Perez and Stephanie Astorquia had received no contributions and spent no money on their campaigns. That seemed impossible, since the candidates published a joint brochure in early May promoting their candidacies.

But the reports in question, which were due May 14, covered contributions and expenditures between Jan. 1 and May 5. Contributions hadn't started coming in by then, and the candidates hadn't received the bill for the brochure, said Jason Lehosit, who helped the incumbents' campaigns.

"How are you supposed to report something when you don't know what the cost is because you haven't got a bill from the printer yet?" Lehosit said.

Perhaps Mr. Berg is unfamiliar with Mr. Lehosit's checkered past in running Republican campaigns.

In Idaho's inner Republican Party, the name Jason Lehosit is as familiar as any in the past 10 years. A consultant, fundraiser and campaign manager for several high profile Idaho politicians including Gov. Butch Otter in his 2005 campaign and now, Lt. Gov. Brad Little, is in jail after allegations of violating his DUI probation. Court records show that 33-year-old Jason Lehosit's possible probation violation was for his fourth DUI. Attorney David Leroy says, if Lehosit did in fact violate his probation, a judge won't take his sentence lightly.

Lehosit doesn't work for free, so how he can order up a several thousand dollar print job unless he's on the clock. Lehosit's cost to the campaign surely should have shown up in a sunshine disclosure if he's working for them in early May. More importantly, how would Lehosit persuade a printing business to extend him credit for a job costing several thousand dollars, particularly when he had zero in the way of contributions. The fact that Jason Lehosit is involved in this campaign at all is worthy of investigation and reporting.

Maybe he's new to the area, but Mr. Berg seems to lack any institutional knowledge of the players in this campaign. As I noted in an update in the underlying post, the Idaho Secretary of State, Republican Ben Ysursa, said any complaints regarding election financial disclosures had to fielded by GBAD itself, an inherent conflict of interest, since its the GBAD incumbents filing the misleading disclosures. Moreover the law firm of Givens, Pursley is currently counsel for GBAD, and yet has also been operating on behalf of the incumbent campaigns in filing their own grievances. Perhaps Mr. Berg is also unaware of Givens Pursley's checkered past on conflicts of interest in the University Place scandal.

But the biggest omission in Berg's report is regarding John Foster's involvement, who, like Givens Pursley, has a financial incentive for getting incumbents re-elected so their respective contracts with GBAD can be extended. Foster's fingerprints are all over these campaigns due to the striking similarity between this quest for secrecy, and the deception he endeavored to accomplish in the Referendum election regarding the Luna Laws. Foster and his group, Education Voters for Idaho, who Foster represented as "a group of motivated parents", refused to disclose their donor list prompting Secretary of State Ysursa to sue them under Idaho's Sunshine Act on the eve of election day. The Court ordered disclosure holding:

“The interest in free, fair and honest elections free of fraud and deception and the right of the people to know who seeks their vote for a candidate or an issue is at the heart of the electoral process.”

The judge noted that “Idaho’s Sunshine Law applies to all individuals, corporations, associations or other entities of any type.”

And the subsequent disclosure revealed that the donors were not motivated Idaho parents, but were instead big money interests who stood to gain financially from the Luna laws and privatizing education in Idaho. "Fraud and deception" indeed.

Recognizing that these issues stray slightly from the substance of the GBAD election and the individual platforms of each of the candidates. But consider this, GBAD Board members sole responsibility is to administer the tax revenue received for the best interests of the District. Yet incumbents have chosen to surround themselves with, and to take the advice of, individuals and entities with a demonstrated track record of secrecy and deception instead of open honest disclosure pursuant to Idaho public policy. That's ultimately what is at stake in this election and why your vote is crucial.
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The Sunshine Act is very broad in defining expenditures which:

...includes a contract, promise, or agreement, whether or not legally enforceable, to make an expenditure. The term "expenditure" also includes a promise to pay, a payment or a transfer of anything of value in exchange for goods, services, property, facilities or anything of value for the purpose of assisting, benefiting or honoring any public official or candidate, or assisting in furthering or opposing any election campaign.

I.C. 67-6603(h). It is customary to prepay the postage. If people received the mailer on May 4, then there was an expenditure prior to the time of the disclosure deadline on May 5. How does one prepay postage without money in the bank? So there had to be contributions as well.

This was a stealth campaign that succeeded in defeating Tway.

Recently the Idaho Statesman profiled the May 21st election for the Greater Boise Auditorium District membership on the Board of Directors and what's at stake in this election.

Candidates Steve Berch, Jim Walker (both running for six-year terms) and George Tway (seeking a two-year term) have the same campaign manager and are endorsed by GBAD board chairman and Idaho House member Hy Kloc, who was endorsed by Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, who endorses a new baseball stadium. Berch-Walker-Tway were the only candidates among the eight to advocate for a multiuse sports facility (not to the exclusion of convention enhancements) during a candidate forum May 9. They did not spell out baseball specifically, but emphasized "multiuse." They claim they are not a "slate," but they espouse a common anti-incumbent message.

