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Today is National Teacher Day!
On this day we would like to thank everyone who has supported Join the Future, and in doing so helped to support our goals.
WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, “It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!” No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition.
And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources.
Compare this with our approach to our military: when results on the ground are not what we hoped, we think of ways to better support soldiers. We try to give them better tools, better weapons, better protection, better training. And when recruiting is down, we offer incentives.
We have a rare chance now, with many teachers near retirement, to prove we’re serious about education. The first step is to make the teaching profession more attractive to college graduates. This will take some doing.
At the moment, the average teacher’s pay is on par with that of a toll taker or bartender. Teachers make 14 percent less than professionals in other occupations that require similar levels of education. In real terms, teachers’ salaries have declined for 30 years. The average starting salary is $39,000; the average ending salary — after 25 years in the profession — is $67,000. This prices teachers out of home ownership in 32 metropolitan areas, and makes raising a family on one salary near impossible.
[readon2 url="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print"]Continue reading...[/readon2]
Plunderbund has an article detailing the failings of White Hat Management as a charter school management company, and in light of the news of the GOP plan to privatize public education, the political crosswinds that created the plan
Some of the language in this budget is so specifically directly at helping White Hat that it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Brennan’s lawyers write it themselves. Whether it’s true or not, Ohio’s GOP politicians appear to be paying back one of their largest campaign donors with millions of state dollars while completely disregarding the educational needs of thousands of Ohio’s students.
The whole article is worth a read.
Just to highlight the scope of Brennan's political largese, here is a list of the almost $1.6 million in political campaign contributions made by some of the main players involved with White Hat Management since 2000.
| Cycle | Amount | Contributor Name | Recipient Name | |
| 2010 | $50,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2010 | $50,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2010 | $30,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - STATE CANDIDATE FUND | |
| 2010 | $30,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - STATE CANDIDATE FUND | |
| 2010 | $30,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - STATE CANDIDATE FUND | |
| 2010 | $25,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2010 | $25,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2010 | $17,075 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2010 | $17,075 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2010 | $17,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CMTE | |
| 2010 | $17,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2010 | $17,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2010 | $17,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CMTE | |
| 2010 | $11,396 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | MANDEL, JOSH | |
| 2010 | $11,396 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | KASICH, JOHN & TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2010 | $11,395 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | KASICH, JOHN & TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2010 | $11,395 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2010 | $11,395 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | KASICH, JOHN & TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2010 | $11,350 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | WAGONER, MARK | |
| 2010 | $11,350 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | NIEHAUS, TOM | |
| 2010 | $11,350 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | FABER, KEITH | |
| 2010 | $11,350 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | NIEHAUS, TOM | |
| 2010 | $11,300 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2010 | $11,300 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | MANDEL, JOSH | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | DEWINE, MIKE | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | MORGAN, SETH | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BATCHELDER, WILLIAM G | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | BATCHELDER, WILLIAM G | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | AMSTUTZ, RON | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HUFFMAN, MATT | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BATCHELDER, WILLIAM G | |
| 2010 | $11,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | AMSTUTZ, RON | |
| 2010 | $6,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | YOST, DAVID A | |
| 2010 | $5,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BACON, KEVIN | |
| 2010 | $5,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | YOST, DAVID A | |
| 2010 | $4,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - STATE CANDIDATE FUND | |
| 2010 | $3,125 | MANNA, ANTHONY | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - STATE CANDIDATE FUND | |
| 2010 | $250 | WEBER III, JOSEPH R | MANDEL, JOSH | |
| 2010 | $250 | RICE, MARK A | MANDEL, JOSH | |
| 2010 | $250 | MESSER JR, QUENTIN | MANDEL, JOSH | |
| 2010 | $250 | WEBER III, JOSEPH R | LAROSE, FRANK | |
| 2010 | $100 | MESSER JR, QUENTIN | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2008 | $100,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2008 | $100,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2008 | $100,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2008 | $100,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2008 | $50,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2008 | $50,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - EXECUTIVE CMTE | |
| 2008 | $30,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY - STATE CANDIDATE FUND | |
| 2008 | $25,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L MR | Republican National Cmte | |
| 2008 | $16,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2008 | $16,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2008 | $16,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2008 | $16,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2008 | $15,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CMTE | |
| 2008 | $12,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | OHIO HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CMTE | |
| 2008 | $10,650 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HARRIS, BILL | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BACON, KEVIN | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | BATCHELDER, WILLIAM | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | BATCHELDER, WILLIAM | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BATCHELDER, WILLIAM | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | COLEY, BILL | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | DOLAN, MATTHEW | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HOTTINGER, JAY | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | DOLAN, MATTHEW | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | PATTON, THOMAS | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | NIEHAUS, TOM | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | CAREY JR, JOHN A | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2008 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | JONES, SHANNON | |
| 2008 | $5,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HITE, CLIFFORD | |
| 2008 | $5,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | GINTER, TIM | |
| 2008 | $5,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HOTTINGER, JAY | |
| 2008 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | SCHLICHTER, JOHN | |
