Today's worst person in the world: Stephen Kafoury

Back in 2003, Steve Kafoury was instrumental in recruiting the successful slate of Portland School Board candidates who went on to hire Vicki Phillips as district superintendent --big mistake-- and to shut down several more neighborhood schools.

Today Kafoury, a former school board member himself, is in the Oregonian flacking for a chain of "virtual" charter high schools.  In the process he bashes the trickery of the lobbying efforts of the state's big teachers union, the Oregon Education Association. 

The OEA opposes charter schools generally, and online schools particularly.  For good reason.

Insight Schools, Inc. is a subsidiary of the Apollo Group, Inc.  Apollo (which runs the Phoenix University chain) is a private for-profit organization, and aren't charter schools, virtual or otherwise, supposed to be "public" schools?  This slippery connection between the public and private sector in education both troubles and puzzles me.  As it probably does the OEA.

Apparently Kafoury, who sat on a public school board, has no problem with the partial privatization of public education. 

But wait!  The world's BEST person also showed up on the letters page of the O this morning.  Her name is Kris Alman, a parent, retired doctor, and candidate for the Beaverton School Board (she favors higher corporate taxes to increase school funding.)

Here's what she wrote regarding charters:

...

"Charter schools in Oregon have a higher closure rate than the national average (20 percent versus 11 percent). Conversely, popular charters, which resort to lotteries, can disenfranchise children who live nearby and they burden all families with transportation requirements. To remedy these inequities, school boards and administrators should foster innovation and flexible learning environments in each neighborhood school."

Sounds like something I would write.  In fact, it sounds a lot like what I have already written. 

Yay Kris!  (If you live in Beaverton, vote Kris Alman for School Board.)

Comments

[Kris Alman]

I couldn't ask for a better endorsement! Indeed, we are kindred souls. I have read your blog before and wondered why Beaverton didn't have a blogger with the same spirit. I hope you will take a look at my new post. We need good jobs in Oregon. HB 3038 is a bill that creates clean energy and democratizes the grid. We will have strong opposition by the powers that be--namely the big investor owned utilities (PGE and PacifiCorp) and the big energy suppliers like SunEdison. Environmentalists are beginning to catch on.

I called the Oregon League of Conservation Voters to buy tickets for their annual fundraiser. Ironically, the contrasting letters to the editor was brought up. You see Kafoury is on their board! Mind you, I believe our public schools should be responding to the demands of the local schools and general public. But we have everything in place to offer web-based instruction through the Oregon Department of Education's Oregon Virtual School District. (I will blog on that topic too and link to this website!)

Anyhow... back to green energy. The Portland City Club is having a Friday forum on May 8th on Economic Development in Washington County. I want to get a big OREP (Oregonians for Renewable Energy Payments) table(s) together. I would love to see more people pushing our cause. Primary mover and shaker is Judy Barnes from the Alliance for Democracy. Jefferson Smith is one of our champions!

So direct people to my blog. Tell them to take the survey. Tell them to send a postcard to raise corporate taxes (funneled through Tax Fairness Oregon.) And give me a call. 503-293-0745

[Terry]

Thanks, Kris.

It must be said that plenty of Portlanders would be happy to see me in Beaverton. :)

[Air Jordan shoes]

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

[supra shoes]

Was well written

[Shoes Jordan]

That means that there is no vanilla in it*_*

[Shoes Jordan]

That means that there is no vanilla in it*_*

[Halloween]

The frightening thought that what you draw may become a building makes for reasoned lines.

[supra vaider shoes]

I want all the stuff about Season 3 and I want no more loan comments! Now-se!