Stephanie Astorquia, Rob Perez (running for six-year terms) and Peter Oliver (running for a two-year term) are incumbents, though Perez and Oliver are relatively new appointees (one year ago and four months ago, respectively). These three share a campaign flier and none advocated specifically for a multiuse sports facility at the candidate forum. They see their strength and their future as operating, and perhaps expanding, the district's convention business. Expansion plans could include a 50,000-square-foot exhibition area that consultants recommend.

The remaining two candidates, John May and Noah Bard, both have industry experience. May's is in the hotel business and serving in community development capacities. His parents have both served on the GBAD board - May's late father, Larry, and his mother, Gail, who left the board in January. Oliver was appointed to the seat Gail May left at midterm.

This is a non-partisan race with strong partisan overtones. With cursory mention, the editorial references bad blood in previous GBAD deliberations with prominent local Republican, Judy Peavey Derr, a GBAD Board Director not up for re-election, occupying center stage in the fracas. Local Democrats will remember Judy Peavey Derr's recent effort to unseat Democratic incumbent Senator Eliot Werk making some vicious personal allegations in the campaign. Werk handily defeated her.

In January, Ms. Peavey Derr maneuvered the Board into executive session where they determined in secret to hire Kestrel West LLC to do public relations work on behalf of GBAD. Kestrel West is the current incarnation of John Foster's public relations and lobbying efforts. Idaho Democrats will recall that Mr. Foster is the former Executive Director of the Democratic Party who ran Congressman Minnick's embarrassing 2010 re-election effort which conducted a fierce campaign against Democrats. After losing this election, Foster then went out of his way to blame Democrats for failing to come out and support Minnick. Thereafter Foster burned any last vestige of goodwill with progressives by agreeing to work with Republicans to defeat Idaho's Education Reform Referendum seeking to void the Luna Laws. The Referendum was overwhelmingly successful.

The need for Kestrel West's services are not specifically identified in the meeting minutes, but GBAD hired Kestrel West for PR work on February 15, 2013, and a copy of the Consulting Agreement is attached at the end of the minutes, right after a Resolution clarifying their bylaws regarding this very election. Clearly, this election was on their mind during the hiring process. The Board and Kestrel West avoided a competitive bidding process, by limiting the term of the Agreement to six months and thus less than $25,000.

Here is where things get interesting. The Board Member incumbents are clearly running campaigns with literature, absentee ballot request mailings, yard signs and the works. All three campaigns have the same Treasurer, Thomas J. Wilford former Chief Executive Officer of J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, Inc. the primary backer of the Luna laws. Their literature is marked that it is paid for by their respective campaigns. Yet none of the Campaign Financial Disclosure Reports for Peter Oliver, Stephanie Astorquia, or Rob Perez indicates any contributions through May 5, and none of them show any expenditures. The disclosures encompass the time period January 1 to May 5, 2013. But a campaign requesting your supporters to fill out absentee ballot requests requires significant lead time, for your mailer to go out, and for them to respond before the May 15th deadline. Certainly the money would be in place for such expenditures.

These circumstances raise questions for enterprising journalists who are in short supply. But the Republican taint all over the incumbents should motivate pro-growth Democrats into the polling booth.

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Update: 5/17 5:07; for clarification and to note an even stronger connection between the campaigns and John Foster in the guise of:

Mr. Thomas J. Wilford has been the President of Alscott Inc., since 1993. Mr. Wilford has been the Chief Executive Officer of J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, Inc. since 2003. He served as President of J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation Inc. from 1995 to 2003. From 1986 to 1993, Mr. Wilford was an office managing partner with Ernst & Young in Anchorage, Alaska and Consulting division in Idaho, where he was also tax manager. He was a Tax Partner with Watson, ...

They would have worked together on the Referendum.

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Update: 5/17 8:06; All of this secrecy looks vaguely familiar. But there's not enough time for the Secretary of State to sue. Dirty politics at its worst?

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Update: 5/20 4:05; I'm told that the Secretary of State says that any complaints on the election process have to be filed with the Board itself, the majority of which includes the incumbents who are the primary transgressors. Justice delayed is justice denied.

If you’re familiar with Black children’s book publishing, then you might know why Just Us Books was founded. Parents Wade and Cheryl Hudson were tired of searching for books that featured little brown boys and girls, and coming up with the same handful of titles. So they combined their experience in writing, marketing and art direction and launched Just Us Books in 1988 to publish children’s books that celebrate the diversity of Black history, culture and experiences, according to the company's website.

Raising their two children in Northern NJ, Wade and Cheryl found it difficult to find quality Black-interest books for children outside of Black History month. The couple decided to fill the void themselves, and went to work developing their own children's books. But publisher after publisher turned the couple down, some outwardly doubting the viability of the Black children's book market. After founding their own publishing company, with their signature brand AFRO-BETS^R, the company's success quickly proved doubters wrong. This year Just Us Books celebrates its 25th anniversary.

From the start the company was dedicated to ensuring that these books would be available throughout the year—not just during Black History Month; to providing a creative venue for talented Black writers, illustrators, designers and other professionals; and most importantly to inspiring, encouraging and educating young people through reading by offering books with characters, stories and themes that reflected their lives as young Black people.

In addition to their roles as publishers, both Wade and Cheryl have cultivated dual careers as children's book authors. Wade's books include Jamal's Busy Day; Book of Black Heroes from A to Z; and Powerful Words. Cheryl's titles include Bright Eyes, Brown Skin; Hands Can and My Friend Maya Loves to Dance.

The Hudsons are also partners, with their children Katura and Stephan, in Hudson Publishing LLC, which recently founded Marimba Books, a new multicultural children's book imprint.

Over two decades ago Wade and Cheryl Hudson were parents on a desperate search for children's books that reflected the diversity of Black history, heritage and experiences. Disappointed by the limited number and their unreliable availability, the couple embarked upon a mission: to produce the kind of positive, vibrant Black-interest books that they wanted for their own two children. Combining their professional experience in marketing and graphic design, Wade and Cheryl developed a number of manuscripts including the AFRO-BETS^R ABC Book, which taught the alphabet using Afrocentric themes and images. They began presenting their ideas to various publishing houses. Although most editors liked the concepts, the Hudsons received rejection after rejection. "There's no market for Black children's books," one editor said.

"The response was phenomenal," recalls Wade. "We received so many letters from parents and teachers who said that the book was exactly what they were looking for." Some of the most touching feedback came from children.

We always knew that there was a tremendous need for books that Black children could relate to," says Cheryl. "But when we received letters written in crayon from 3 and 4-year old children who couldn't wait to show us that they could write the alphabet, or share drawings they did of their favorite AFRO-BETS R character, that really validated our belief and inspired us even more."

Further reading: http://celebritiesandstars.blogspot.com

by Kevin S. Wilson

For nearly two years, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation has been a primary sponsor and promoter of the ED SESSIONS, a monthly speaker series featuring what the foundation bills as “national / international education reformers who are promoters of civil discourse about school improvement and wholesale reform.” Advertised at various times as “an invitation to begin a dialogue” and as “a conversation,” the ED SESSIONS are aimed at “parents, educators, policymakers, and everyone in Idaho”—unless, apparently, you are a parent, educator, policymaker, or an anyone in Idaho who asks inconvenient questions.

If you are, then you’re likely to find that your questions receive no answers, but elicit only the sound of chirping crickets. Ask enough inconvenient questions, and you may find yourself banned from the ED SESSIONS page on Facebook and find that all of your inconvenient questions have been deleted.

That’s what happened to me, after the social-networking social engineers at the ED SESSIONS solicited questions for an upcoming speaker, Andy Smarick, a partner at Bellwether Education Partners, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the conservative think-tank the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Adjunct Fellow at the equally conservative American Enterprise Institute, and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Though he’s never taught and has no academic background in education, Mr. Smarick has emerged as one of what the Albertson Foundation describes as “thought leaders” in education reform, with his thoughts these days focused on tearing down so-called “failing” schools and replacing them with chains of public-funded charter schools, in a process described in his latest book, The Urban School System of the Future: Applying the Principles and Lessons of Chartering.

Charter schools may be uppermost in the mind of this thought leader, but don’t ask him about them in public. By all means, do not ask him about the ability of hedge-fund managers and venture capitalists to double their money in seven years by financing and operating charter schools while leveraging their investment with something called the New Markets Tax Credit Program. And for heaven’s sake don’t ask him about the KIPP Challenge, or about Education Voters of Idaho, the political action committee forced by a lawsuit filed by the Idaho Secretary of State to reveal the names of the millionaires and billionaires who ponied up $600,000 in an attempt to prevent the repeal of the Luna Laws (Propositions 1, 2, and 3).

If you do, you’ll be silenced. Here’s how it happened to me.

In early March of this year, in anticipation of Mr. Smarick’s presentation at the ED SESSIONS, the managers of the ED SESSION Facebook page said that Mr. Smarick had questions for Idahoans:

“Andy Smarick asks Idahoans a question: Are we positioning our kids for success in the changing, more competitive world? Are we actively participating in reform or are we on the sidelines? Are we making the most of Federal opportunities?"

I responded with the following:

What does Mr. Smarick mean by "Federal opportunities"? Does he have in mind, for example, the New Markets Tax Credit Program, established by Congress in 2000 to spur new or increased investments into operating businesses and real-estate projects located in low-income communities? The New Markets Tax Credit Program attracts investment capital to low-income communities by permitting individual and corporate investors to receive a tax credit against their Federal income tax return in exchange for making equity investments in specialized financial institutions called Community Development Entities.

NCB Capital Impact is one such Community Development Entity. Located in Virginia, NCB Capital Impact was until 2011 the non-profit affiliate of National Cooperative Bank and a member of the NCB Financial Group of companies. Today it operates as an independent, non-profit organization acting as a strategic partner of its former parent companies. NCB Capital Impact is "making the most of Federal opportunities" in a number of markets, including health care and charter schools, with an emphasis on leveraging New Market Tax Credits to increase its return on investment .

And why not? New Market Tax Credits offer a seven-year 39% federal tax credit to banks and private-equity firms like NCB Capital Impact, notably to those investing in the construction and operation of charter schools. According to the New York Daily News, "The credit can even be piggybacked on other tax breaks for historic preservation or job creation. By combining the various credits with the interest from the loan itself, a lender can almost double his investment over the seven-year period." In addition, NCB Capital Impact receives a 3% "originating and management fee for the charter-school construction deals it arranges."

