While legislators step on the taxpayers' toes.
It seems like there are other factions at work in Texas that are working to amend Texas Senate Bill SB1, a bill that in part, “provides state guarantees for charter school bonds among others.” The bill passed the Senate on June 28, 2011, after a second vote.
A blog written by Donna Garner of the website Liberty Linked, called for some very specific amendments to SB1 that would include: “US citizenship for any top school administrators and Board Members, the names, titles, and biographies posted online for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators, and the schools’ check registers posted online.”
We agree that some of the proposed amendments have merit, but it might be even more prudent to add a clause that prohibits the blatant discriminatory practices that the boys’ schools consistently engage in – with regard to school hiring practices, wages, and building and other related services bid contracting practices.
We suspect that if that little amendment to SB1 were in place, it would quickly ensure that the boys would not continue to operate in the fashion that they have become accustomed to – especially when it means that violations would cut-off school funding.
The Senate at first voted down SB1 and then after a second look, passed it, which might not have been such a good idea for the taxpayers of Texas, but it surely was a coup for Gulen’s boys.
The Senators waffled on the actual vote, and then downplayed their impending investigation into Harmony Schools, citing that the recent New York Times story by Stephanie Saul “piqued” their curiosity and that they will investigate the Harmony School operation.
And the Senators wanted to make it clear that their investigation is “nothing criminal,” and we have to ask why not? Maybe they are leaving that up to the feds and just want to keep the boys happy for now so that they can continue to collect the free trips to Turkey and other perks associated with the Gulen boys
It only took 10 years and a story from the Times to get the legislators motivated enough to start an investigation into how the hundreds of millions of Texas taxpayer dollars have -- and continue to be -- spent on Harmony Schools.
If the Senate had any reservations (which they surely had reason to), they should have voted down the bill and reintroduced a revised version during the next legislative session instead of shoving the bill through before their “investigations” were completed.
Below is the story by Mike Ward published in The Statesman, and blogs from Donna Garner and MerryLynn Gerstenschlager:
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/06/28/investigation_of_charter_schoo.html
Investigation of charter schools set
By Mike Ward | Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 06:57 PM
Amid concerns over curriculum and construction financing of publicly funded charter schools, the House General Investigating Committee will look into the state’s growing network of the privately run public schools, officials confirmed this evening.
Earlier this afternoon, legislative leaders said those concerns had played a role in an initial defeat of Senate Bill 1, a key budget-balancing bill, over provisions that provided state guarantees for charter school bonds among others.
When the House on a second vote approved SB 1, there was brief mention by state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, that the House panel would look into the operations of Harmony Schools, one of the largest charter school operators.
Its connections with a Turkish group and its use of teachers from Turkey were among the issues raised in a recent New York Times story about Harmony Schools, an article that piqued lawmakers’ interest, as well.
House General Investigating Committee Chairman Chuck Hopson, R-Jacksonville, said his committee has started a preliminary look-see into Harmony “and all the other charter school operators in the state.
“It’s nothing criminal. We just want to see whether they are spending our (state) money wisely,” he said. “There have been some concerns about (Harmony) building schools without competitive bidding, and about other issues, but we are going to looking at every one of the charters.”
He said the inquiry remained in the preliminary stages.
“There are a lot of people, including some members of the House, who have children in (Harmony Schools) and are very satisfied with them,” Hopson said.
House Education Committee Chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, said from what he knows, many charter schools including the Harmony Schools are successful. “There are a lot of people who think highly of them,” he said.
Earlier today, representatives from the Eagle Forum, a conservative group, were lobbying Capitol offices over their concerns about Harmony Schools, among other issues, several lawmakers said.
Before the second House vote on SB 1, several lawmakers said during floor debate that the concerns raised by the Eagle Forum had figured in the initial ‘no’ vote, but it was not clear just which concerns were involved.
