“Local leaders know what we need.” – Mark Johnson, Sept. 29th, 2016 in debate with Dr. June Atkinson.

Apparently, claiming to trust local leaders to know best was only a political maneuver because right now Carver Heights Elementary is slated to be taken over by the ISD (Achievement School District). It is marked to be placed in the hands of a charter school chain that is privately held and more than likely an out-of-state entity like what happened with Southside-Ashpole.

That does not sound like allowing “local leaders” being allowed to do what they should be able to do.

The State Board of Education can fight this. And they should.

There is no proof that the model the current ISD operates under improves outcomes. From the Action Network printing a petition for NCAE on Carver Heights:

The school takeover scheme called the Innovative School District is unproven at best, lacks clear accountability, does nothing to help school achievement, and would replace the proven support work of the transformation teams, now called Regional Support Teams. Having for-profit charter management companies take over public schools will do nothing but rip our communities apart. The bottomline is their key priority, not our students.

The Innovative School District is modeled after Tennessee’s Achievement School District which has not show the results promised. ISD is based on a flawed A-F grading system that does nothing more than point out schools with the highest rates of poverty.

The Innovative School District is being pushed by a wealthy out-of-state multimillionaire tied to the school privatization movement who does not know what is best for North Carolina’s students.

Parents, educators, and communities have made it loud and clear they do not want this hostile takeover.

The State Board of Education should reject the takeover of Carver Heights Elementary in Wayne County and should insist the General Assembly give our public schools the resources they need to be successful.

Also, Chalkbeat.org, an education news outlet published this: “Private groups have long tried to help turn around struggling schools. But it’s not clear if they’re doing any good.”

It stated:

But there’s little evidence on whether that school improvement industry, paid for by taxpayers, is actually boosting student learning, according to a study of 151 turnaround providers endorsed by various state agencies.  

When Mark Johnson talked about local people knowing what they need, he seems to have been lying. The first ISD school is now under control of  Achievement for All Children, which is linked to Team CFA and John Bryan.

Now Team CFA linked people are in charge of vital positions in the Department of Public Instruction: the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Superintendent of Innovation. Johnson put them there.

Taking over schools and taking over public education.

The State Board can stop that.

They should.