From where I sit, this substantial return on investment and the associated management and origination fees go a long way toward explaining the love affair that hedge-fund managers and venture capitalists have for charter schools. They also go a long way toward explaining why in 2010 JPMorgan Chase created "a new $325 million pool to invest in charter schools and take advantage of the New Markets Tax Credit." They help explain, as well, why hedge-fund managers and venture capitalist were so well represented on the list of donors to Idaho Voters for Education, the faux-grassroots political action committee that raised over $600,000 to fight the repeal of the so-called Luna Laws. One such donor was John Fisher, co-chair of the board of directors of the Charter School Growth Fund, a hedge fund devoted solely to investing in chains of charters schools. Another was Frank E. Baxter, the U.S. ambassador to Uruguay during the G. W. Bush administration and current chairman of the Alliance for College Ready Public Schools, which operates a chain of 21 public charter schools in and around Los Angeles.

For me, the question at hand is this:

Does the New Markets Tax Credits Program also help to explain why Mr. Smarick believes that “Chartering is the replacement system for the failed urban system”? Does the New Markets Tax Credit Program also explain the fundamental premise of Mr. Smarick’s 2011 book, The Urban School System of the Future, which premise one reviewer summarized in the Washington Post as "Traditional urban school systems are broken and can’t be fixed. They have to be replaced. And charter schools should be the blueprint”?

About the time I had finished posting that response, I realized that the ED SESSIONS people had actually asked three questions in one, posing them as questions from Andy Smarick. In response to the second question ("Are we actively participating in reform or are we on the sidelines?") I wrote the following:

Saying NO to so-called school reform is also a way of actively participating, a way chosen by hundreds of thousands of Idaho voters who said "NO" to Propositions 1, 2, and 3 just four months ago.

I wrote that response two months after the 2013 Idaho Legislative Session had begun. Having watched the majority party in the Idaho Legislature serve up bits and pieces of Propositions 1, 2, and 3 like so many warmed-over, unwanted Thanksgiving leftovers, I figured that this was as good a time as any to remind the ED SESSIONS and the J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation that no means no. Apparently, they didn’t want to hear that reminder any more than did the legislators busily at work on Luna Laws version 2.0.

After posting the questions purportedly aimed at Idaho by Andy Smarick, his ED SESSIONS handlers also wrote on the Facebook page, "Do you have questions for Andy Smarick? Post them here."

Granted, a “please” would’ve been nice, but I understand how zeal for the ED SESSIONS’ mission (“to bring inspiration, facts, and discovery around [sic] the topic of education in the 21^st Century”) might lead to a momentary lapse in manners. Wanting to be an accommodating fellow—and very much wanting to hear what Mr. Smarick had to say—I posted a few questions, as follows.

QUESTION ONE

Mr. Smarick:

Writing in the Washington Post, Emma Brown quotes you as saying "Chartering is the replacement system for the failed urban system in my view.” She characterizes your view of charter schools as follows: "It boils down to this: Traditional urban school systems are broken and can’t be fixed. They have to be replaced. And charter schools should be the blueprint."

In her blog "Mother Crusader," Darcie Cimarusti carries this characterization a step or two further. First, she wonders WHY you believe that charter schools should be the blueprint, so I suppose that that is also my first question to you. Why charter schools?

Ms. Cimarusti goes on to suggest that your enthusiasm for charter schools may be influenced by the fact that "charter operators can double their money in seven years using New Market Tax Credits in low income communities to arrange private financing for charter schools in urban districts" and that "there is LOTS of money to be made closing 'wobbly' urban charter schools and opening edubusinesses!"

Ms. Cimarusti concludes her article by saying, "If reformers like [Macke]Raymond, [Greg] Richmond, [Chris] Cerf and [Andy] Smarick get their way, urban schools will be reduced to businesses and real-estate projects for the rich. And don't think for one minute that if they find "success" in urban areas they won't come after suburban areas, too."

My question, then, is this:

How do you respond to claims that you and other proponents of charter schools are more concerned with making money than you are with improving education?

QUESTION TWO

Mr. Smarick:

More than two years ago, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education and education historian Diane Ravitch issued what she refers to as "The KIPP Challenge" (defined below). In October 2012, Dr. Ravitch singled you out as a recipient of the KIPP Challenge, in response to your book "Chartering the Future," which Dr. Ravitch summarizes as an argument that "urban school systems are so broken that they should be eliminated and replaced by charters, lots and lots of charters." The KIPP Challenge she directs your way is as follows:

"Find one impoverished district that is willing to invite KIPP in, and let’s see how it works out. Take all the children. Open your doors to all. Do it in one place before imposing it on everyone."

The original KIPP Challenge clarifies those stipulations further:

"KIPP should find an impoverished district that is so desperate that it is willing to put all its students into KIPP’s care. Take them all: the children with disabilities, the children who don’t speak English, the children who are homeless, the children just released from the juvenile justice system, the children who are angry and apathetic, and everyone else. No dumping. No selection. No cherry picking. Show us what you can do. Take them all."