Representatives from the Eagle Forum and Harmony Schools could not immediately be reached for comment.
http://libertylinked.com/posts/7593/breaking-amendment-can-be/View.aspx
BREAKING: AMENDMENT CAN BE AMENDED -- GULEN TURKISH HARMONY SCHOOLS -- 6.26.11
Blog Entry in Donna Garner's Blog (19 Views) (0 Comments)
BREAKING: It is not too late to ask our Texas legislators to amend Amendment #30. Please call the Senate and House members listed at the bottom of this e-mail and ask them to add the following three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards to Amendment #30. We do not want our tax dollars going to pay for even more Gulen Turkish Harmony Schools:
1. Proof of US citizenship for all charter school operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (public ISD trustees must be US citizens)
2. Names, titles, and biographies posted online for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (KIPP Charter Schools already does)
3. Check registers posted online. (Over 70 % of local ISD dollars are online.)
==========================
CLARIFICATION ---Alert from MerryLynn Gerstenschlager at Texas Eagle Forum
Your immediate calls and emails to Austin are needed in order to protect the Permanent School Fund (the $25 billion endowment that pays for our children’s textbooks).
My Letter to the Editor below was published by the Weatherford Democrat (www.weatherforddemocrat.com) newspaper on Friday, June 24th. Take particular note of the relationship of the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to Turkish charter school operators in Texas. All the background you need is in the letter to the editor.
Because we have learned that the legislature plans to vote on SB 1 tomorrow, Monday, June 27th, we are asking you to concentrate on contacting the people at the end of the letter to the editor and asking them to add the three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards to Amendment # 30 by Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving).
Yes, I know that my letter to the editor states that Amendment # 30 cannot be amended, but we have been told by a staffer that sometimes Conference Committees "go outside the bounds" and will add language not originally there.
Therefore, we are asking you to please call the people listed at the end of this post and ask them to include the three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards listed below to Amendment #30 on SB1. Disregard reference to SB 31 by Shapiro because that bill is probably dead as the session ends on Wednesday, June 30th and it is therefore too late to do anything about it.
The offices we are asking you to contact are familiar with our issues because we have already testified, circulated fliers, and lobbied on this for the past four and a half months. Therefore, you don’t have to go into detail. Call me at 817-798-6204 if they ask you questions you cannot answer.
Thank you for making these contacts immediately.
MerryLynn Gerstenschlager
Vice President
Texas Eagle Forum
[email protected]
Dear Editor:
Families may be on vacation, but the paid lobby who want to expand Turkish charter schools in Texas are working hard to influence legislation in Austin with their time and with their campaign contributions as leverage. None of us should let down our guard!
Four versions of one bill that would permit charter schools to access the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to guarantee construction bonds all died during the Regular Session (82R). (Public schools already have the PSF construction bond guarantee). Another version, SB 31 by Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), was filed in the current First Called Session (82-1). To assure passage of this bill, it was also tacked onto SB 1 as Amendment # 30 by Representative Linda Harper Brown (R-Irving). SB 1, which is in Conference Committee, is a “Christmas tree” bill with 103 amendments adopted.
While it would not affect the charter school that wants to continue to rent a vacant supermarket, it will affect charter operators who want to build a new school and take advantage of the low interest rates on bonds that would be guaranteed by the PSF (an endowment fund of $25 billion).
Currently there are 156 Turkish charter schools in America . Thirty-six of these charter campuses are in Texas . Citizens should be concerned about the consequences of granting access to the PSF for charter school construction guarantees to Turkish men, of whom we know very little other than most are not American citizens. (www.peytonwolcott.com)
Concerns could easily be remedied by adding three fiduciary duty-of-care amendments to SB 31 while it is in the House Public Education Committee:
Proof of US citizenship for all charter school operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (public ISD trustees must be US citizens)
Names, titles, and biographies posted online for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (KIPP Charter Schools already does)
3.Check registers posted online. (Over 70 % of local ISD dollars are online.)
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the New York Times (NYT) have raised concerns about Turkish charter schools and their connection to the Gulen Movement:
1. Three BBC videos (1/3, 2/3, and 3/3) are posted online at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=izjnSb0owbI&feature=related
There you will hear first-hand from people familiar with the Gulen Movement that their followers want to control economics, government, and education throughout the world.