| 2008 | $2,300 | HARRISON, E D MS | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2008 | $2,300 | BRENNAN, ANN | Lamar Alexander (R) | |
| 2008 | $2,300 | BRENNAN, DAVID | Lamar Alexander (R) | |
| 2008 | $2,300 | BRENNEN, NANCY J | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2008 | $2,300 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | James D Jordan (R) | |
| 2008 | $1,300 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2008 | $1,000 | HARRISON, E D MS | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2008 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2008 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | TIFFANY, TOM | |
| 2008 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | DARLING, ALBERTA | |
| 2008 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | COUGHLIN, KEVIN | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | EGELHOFF, JO | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | DAVIS, BRETT | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | PETROWSKI, JERRY J | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | MURSAU, JEFFREY L | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | NERISON, LEE | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HINES, J A | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HELLMAN, DAN | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | NERISON, LEE | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HONADEL, MARK | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | TOWNS, DEBI | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | RIPP, KEITH | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | VAN ROY, KARL | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | FRISKE, DON | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | MURTHA, JOHN | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | WILLIAMS, MARY | |
| 2008 | $500 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | DOCKERY, PAULA | |
| 2008 | $400 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | HUEBSCH, MIKE | |
| 2008 | $200 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2008 | $200 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | VOS, ROBIN J | |
| 2008 | $200 | BRENNAN, ANN AMER | COLE, RANDY | |
| 2006 | $15,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CMTE OF OHIO | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, ANN | GREEN, MARK A (G) | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | CAREY JR, JOHN A | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HUSTED, JON | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVE | GREEN, MARK A (G) | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | PETERSON, JON | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HARTMANN, GREG | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BRADLEY, JENNETTE B | |
| 2006 | $10,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | LYNCH, DAVID | |
| 2006 | $7,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | CAREY JR, JOHN A | |
| 2006 | $5,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | TAYLOR, MARY | |
| 2006 | $5,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | SEITZ, BILL | |
| 2006 | $4,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | PETERSON, JON | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | LUTHER, BRANT | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | BACON, KEVIN | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | MARTIN, EARL J | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | STIVERS, STEVE | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | CATES, GARY | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | NIEHAUS, TOM | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HOPPEL, JIM | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | STIVERS, STEVE | |
| 2006 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HAYES, WILLIAM C | |
| 2006 | $2,100 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | Craig Foltin (R) | |
| 2006 | $2,100 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | Craig Foltin (R) | |
| 2006 | $2,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | PATTON, THOMAS F | |
| 2006 | $2,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | MARTIN, EARL J | |
| 2006 | $2,000 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | WEBSTER, SHAWN N | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | HAGAN, JOHN P | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | SETZER, ARLENE J | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | CALVERT, CHARLES E | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | NIEHAUS, TOM | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | CATES, GARY | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | PADGETT, JOY | |
| 2004 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | PETRO, JIM | |
| 2004 | $2,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY J MRS | George W Bush (R) | |
| 2004 | $2,000 | BRENNAN, ANN A MRS | George W Bush (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY | Steven C LaTourette (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY | Mike DeWine (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY | Bill McCollum (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | KROHN, MARK E MR | George W Bush (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | MORRIS, JOHN C MR | George W Bush (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY J | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2004 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY J | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2004 | $500 | BRENNAN, DAVID | SPADY, FAWN | |
| 2002 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | RAUSSEN, JAMES | |
| 2002 | $2,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | RAUSSEN, JAMES | |
| 2002 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY J | George V Voinovich (R) | |
| 2002 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY | Mike DeWine (R) | |
| 2000 | $1,500 | BRENNAN, DAVID L | GARDNER, RANDALL | |
| 2000 | $1,000 | BRENNAN, NANCY J | George V Voinovich (R) | |
Data taken from www.transparencydata.com.
Ever since Gov. John Kasich barely beat the red light in last November's election, his school-reform bus has been careening at breakneck speed, rolling over all in its path. But no one is in sight to flag him for reckless driving.
He and other public-education "reformers" are transferring millions of tax dollars from public schools to less scrutinized charters and private schools. They are dissing classroom teachers by taking away both their dignity and their voices at the bargaining table, while watering down teacher-license requirements and dancing to the tune of the highly paid elites from tax-exempt foundations.
If the governor and our lawmakers can escape their fact-free zones and policy gurus, they might visit public schools - to listen, watch and learn what it really takes to teach children.
[readon2 url="http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2011/04/30/teaching-isnt-as-simple-as-it-appears.html?sid=101"]Continue reading...[/readon2]
Nate DeRolph knows a lot about how Ohio finances public education. Twenty years ago, a lawsuit bearing his name was filed in Perry County challenging the state's school funding system.
The case was filed by the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding on behalf of children who were being educated in schools similar to DeRolph's.
[readon2 url="http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/education/20-years-after-derolph-school-funding-case-was-filed-school-funding-in-ohio-isnt-fixed"]Red more[/readon2]
A short while ago we brought to your attention a report by Ohio Education Matters that claimed their study revealed Ohio School Districts could save over $1 billion in non-instructional spending. At the time we thought that "Some of the extrapolations seem excessive".
It appears the Ohio School Board Association thought so too, and they commisioned a report to look at these findings.
We commissioned the analysis by ETPI because we were skeptical of the validity of the “Benchmarking Ohioʼs School Districts: Identifying districts that get more for their money in non-instructional spending” report published by Ohio Education Matters, a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks.
Here's their report