Mr. Smarick, will you be accepting Dr. Ravitch's challenge? What are your thoughts on the basic premise behind it, that increased academic achievement at individual charter schools has yet to be replicated on a larger scale, across an entire district? What about Dr. Ravitch's implicit claim that charter schools cherry-pick students, skimming the cream of the crop and leaving to traditional public schools those students who are likely to cause trouble, cost additional money, or lower scores on standardized tests?

QUESTION THREE

Mr. Smarick:

You regularly appear at speaking engagements and other venues with Joe Williams or other representatives of Democrats for Education Reform. As you know, one of your colleagues at Bellwether, Sara Mead, is on the Board of Directors of Democrats for Education Reform.

What is the connection, if any, between Bellwether Education Partners and Democrats for Education Reform?

How do you respond to the following characterization of Democrats for Education Reform?

"DFER inspires rich people to use Bill Clinton’s New Market Tax Credits to lend money to corporate run charter schools which use taxpayers’ money to pay back the loan with interest, increasing the hedge fund managers’ money double-fold in a matter of a few years" (SchoolsMatter.info).

QUESTION FOUR

Mr. Smarick:

Your article "The Turnaround Fallacy" (Educationnext, Winter 2010) offers a 3-step prescription for addressing "failing" schools: "Stop trying to fix failing schools. Close them and start fresh." By "start fresh" you appear to mean close traditional public schools and replace them with many charter schools, citing the experience of the KIPP chain of charter schools as a model for this process:

"Groups like KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) and Achievement First open new schools; as a rule they don’t reform failing schools. KIPP’s lone foray into turnarounds closed after only two years, and the organization abandoned further turnaround initiatives."

In analyzing the latest Mathematica Policy Research study of the KIPP chain of public charter schools, Bruce Baker concludes that many of the academic achievements credited to KIPP schools may be the result of KIPP spending far more per student than districts do in traditional schools (as much as $5,000 more per student), paying teachers substantially higher salaries, and maintaining small class sizes, coupled with what Mr. Baker calls "a dose of old-fashioned sit-down-and-shut up classroom/behavior management and a truckload of standardized testing." Mr. Baker goes on to characterize this approach as "Nothin’ too sexy . . . . Nothin’ that reformy. Nothin’ particularly creative.”

My question, then, is a basic one:

If public charter schools attain better results than traditional public schools by spending more per student, paying teachers a salary commensurate with their professional status, and keeping class sizes small, why don't we just do that for ALL public schools in the existing system?

Some related questions:

If we were to close schools--even entire districts--and replace them with many "boutique" charter schools, who pays? How does one justify the expense of replacing existing facilities with new ones? How does one justify the duplication of resources, effort, and expense that a half dozen new charters create in comparison to one large, centralized school?

I don’t know if Andy Smarick ever saw my questions. He certainly didn’t address them in his presentation at the ED SESSION, either specifically or generally.

The questions remained on the Facebook page for a few days—patiently waiting, plaintively hoping for someone’s passing attention, perhaps a wave of a hand or a wink of an eye from Mr. Smarick, from his handlers at the Albertson Foundation, from anyone, really—and then they were gone. And I was banned from the ED SESSIONS page, unable to post anything there at all, much less post the one question that I now wanted very much to ask:

What is the Albertson Foundation afraid of?

**********************

SOURCES

Albany charter cash cow: Big banks making a bundle on new construction as schools bear the cost

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/albany-charter-cash-big-banks-making-bundle-new-construction-schools-bear-cost-article-1.448008

NCB Impact Web Site

http://www.ncbcapitalimpact.org/index.aspx

Charter School Growth Fund Web Site

http://chartergrowthfund.org/

CREDO Study "Reinforces The Essence" Of "One Million LI(v)ES" Campaign To Close Schools

http://mothercrusader.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

Who Were the Two Dozen Secret EVI Donors Anyway?

http://thebluereview.org/who-were-the-two-dozen-secret-evi-donors-anyway/

Can traditional school systems be replaced by charters?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-schools-insider/post/can-traditional-school-systems-be-replaced-by-charters/2013/01/30/e33a013a-6a71-11e2-95b3-272d604a10a3_blog.html

Board of Directors of Democrats for Education Reform

http://dferwatch.wordpress.com

Empty of Fact: Rachel Brown's Bellwether Propaganda

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2012/10/empty-of-fact-rachel-browns-bellwether.html

The Turnaround Fallacy

http://educationnext.org/the-turnaround-fallacy/

The Non-Reformy Lessons of KIPP

http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/the-non-reformy-lessons-of-kipp/

"Has somebody been doing the horizontal mambo in the state hoosegow? More shenanigans from Idaho's arbiters of moral decency? Bring forth the popcorn!" writes 43rd State Blues Blogger Serephin.

H/T to Silly Rabbit for this relevant video: (insert smile)

Move over Larry Craig, John McGee, and the rest. Idaho has made national headlines yet again.

Guess which political party is responsible ....

BOISE -- A federal judge has ruled that a state senator's wife overstepped her role as a legal assistant and had an "inappropriate" relationship with a convicted murderer who is suing the Idaho Department of Correction for sexual harassment.

In November, Renee McKenzie, wife of Republican Sen. Curt McKenzie of Nampa, was appointed by a federal court to help Lance Wood, who was imprisoned for life for his role in the 1988 kidnapping and torture slaying of a gay man in Utah. ...They had intercepted a letter the inmate wrote to McKenzie, which they determined was "clearly of a personal nature."

according to the Associated Press.

