One fourth of teachers at Michigan charter school quit.

[proud2BlibKansan]

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) - A quarter of the newly hired teachers in the state-run Muskegon Heights school district have quit since a private company took over its management.

A state emergency financial manager laid off all the previous employees, and Mosaica Education hired 80 teachers for the fall semester.

Since then, Michigan Radio says 20 of the teachers have quit.

Muskegon Heights High School senior Tony Harris says it's confusing and disrupting his education. He says he's had two math teachers quit and a number of substitutes in between them.

Mosaica regional vice president Alena Zachery-Ross says some teachers quit because no discipline policy was in place, while others left for jobs with better pay and benefits at traditional public schools. She says the high school principal quit before classes started.

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Information from: WUOM-FM

http://www.woodtv.com//dpp/news/local/muskegon_county/quarter-of-new-musk-hgts-teachers-quit

[MrMickeysMom]

1. Legalized theft...

Charter schools....

[ReRe]

2. Thanks to the privatiziation of almost everything....

....our society is cracking apart. When is this stupid charter school business going to be taken for what it is? It's a scam. A money grabbing scheme which isn't good for anyone, especially children and teachers. I thought the deal was that charter schools were supposed to be so much better than public schools. I don't see it...

[Bozita]

3. Dupe. Link to the original Michigan Radio article ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021922327

[Yooperman]

4. My ex wife worked for a Charter school outside Grand Rapids...

She was considered an hourly employee and punched a clock.... she wasn't allowed to work overtime ...but of course she couldn't do her job effectively if she didn't. So she took work home nightly and worked weekends as they didn't allow her to have time to do paperwork at the school. The principle forbid teachers from attending "board meetings" for fear of them voicing their opinions on the conditions they worked under. Many of the children were problem students who had a difficult time in the public schools...so their parents were looking for an alternative school... well the charter school was more than happy to take them in .... over $6,000 per student. There was no discipline... nor expulsions.... that could mean losing funds. It was a sad place for teachers to work... The school is supposed to be monitored by a "sponsoring" university, however, her school was visited once a year near the beginning of the school year.... so they never really understood what was happening at the school. After what I witnessed with my wife and the company that ran the charter school, I would never ever send my kids to one. There may be some good ones out there...but I doubt there are many. Most likely specialization schools that feature say Music or Science ... it is a sad direction our state is going using them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I have a friend who was recruited by a charter.

She took the job and when she got paid, it was half of what they had promised her. She was never given a contract. So she asked the principal who said she'd take it to the board. Principal went to the board to ask why my friend wasn't given a contract and why her pay was half of what they told her they'd pay her. Board fired the principal. My friend quit.

We have about 20 charters here. I can tell these stories all night long. Most of them scam their teachers. Some don't even offer health insurance.

[HiPointDem]

5. Another disruptive facet of charters is when they're suddenly shut down because of

financial problems, malfeasance or poor performance -- & suddenly the parents have to scramble to find another place for their kid -- often in a completely different location, which can also disrupt transportation & day-care arrangements.

It's like bringing the culture of work -- where you might be suddenly out of a job and have to find one in another part of the city, state or country, disrupting your entire life -- to childhood.

There have been a lot of such cases, and it just adds more instability and precariousness to lives that already have too much instability & precariousness.

[drm604]

6. This is a very good point,

and well stated.

Public school systems have stability. Charters are subject to market forces. Do we really want to subject our children so directly to the vagaries of the market?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Or they tell some parents they're closing.

Happened here. Charter told the parents oh, we're closing at the end of the year, so you may want to go ahead and pull your kid out now. Then at the end of the year, charter didn't close.

Interesting way to hand pick kids, eh?

[HiPointDem]

9. wow. yeah, very interesting.