2. The June 6, 2011 NYT article can be found at: www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/education/07charter.html?_r=1&emc=eta&pagewanted=all
Some of the legislators in the SB 1 Conference Committee and on the House Public Education Committee have received campaign contributions from the charter school lobby. ( http://www.peytonwolcott.com )
Citizens should ask the SB 1 Conference Committee Conferees to strike Amendment # 30 from the bill as it contains the same language as SB 31. Amendment # 30 cannot be amended, but there is still time to ask the House Public Education Committee to amend SB 31 to include the three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards. The Texas Legislature online website ( http://www.capitol.state.tx.us )
provides all one needs to contact these legislators. The Capitol switchboard is 512-463-4630.
The charter school lobby has worked tirelessly and spent thousands of dollars to pass this legislation. I am not opposed to charter schools in this legislation, but if citizens don’t voice their opinion immediately about transparency and accountability through the fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards, the Turkish charter school operators will soon shout in victory.
MerryLynn Gerstenschlager
Vice President Texas Eagle Forum
Email: [email protected]
Contact Info:
Governor Rick Perry:
Telephone 512-463-2000 (main) 800-252-9600 (opinion hotline)
To send email message: http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/
Representative Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) 512-463-0641
Email: [email protected]
SB 1 Conference Committee Conferees (Note that a Conference Committee is made up of Senators AND Representatives)
Senator Robert Duncan (R- Lubbock)
512-463-0128 [email protected]
Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville)
512-463-0102 [email protected].
Senator Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen)
512-463-0120 [email protected]
Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano)
512-463-0108 [email protected]
Senator Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)
512-463-0104 [email protected]
Representative Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie)
512-463-0516 [email protected]
Representative Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands)
512-463-0797 [email protected]
Representative Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
512-463-0610 [email protected]
Representative John Otto (R-Dayton)
512-463-0570 [email protected]
Representative Mike Villareal (D-San Antonio)
512-463-0532 [email protected]
Tags Education Free Enterprise Liberty Spending 10th Amendment National Security Posted by Donna Garner yesterday at 12:04 AM
A blog written by Donna Garner of the website Liberty Linked, called for some very specific amendments to SB1 that would include: “US citizenship for any top school administrators and Board Members, the names, titles, and biographies posted online for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators, and the schools’ check registers posted online.”
We agree that some of the proposed amendments have merit, but it might be even more prudent to add a clause that prohibits the blatant discriminatory practices that the boys’ schools consistently engage in – with regard to school hiring practices, wages, and building and other related services bid contracting practices.
We suspect that if that little amendment to SB1 were in place, it would quickly ensure that the boys would not continue to operate in the fashion that they have become accustomed to – especially when it means that violations would cut-off school funding.
The Senate at first voted down SB1 and then after a second look, passed it, which might not have been such a good idea for the taxpayers of Texas, but it surely was a coup for Gulen’s boys.
The Senators waffled on the actual vote, and then downplayed their impending investigation into Harmony Schools, citing that the recent New York Times story by Stephanie Saul “piqued” their curiosity and that they will investigate the Harmony School operation.
And the Senators wanted to make it clear that their investigation is “nothing criminal,” and we have to ask why not? Maybe they are leaving that up to the feds and just want to keep the boys happy for now so that they can continue to collect the free trips to Turkey and other perks associated with the Gulen boys
It only took 10 years and a story from the Times to get the legislators motivated enough to start an investigation into how the hundreds of millions of Texas taxpayer dollars have -- and continue to be -- spent on Harmony Schools.
If the Senate had any reservations (which they surely had reason to), they should have voted down the bill and reintroduced a revised version during the next legislative session instead of shoving the bill through before their “investigations” were completed.
Below is the story by Mike Ward published in The Statesman, and blogs from Donna Garner and MerryLynn Gerstenschlager:
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/06/28/investigation_of_charter_schoo.html
Investigation of charter schools set
By Mike Ward | Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 06:57 PM
Amid concerns over curriculum and construction financing of publicly funded charter schools, the House General Investigating Committee will look into the state’s growing network of the privately run public schools, officials confirmed this evening.