While not an attorney, she presented herself to prison guards as, “Renee McKenzie of McKenzie Law Offices” and was granted “unfettered access” with convicted murderer, kidnapper, and rapist Lance Wood, according to the Boise Guardian.

Wood is being housed at the Idaho Department of Corrections facility south of Boise and represents himself with no attorney in a civil case against a DOC worker before Winmill. He is a Utah inmate, serving his time in Idaho which is common when security issues arise.

Under these circumstances, prison officials determined that, at the very least, there was a strong infatuation between Wood and Ms. McKenzie, and that it would be dangerous for them to meet in isolation as they had been mistakenly allowed to do previously.

Here is my editorial analysis of the matter ...

Ouch!

"If we can't find a way to draw sensible lines with guns that balance individual rights and the public interest, we may as well call the experiment with American democracy a failure." - Judge Larry Burns A conservative case for an assault weapons ban

Born in Pasadena, California, Burns received a B.A. from Point Loma College in 1976 and a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1979. He was a Deputy district attorney of San Diego County, California from 1979 to 1985. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of California from 1985 to 1997.

In 1997, Burns was appointed to serve as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Burns was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, to a new seat on the Southern District of California created by 116 Stat. 1758. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 24, 2003 by a vote of 91-0. Burns received his commission on September 25, 2003.

On January 12, 2011, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit selected Burns to be the presiding judge for the trial of Jared Lee Loughner. Burns was selected, in part, for his prior experience with cases involving the federal death penalty. A judge from outside of Arizona was sought when all judges in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona recused themselves from the case due to their ties to the late John Roll, a federal judge who had been killed in the shooting.

On December 20, 2012; Burns wrote an op-ed column in the Los Angeles Times calling for a reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban. In the article, Burns described himself as an ardent conservative and gun owner who nonetheless felt there was no "social utility" for high-capacity clips. Besides the 31-round magazine Loughner used in his Glock, Burns cited as examples the 100-round drum allegedly used by James Eagan Holmes in the 2012 Aurora shooting and the 30-round magazine used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Burns called for Congress to reinstate the ban without the grandfather clause of the original ban, which allowed those who already owned a weapon on the banned list to keep it. "If we can't find a way to draw sensible lines with guns that balance individual rights and the public interest," Burns wrote, "we may as well call the experiment with American democracy a failure."

Questions may be directed to the Alumni Office alumni@nnu.edu or 208.467.8841

This was shared on the Facebook Page of the NAACP

Crossposted on Daily Kos

On Saturday, April 27th, 2013 the most anticipated cultural showcase in the Pacific Northwest returns to Boise State University. Considered to be one of the most dynamic, entertaining, and intellectually potent cultural showcases in the region, the Shades of Black Show continues to live up to its billing as a phenomenon.

This live performance explores the issues of culture and identity within the black experience through dance, spoken word and poetry, skits, stepping and song.

Created in 2003 at the University of Idaho by Kwapi Vengesayi and making its debut in January of 2004, the Shades of Black Show has become a cultural phenomenon bringing together campuses and communities from across the region.

The Shades of Black Show is a celebration of the different textures and dimensions of the black experience through the performing arts, a showcase that attempts to explore culture and identity through mediums of expression such as dance, spoken word/poetry, skits, stepping and song. This show has found a way to merge entertainment with education, tradition with contemporary values; an insightful and energetic blend of elements that has not only enriched the experience of those performing, but also the experience of those in the in attendance.

The Shades of Black Show is a celebration of a culture, not a race -

showcasing 'diversity' is one of our objectives and this is done by ensuring that each show has a universal message, and a diverse cast of participants, from performers to organizers.

Moreover, what makes this show unique is how it dedicates a lot of its efforts into ensuring that the talent showcased is a reflection of the area or campus that is hosting it.

This is done by devoting a lot of time and energy into creating a program that has strong local participation - this is could be in the form of performers, volunteer organizers, or local business sponsors.

From Boise State University to the University of Idaho, from Washington State University to Eastern Washington University and beyond, this show has enriched the multicultural experience of those who chose to participate or simply attend. In addition to this, it has not only helped highlight diversity on the campuses that host it, but has been a helpful ingredient with regards recruitment and retention objectives for those schools.

The show has had success throughout the Northwest as a way to build bridges with surrounding communities and has allowed the diversity within that same culture to inspire a sense of community within themselves.

Simplot Ballroom | Doors Open at 5pm (Seriously) | Free Admission

Shades of Black Show on Youtube |
Shades of Black Show on Twitter |
Shades of Black Show on Soundcloud |

Hosted by Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Inc. and Sponsored by the MLK Committee.

For more information, visit shadesofblackshow.com or send an email to shadesofblackshow@gmail.com

I first met TJ Thomson at an AFL-CIO labor day picnic in Boise a few years ago. I had felt disillusioned with the hostility and narrow-mindedness of many elected officials in Idaho's majority party.

So meeting this poised, balanced progressive was a silver lining in Idaho's cloudy sea of bad leadership.

