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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Julie Delegal exposes the charter war on school board authority | The Edvocate Blog

Julie Delegal exposes the charter war on school board authority | The Edvocate Blog:

Julie Delegal exposes the charter war on school board authority

JULIE DELEGAL


CHARTER LOBBY VS. SCHOOL BOARDS
As failing charters drain millions of dollars from districts, a well-funded lobby led by disgraced former representative Ralph Arza of the Florida Charter School Alliance has declared war on school-board authority, calling the denial of charters “unethical.” Arza is focusing his displeasure on Duval and Palm Beach County where the school board is mounting a legal challenge against a charter school operator who is appealing a denied application. Lobbyists like Arza, represent wealthy for profit charter chains such as Charter Schools USA . They are determined to strip the power to approve or deny charters from duly elected school boards and shift it to the state in order to silence our locally elected voices.
Education advocate and journalist Julie Delegal, exposed the pressure placed on school boards by the powerful charter lobby in Play Ball? :

Folio Weekly has learned that three of Duval County’s seven sitting board members have been targeted for public records requests by Robert H. Fernandez, a litigation attorney who once served as Deputy General Counsel to Gov. Jeb Bush.
Fernandez, a partner in the Coral Gables-based Zumpano Castro Law Firm, has issued two separate public records requests to Duval County School Board members Becki Couch, Dr. Connie Hall, and Paula Wright.
Who is Robert H. Fernandez?
As Deputy General Counsel in the then-Governor’s office, Fernandez served as a top lieutenant in Bush-brand education reform, particularly on school
 
Julie Delegal exposes the charter war on school board authority | The Edvocate Blog: