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Republican Grifters Rob Oregonians Blind With Charter School Scam
more from Hrafnkell Haraldsson
Tim King in 2002
I wrote back in November how Republicans Turn Charter School Officials Into the New Robber Barons. We’ve just seen a new example of this out of Oregon, where the Oregonian is reporting Oregon charter school founders accused in $20 million racketeering lawsuit. As I wrote on that earlier occasion, Privatization is the new Gold Rush. There is money to be made in them there hills. And charter schools are the Republican hammer to be used to prise it out of our hands. And what money!
According to the Oregonian, “Tim King and Norm Donohoe, who ran a chain of taxpayer-funded charter schools across small-town Oregon from their headquarters in Clackamas, scammed the state out of $17 million and must repay that plus $2.7 million more, the state said in a court filing this week.”
It turns out that while unrepentant greed and avarice are Republican virtues in 2012, they are still illegal:
The legal claim, brought Thursday by the Oregon Department of Justice in Marion County Circuit Court, accuses the pair of racketeering, money laundering and other fraud from 2007 to 2010.
King and Donohoe “were the director and president, respectively,” the Oregonian relates, of EdChoices, an inappropriately named nonprofit, because apparently the choices were not so much about education as graft. Like crooked paymasters throughout time, or Indian agents in the Old West, they even lied about how many kids they had in their schools (the state paid them $6,000 for each student each year). The state’s money – and therefore the taxpayers’ – was apparently, in their own minds at least, theirs to do with what they pleased.
And it pleased them very much to make themselves rich as Croesus.
The lack of oversight – you know, that evil regulation – allowed the charter schools to say “trust me” when it came to such things as enrollment.
No, Virginia, markets – and Republican officials – do not regulate themselves, unless by regulation you mean stuff their pockets with gold that does not belong to them.
Anyone thinking the Republicans are in this for anyone but themselves needs to consider the facts in this case and in others. The Oregonian tells us that “state regulators in the education and justice departments to begin asking questions in spring 2010. He quickly stepped down. Donohoe said Friday that he doesn’t know how to reach him.”
Please don’t tell me you’re surprised, Oregon.
The result is wealth for Republicans and, as Big Bang Theory describes it, the students and parents were “attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis,” in other words, screwed:
Some of the schools abruptly closed during the school year, leaving students and teachers in a lurch. Others have since stopped operating. Still others operate under new auspices.
Any reasonable degree of oversight or vetting should have prevented the problem from arising. King had revealed his intentions before in the running of “three North Clackamas School District charter schools: New Urban High, Clackamas Middle College and Clackamas Web Academy” where “The district discovered a trail of financial problems, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in questioned expenditures, only after his departure.”
Let states and students beware Republicans bearing solutions. America, like Troy, is being sacked. The Oregonian tells us that the state wants its money back but that’s what happens when Republicans want their country back. The most amusing anecdote to arise from this situation is the revelation that “the schools did legitimately educate some students.”
Still the two Republican grifters owe $17 million big ones. The state also wants $2.7 million in damages “breach of contract plus attorney fees and the costs of investigation and litigation.”
Get used to this scenario, America. If the Republicans have their way, your tax dollars will not go to those in need (including you and your children) but to Republicans. Republican America is a non-starter, and is, in fact, a contradiction in terms, a violation of every reasonable expectation you might have of what America is supposed to be about as a land of opportunity and freedom.
The Republicans are carpet-baggers. Republican governance looks like nothing more than manipulating events so as to divert wealth from the American people into the bank accounts of corporations, the wealthy, religious groups, and greedy speculators. Actually furthering the cause of America, or Americans, seems to be the furthest thing from their minds. The Republican solution to “tax and spend” Democrats is apparently “tax and steal” Republicans.
Photo from The Oregonian
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16 Responses to Republican Grifters Rob Oregonians Blind With Charter School Scam
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Debra Vermaas
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 11:35 am
Republicans won’t be happy until they own every school and prison in this country to fleece Americans out of every dollar paid in taxes.
They also won’t be happy until they have poisoned every drop of water, and polluted every breath of fresh air.
Douchebaggery at its worst.
djchefron
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
While I agree with you I think we missing the big picture of corporate ownership of education.
What’s the one thing that a ruling class need to rule?An under educated class of citizens.The cons have been at this for a long time.If you don’t teach you how to think then you will believe anything.
About a month ago there was poster who claimed he was in the union that advocated for right to work laws,saying the union has done nothing for workers in so many words.I don’t know old he was or even if he was in a union but he wouldn’t or couldn’t think for himself so he believed what has been shoved down our throats for more than a generation,Even today Michelle Rhee is pushing a curriculum that’s anti union.crooksandliars.com/karoli...
Then there’s the budget that is being discuss on these pages.You even have liberals who don’t even understand basic civics.They ask why don’t the President just pass the bill.Its not their fault but when I was in 8th grade we had to pass a Constitution test just to graduate.Do they even teach civics today?Judging from the comments of our fellow American Taliban I don’t think so.
I wont even get into what they are teaching in Louisiana.Jesus walked with the dinosaurs.I know its ridiculous but it is what it is.
How can we fight it?Well for one thing we can run for the school board in our community.Second and this might be to grandiose,organize for a constitutional amendment for free public education,no public money for private schools and if one qualifies a college education.
majii
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 12:27 am
Yes, djchefron, civics is still taught in many areas of the country. I taught high school civics for over 30 years until I retired in 2009. What I discovered was that although the students could retain the material in order to pass the state-mandated tests, they felt no need to remember or apply it. I taught in a small town in Middle GA. In this area of GA, as in many small towns across the nation, the information students learn in school is supplanted by the political POV of their parents, their ministers, Fox News, etc. They might learn in civics class that only Congress has the power to borrow and spend on our behalf, but if their parents, ministers, RW politicians and pundits, and Fox News blame the president, they believe it.
Sally
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 11:53 am
Great article. A group called “New Tech” is moving into Michigan, and has taken over a local school nearby. This is their first year, and my school district was ready to jump right aboard the train, pending ‘outside financing.’ They planned to run a lottery for 8th graders, and put 200 of our 9th graders into a soon to be closed middle school. All of this for next fall. Parents of autistic kids were pleased, as they see the huge high schools with only a couple counselors as intimidating for their students. Parents of problem children were also hoping for smaller calsses and more attention for their kids. So, basically, we would have been running a seperate school for the needier kids, with public funds after the ‘startup money’ ended. Luckily, the corporations and foundations said no, so it was tabled.
We’ve already seen the IB push here. Or as the teachers say, “dumbing down AP classes.” A local company pushed this and paid for the startup, but now the district is trying to fund it AND add elementary schools to the global program. Meanwhile, teachers are losing their jobs, their pay is being cut by Snyder, and paras are working for minimum wage. Subs are not to be found, as their pay has not been raised in 25 years now. And what are kids losing? No handwriting any more, just learn to type and print (will no one in the future be able to SIGN their name to anything?) No aides in the classroom unless they are above 30 students, and the aides are then paid peanuts to help teach. Beginning band classes are huge, so kids get discouraged when they don’t have a piano background and can’t get the individual attention they need to succeed.
And then you read more and more about the GOP supported ‘charters’ being all about the cash. Wake up, America. We are either about people, or we are doomed.
fedded-up
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 11:54 am
I cannot imagine why anyone would be surprised by this. The ‘privatization’ mania has never been anything but more ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes from the git-go. Anybody who believes otherwise is nuts.
Granted, I have seen some charter schools that out-performed state schools by a wide margin, and I have nothing but kudos for them, even though a bunch of them are religion-based and pack their curriculums with a wide variety of Bible-based fairy tales. That’s how all of this started – a way for the religion-obsessed to have their children educated both scholastically and religiously and still have it done on the taxpayer dime – which is yet another reason it was wrong to allow it. But I digress.
As soon as the idea for charter schools took hold, you could almost smell the wheels start turning and move into hyperdrive. Ironically enough, the same enthusiasm came from both the ideologically driven and the completely amoral asshats. Even funnier? Both have been rubbing trunks in the same political wasteland for years….
Older_Wiser
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Sure, I’ve known about charter schools and who runs them for years. Even during the 2012 election, they only invited R candidates (Rmoney made a stop here in this NC county).
I call them “white flight” schools.
Moongal6
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 2:17 pm
Yup, this all had to end in 2010, when we elected a Democratic governor, Dr. John Kitzhaber, and in the spring of 2010, “when State regulators in the education and justice department started to ask questions.”
The rats jump ship.
JH
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 3:13 pm
Oregon’s had a democratic governor since 1987, and our educational system is in perpetual turmoil.
robyn ryan
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
Governor Jindal is in the forefront of stealing money from Louisiana.
Our education system had been in the toilet forever, but the ‘Charter schools’ scam sells our children into indentured servitude.
zumpie
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 3:35 pm
If you mosey over to the comments section in The Oreognian, you’ll notice all the wingnuts are STILL blaming the state. Because it’s Oregon’s fault for not having stricter audits. But had officials done so, well, you know jack booted thugs and FREEDUMS!!!!
Beware the charter mentality even from the left—my daughter’s last year of elementary school brought a new principal from a charter background. Despite being a political progressive she bullied the best teachers in the school, pushed her fairly corrupt agenda through and bullied parents (through both their children and other methods) when they dared to question her.
Also, too, Stand for Children is an arm of the corporate charter movement—so be verrrry wary of any of their studies, positions, etc.
Oregonian
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Um…they weren’t Republicans. In fact, they were school establishment favorites. Mr. King was LOVED by his school district officials who wanted to keep REAL charter founders from coming into their districts so they asked him to start schools and then sat on their hands and never asked tough questions. You’ll find a number of schools Mr. King ran for Clackamas were included in the local bargaining contracts. Charter schools in Oregon started by REAL outsiders face hostility from the jump and would never have been allowed to run wild as Mr. King was allowed. Do your homework. Lots of public school establishment people running for cover around this story.
aspromised
Jan. 6th, 2013 at 7:57 pm
This has been the RW Friedman IMF goal for years: privatize anything and everything. Dozens of excellent books out there on the subject. I should add that it is a FAILED THEORY. No nation that’s gone this path has succeeded.
djchefron
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 4:40 pm
You have to ask ,are charter schools educating or indoctrinating?
I have to sat Michelle rhee’s Student First has a nice little scam going on.Just a few examples
Louisiana is the top-rated state, according to StudentsFirst. It ranks 49th of 51 on eighth grade reading scores and 47th of 51 on eighth grade math scores.
Florida is StudentsFirst’s second-best state according to ideology. According to educational results, Florida is 35th on reading and 42nd on math.
StudentsFirst says Indiana is third. The “nation’s report card” says it’s 30th on reading and 23rd on math.
Like I said ,a nice little scam.
Shiva (Moderator)
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
We have Students first here too. All they want is to close public schools so they can teach the tennessee version of religion.
grrace
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
I have always said, only crooks & polluters argue for de-regulation.
Bill Drake
Jan. 7th, 2013 at 10:05 pm
They used to make kids work in the fields for nothing – now they just make them sit in seats. They are still slaves, and parents seem to be powerless to stop the slavemasters from selling their kids on the block. Hey, I know. Let’s make a few protest signs and stand outside the school board meeting.