TJ is well known throughout Idaho as an engaged citizen and respected policy analyst, program evaluator, and community organizer.

I also support TJ because he has kept his promises to you, helping to strengthen our area over the last 4 years. The list of accomplishments includes:

Added thousands of acres of open space to the protected column in our beautiful foothills.
Increased park space, including additional dog parks and expanded off-leash hours.
Expanded recreational opportunities, including the new Whitewater River Park.
Protected worker’s safety by eliminating smoking in bars.
Crime rates are at historic lows in the City of Boise.
Our bus system will soon expand services – accomplished during difficult economic times.
A strengthened recycling program, to include no-sort recycling and a glass pick-up option.
Implemented the vast majority of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies, as recommended for climate protection.
Protected all citizens from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Improved sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Increased cyclist safety on our streets.
Worked to attract new businesses to the area. Boise maintains one of Idaho's lowest unemployment rates.
Spear-headed first Living Wage Policy in Idaho. Setting a standard for local businesses to follow.
Check out all the great recognition Boise has received in recent years here: BOISE

A proud Idaho native and Air Force veteran, TJ Thomson has built over a decade of experience as a steward of fiscal responsibility at the federal, state, and private levels. TJ works for Idaho Power as a Certified Internal Auditor, promoting ethical and open business practices and efficient use of resources. As a former NASA policy analyst and program evaluator with the Idaho Legislature, TJ has valuable experience finding improvements and taxpayer savings in government programs and initiatives. An engaged citizen and active community organizer, TJ lives in West Boise with his wife Alisha, to whom he has been happily married for over a decade.

TJ has been happily married for over a decade to his wife, Alisha. Together, they enjoy the many wonderful aspects of living in Idaho, including: fishing, skiing, boating, biking and hiking in Boise’s beautiful foothills.

Read more at TJ's new campaign website.

"Did you see the Statesman article about our Democratic lawmakers?" asks Marie Hattaway

Here is an excerpt:

Forget FDR's "Happy Days are Here Again" and Bill Clinton's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." ... Nearing the end of the best session in years for Idaho's legislative Democrats, their new anthem is Aretha Franklin's "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."

A center-right divide in the Idaho GOP has made minority votes pivotal on key issues, including the signature accomplishment for Republican Gov. Butch Otter, the state-run online insurance marketplace he signed into law Thursday. ... House Minority Leader John Rusche plotted a pragmatic strategy. He resisted a faction in his caucus that sought to trade votes on the health exchange for rejection of two bills hostile to the party's most important backer, the teachers union.

Rusche argues that his realism will bring dividends as Democrats work with the GOP's centrists, including 14 House freshmen who risked primary challenges for sidling up to Obamacare. "Those guys were pretty brave, stepping out in front of the TV cameras. It's not wise to cut their knees off," he said. ... Added the Lewiston lawmaker, "I expect it to pay off with a health exchange that's a better deal; in relationships with the governor and with our compadres here in the Legislature; and in relationships and trust with the large number of supporters of the alliance" backing the exchange bill.They have been a powerful force in the Idaho Legislature this year. Guided by the pledge to weigh decisions by the benefit to communities, businesses and families, they have been able to join forces against the extreme faction growing within the GOP.

To be "players" in a supermajority that controls 80 percent of the Legislature is huge accomplishment. Idaho Democrats take innumerable meetings, hold many town halls, travel the state, involve constituents, research issues, reach out to media and surrender sleep.

These high quality lawmakers could not succeed without the help of Idaho Democrats, and they can do even better if they have more Democrats working in the Legislature. Show your appreciation for our hard working Democrats, support the infrastructure that builds winning campaigns! Join the DEM Club today, click here! Your $10, $20 or $50 a month will fund the ongoing resources our hard working candidates depend on.

Winning campaign start early, winning campaigns started yesterday! Donate just a little every month to support winning campaigns now. Invest now, click here!

Thank you!

Marie Hattaway

Development Director| (208) 336-1815

p.s. If you cannot invest every month, consider making a one time donation, $25, 50 or $100! Click here.

If there is more I should know (or say), tell me.

We elect our leaders to protect our rights, not to limit them.

But just this week, the Senate State Affairs Committee passed a bill to limit our rights to petition the government with initiatives and referendums. Remember the Luna Laws? Those were rejected because of the initiative process. The bill, S1108, makes it much more difficult to get initiatives on the ballot.

Help us spread the word about this bill!

Contact your representatives in the House tell them to vote no on S1108!

Also please consider a contribution of $5, $25 or $50 to help us activate other Idahoans to preserve our rights!
Click here to donate today!

If S1108 passes, it will become that much easier for our lawmakers and government officials to ignore the will of the people. It will also make so hard to get an initiative on the ballot - only well-funded and highly organized groups could afford to engage in the initiative process.

Stop the GOP legislators and powerful interest groups from taking away our constitutional rights! Your contribution will help make a difference. Click here to donate today!

Larry Kenck

Chair

Idaho Democratic Party

Dear Friends,

I am passing along an invitation to a great upcoming community event~ The 2nd Annual Connect the Pieces Gala, themed the Roaring 2020's: A Vision for the Future.