Earlier this afternoon, legislative leaders said those concerns had played a role in an initial defeat of Senate Bill 1, a key budget-balancing bill, over provisions that provided state guarantees for charter school bonds among others.
When the House on a second vote approved SB 1, there was brief mention by state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, that the House panel would look into the operations of Harmony Schools, one of the largest charter school operators.
Its connections with a Turkish group and its use of teachers from Turkey were among the issues raised in a recent New York Times story about Harmony Schools, an article that piqued lawmakers’ interest, as well.
House General Investigating Committee Chairman Chuck Hopson, R-Jacksonville, said his committee has started a preliminary look-see into Harmony “and all the other charter school operators in the state.
“It’s nothing criminal. We just want to see whether they are spending our (state) money wisely,” he said. “There have been some concerns about (Harmony) building schools without competitive bidding, and about other issues, but we are going to looking at every one of the charters.”
He said the inquiry remained in the preliminary stages.
“There are a lot of people, including some members of the House, who have children in (Harmony Schools) and are very satisfied with them,” Hopson said.
House Education Committee Chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, said from what he knows, many charter schools including the Harmony Schools are successful. “There are a lot of people who think highly of them,” he said.
Earlier today, representatives from the Eagle Forum, a conservative group, were lobbying Capitol offices over their concerns about Harmony Schools, among other issues, several lawmakers said.
Before the second House vote on SB 1, several lawmakers said during floor debate that the concerns raised by the Eagle Forum had figured in the initial ‘no’ vote, but it was not clear just which concerns were involved.
Representatives from the Eagle Forum and Harmony Schools could not immediately be reached for comment.
http://libertylinked.com/posts/7593/breaking-amendment-can-be/View.aspx
BREAKING: AMENDMENT CAN BE AMENDED -- GULEN TURKISH HARMONY SCHOOLS -- 6.26.11
Blog Entry in Donna Garner's Blog (19 Views) (0 Comments)
BREAKING: It is not too late to ask our Texas legislators to amend Amendment #30. Please call the Senate and House members listed at the bottom of this e-mail and ask them to add the following three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards to Amendment #30. We do not want our tax dollars going to pay for even more Gulen Turkish Harmony Schools:
1. Proof of US citizenship for all charter school operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (public ISD trustees must be US citizens)
2. Names, titles, and biographies posted online for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (KIPP Charter Schools already does)
3. Check registers posted online. (Over 70 % of local ISD dollars are online.)
==========================
CLARIFICATION ---Alert from MerryLynn Gerstenschlager at Texas Eagle Forum
Your immediate calls and emails to Austin are needed in order to protect the Permanent School Fund (the $25 billion endowment that pays for our children’s textbooks).
My Letter to the Editor below was published by the Weatherford Democrat (www.weatherforddemocrat.com) newspaper on Friday, June 24th. Take particular note of the relationship of the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to Turkish charter school operators in Texas. All the background you need is in the letter to the editor.
Because we have learned that the legislature plans to vote on SB 1 tomorrow, Monday, June 27th, we are asking you to concentrate on contacting the people at the end of the letter to the editor and asking them to add the three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards to Amendment # 30 by Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving).
Yes, I know that my letter to the editor states that Amendment # 30 cannot be amended, but we have been told by a staffer that sometimes Conference Committees "go outside the bounds" and will add language not originally there.
Therefore, we are asking you to please call the people listed at the end of this post and ask them to include the three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards listed below to Amendment #30 on SB1. Disregard reference to SB 31 by Shapiro because that bill is probably dead as the session ends on Wednesday, June 30th and it is therefore too late to do anything about it.
The offices we are asking you to contact are familiar with our issues because we have already testified, circulated fliers, and lobbied on this for the past four and a half months. Therefore, you don’t have to go into detail. Call me at 817-798-6204 if they ask you questions you cannot answer.
Thank you for making these contacts immediately.