This event is put on by Supportive Housing and Innovative Partnerships (SHIP)* and proceeds from this event will benefit SHIP's Connect the Pieces campaign, which is shining a light on the dangers of prescription drugs in our communities.

Evening includes dinner, auction, live music, and interactive games!

When: Friday March 22, 2013 from 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM MDT

Where: Riverside Hotel, 900 W. Chinden Blvd, Boise, ID 83714 (Click here for map)

Tickets: Click here for more information or to purchase your ticket today

Inquiries: If you have any questions about tickets, donations or sponsorships, please contact,Chris Thomas, Connect the Pieces to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse ~ 208-914-3940

Idaho Voices in Recovery

Idaho Voices in Recovery is a group of persons in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs, family, friends and allies coming together to insure that people in recovery have a voice! We want a say in policies and legislation that impacts our lives. Join us!

Public Health Crisis: Prescription Drug Abuse in Idaho

Information gleaned from Death Certificates by Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Division of Health, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, March 2011.

Ten-Year Trends:

From 2000 to 2009, 1244 Idaho residents died from a drug-induced death.
The number of drug-induced deaths increased two and a half times from 69 (2000) to 184 (2009).

Three-Year Aggregate:

Ninety-five percent (95.2 percent) of Idaho resident drug-induced deaths occurred within the State from 2007 to 2009.
Sixty percent (60.0 percent) of drug-induced deaths to Idaho residents from 2007 to 2009 were the result of an accidental poisoning.

The most common substance listed on the death certificates among those who died in Idaho were:

Narcotics (262 deaths)

Hydrocodone (68 deaths)

Methadone (54 deaths)

Oxycodone / Oxycontine (43 Deaths)

Morphine (28 Deaths)

Heroin (6 Deaths)

Antiepiletic, Sedative-Hypnotic, Antiparkinsonism and Psychotropic (225 Deaths)

Anti-depressants (65 deaths)

Benzodiazepine (60 deaths)

Methamphetamine (25 Deaths)

Muscle Relaxants (23 Deaths)

Cannabis / Marijuana (2 Deaths)

Alcohol in combination with drugs (65 deaths)

More than 40 percent of Death Certificates (184 out of 456 deaths) did not list a specific drug, medicament, or biological substance as contributing to the drug-induced death.

(Drug-induced deaths do not include newborn deaths associated with mother’s drug use, accidents such as falls and motor vehicle crashes, homicides, and other causes indirectly related to drug use.)

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Over 142,000 Join MoveOn.org Petition Urging Congress to Pass the Violence Against Women Act Now

In a new petition on MoveOn.org's online petition website SignOn.org, Sheila Thomas, a rape survivor from Dayton, Ohio urges Congress to extend the Violence Against Women Act. The Act was first introduced in 1994, and strengthened federal penalties for repeat sex offenders, mandated that women don’t have to pay for their own rape exams, and helped communities develop law enforcement units dedicated to violence against women. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was allowed to expire in 2011, but yesterday the Senate voted to reauthorize the bill. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives where Republican members of Congress have been holding up a vote.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

In the petition, which has been signed by over 142,000 people so far, Sheila Thomas shares a very personal story about her experiences and the importance of reauthorizing VAWA.

“In 1983, I was a victim of rape at gunpoint,” explained Sheila. “My rapist had already raped four women in my community, I was his fifth victim. He has never been captured. At the time, I was a single mother of a five-year old daughter and attending a local community college."

Sheila continued,

"The failure of Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act makes me feel like I'm being victimized all over again; this time, by the very people we sent to Washington DC. I'm angered that those same people will have the audacity ask us to send them back in the upcoming elections. Well, I don't think so. No one asks to be raped. No one asks to be a victim of a violent crime. It feels like our rights as women--as human beings--are not being respected, and that we are being ignored."

Sheila, a Dayton resident, is also a Community College instructor and a proud mother and grandmother.

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Over 142,000 Join MoveOn.org Petition Urging Congress to Pass the Violence Against Women Act Now

In a new petition on MoveOn.org's online petition website SignOn.org, Sheila Thomas, a rape survivor from Dayton, Ohio urges Congress to extend the Violence Against Women Act. The Act was first introduced in 1994, and strengthened federal penalties for repeat sex offenders, mandated that women don’t have to pay for their own rape exams, and helped communities develop law enforcement units dedicated to violence against women. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was allowed to expire in 2011, but yesterday the Senate voted to reauthorize the bill. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives where Republican members of Congress have been holding up a vote.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

In the petition, which has been signed by over 142,000 people so far, Sheila Thomas shares a very personal story about her experiences and the importance of reauthorizing VAWA.

“In 1983, I was a victim of rape at gunpoint,” explained Sheila. “My rapist had already raped four women in my community, I was his fifth victim. He has never been captured. At the time, I was a single mother of a five-year old daughter and attending a local community college."

Sheila continued,

"The failure of Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act makes me feel like I'm being victimized all over again; this time, by the very people we sent to Washington DC. I'm angered that those same people will have the audacity ask us to send them back in the upcoming elections. Well, I don't think so. No one asks to be raped. No one asks to be a victim of a violent crime. It feels like our rights as women--as human beings--are not being respected, and that we are being ignored."

Sheila, a Dayton resident, is also a Community College instructor and a proud mother and grandmother.

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