MerryLynn Gerstenschlager
Vice President
Texas Eagle Forum
[email protected]
Dear Editor:
Families may be on vacation, but the paid lobby who want to expand Turkish charter schools in Texas are working hard to influence legislation in Austin with their time and with their campaign contributions as leverage. None of us should let down our guard!
Four versions of one bill that would permit charter schools to access the Permanent School Fund (PSF) to guarantee construction bonds all died during the Regular Session (82R). (Public schools already have the PSF construction bond guarantee). Another version, SB 31 by Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), was filed in the current First Called Session (82-1). To assure passage of this bill, it was also tacked onto SB 1 as Amendment # 30 by Representative Linda Harper Brown (R-Irving). SB 1, which is in Conference Committee, is a “Christmas tree” bill with 103 amendments adopted.
While it would not affect the charter school that wants to continue to rent a vacant supermarket, it will affect charter operators who want to build a new school and take advantage of the low interest rates on bonds that would be guaranteed by the PSF (an endowment fund of $25 billion).
Currently there are 156 Turkish charter schools in America . Thirty-six of these charter campuses are in Texas . Citizens should be concerned about the consequences of granting access to the PSF for charter school construction guarantees to Turkish men, of whom we know very little other than most are not American citizens. (www.peytonwolcott.com)
Concerns could easily be remedied by adding three fiduciary duty-of-care amendments to SB 31 while it is in the House Public Education Committee:
Proof of US citizenship for all charter school operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (public ISD trustees must be US citizens)
Names, titles, and biographies posted online for all charter operator board members and top 5 highest paid administrators. (KIPP Charter Schools already does)
3.Check registers posted online. (Over 70 % of local ISD dollars are online.)
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the New York Times (NYT) have raised concerns about Turkish charter schools and their connection to the Gulen Movement:
1. Three BBC videos (1/3, 2/3, and 3/3) are posted online at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=izjnSb0owbI&feature=related
There you will hear first-hand from people familiar with the Gulen Movement that their followers want to control economics, government, and education throughout the world.
2. The June 6, 2011 NYT article can be found at: www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/education/07charter.html?_r=1&emc=eta&pagewanted=all
Some of the legislators in the SB 1 Conference Committee and on the House Public Education Committee have received campaign contributions from the charter school lobby. ( http://www.peytonwolcott.com )
Citizens should ask the SB 1 Conference Committee Conferees to strike Amendment # 30 from the bill as it contains the same language as SB 31. Amendment # 30 cannot be amended, but there is still time to ask the House Public Education Committee to amend SB 31 to include the three fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards. The Texas Legislature online website ( http://www.capitol.state.tx.us )
provides all one needs to contact these legislators. The Capitol switchboard is 512-463-4630.
The charter school lobby has worked tirelessly and spent thousands of dollars to pass this legislation. I am not opposed to charter schools in this legislation, but if citizens don’t voice their opinion immediately about transparency and accountability through the fiduciary duty-of-care safeguards, the Turkish charter school operators will soon shout in victory.
MerryLynn Gerstenschlager
Vice President Texas Eagle Forum
Email: [email protected]
Contact Info:
Governor Rick Perry:
Telephone 512-463-2000 (main) 800-252-9600 (opinion hotline)
To send email message: http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/
Representative Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving) 512-463-0641
Email: [email protected]
SB 1 Conference Committee Conferees (Note that a Conference Committee is made up of Senators AND Representatives)
Senator Robert Duncan (R- Lubbock)
512-463-0128 [email protected]
Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville)
512-463-0102 [email protected].
Senator Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen)
512-463-0120 [email protected]
Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano)
512-463-0108 [email protected]
Senator Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)
512-463-0104 [email protected]
Representative Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie)
512-463-0516 [email protected]
Representative Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands)
512-463-0797 [email protected]
Representative Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
512-463-0610 [email protected]
Representative John Otto (R-Dayton)
512-463-0570 [email protected]
Representative Mike Villareal (D-San Antonio)
512-463-0532 [email protected]
Tags Education Free Enterprise Liberty Spending 10th Amendment National Security Posted by Donna Garner yesterday at 12:04 AM