I'm going to say it: we deserved to get beat on the charter school bill last week. No sugar-coating or spinning. The other side earned their victory. They did what they had to do, they showed up for the fight, and they walked away in celebration. While charter schools legislation is dead right now, the fight to bring them to Mississippi is very much alive. It hurt like hell to lose this round but if charter school advocates want to win, they better wake up and realize why they lost.
It is so easy: blame the public school lobby, blame the superintendents, blame five Republican representatives, blame Snowball. If the Republicans keep doing that, they will keep losing. Too many Republicans assumed charter schools would pass. Too many of them told me last November after capturing the House "a charter school bill will pass". This mantra was repeated until two weeks ago when suddenly it changed to "oh my gosh, we are in trouble".
How did we get here is actually pretty simple to understand. Republicans assumed they were at the goal line when actually they were starting on their own side of the field. There were several groups promoting charter schools: The Mississippi Center for Public Policy, the Mississippi Republican Party, lobbyists for companies operating charter schools, and legislators such as Chuck Espy. There were few, if any meetings between these groups. No effort was made to educate the public despite the fact probably no more than 500 people in Mississippi can describe charter schools. Why should they educate the public? This one was in the bag. We can tell them about charter schools- after the battle. There was no coordination of legislative strategy. No message was developed. No social media was used. A Facebook page? What's that? Letter-writing campaigns to newspapers were neglected. Talking points? That is what they use. No public pressure was generated. In other words, they ran goal-line plays.... from the fifty yard line.
A typical example of the fractured nature of the cause took place when Representative Espy held a press conference supporting charter schools. He brought many African-American children to support charter schools. Good positive event. Shows diversity. Great photo op. Unfortunately, it was the best kept secret outside of the capitol. I found out about it six hours later. When I asked one group why they didn't inform me or anyone else about it before it took place, I was told they knew about it, but they were not a "part of it". In other words, let someone else do the job as they didn't see the need to notify others who might support charter schools. Taking the initiative was a foreign concept. What should have been a movement instead turned into a little club made up of cliques who failed to work together but all assumed they were on the same page.
The early success of the charter school bills made things worse. Representative Espy's bill passed the House Education Committee and Senator Gray Tollison's bill passed the Education Committee he chairs. The Senate version removed language establishing virtual schools and was considered to be a "weaker bill". It passed the Senate. The overconfidence soared after Espy's bill passed out of committee. There were not one but two charter school bills. One cleared one chamber and then all they have to do is pass the House version out of the House. We got a Republican House. Just run a dive play and BAM!, we got a touchdown. Take that, you commie libs. Trust me, that was the sentiment.
Someone forgot to tell the public school lobby they lost. The House Democrats slowed down the House for a few days when they required the reading of bills on the floor of the house. That means every word of a bill that might be 60 pages has to be read. Great stall tactic. Then the House wasted several hours while on deadline debating bills that were later killed in the Senate such as immigration and fetal heartbeat legislation. Bills that will probably be struck down by the courts. The bills were not just killed in the Senate, they actually died in committee as they were never brought up for a vote. Mr. Espy's bill died on the calendar as it was never brought up for a vote. However, several representatives and charter school advocates literally told me it was no big deal as they had the Senate bill to pass on a later deadline.
While they were thinking about scoring from the goal line, the other side was fighting trench warfare. Southern Echo, The Parents' Campaign, Parents for Public Schools, and the Mississippi Association of Superintendents are the public school lobby. Their combined annual budgets are over $6 million. They have a dedicated "advocate": Nancy Loome. She earns over $100,000 a year representing the Parent's Campaign. Every time there was a whisper a charter school might be mentioned at the capital, she was there. Email bulletins, tweets, letters to the editor, Facebook, you name it, she did it. Her ally, Desoto Superintendent Milton Kuykendall, was usually by her side, leaning on some wayward legislators and browbeating others. The s0-called black leadership is telling the black community charter schools are a plot by Northeast Jackson white people to put segregationist academies such as Jackson Prep on the public dole so they don't have to pay tuition anymore - and they believe it. I won't even mention the role played by David Hampton, the husband of the communications director for Jackson Public Schools, and the editorial page of the Clarion-Ledger he runs. Cecil Brown bragged to his people they were going to kill the bill. A touchdown turned into a fumble at the goal line into a touchdown run back the other way as five Republicans voted to kill the bill. The other side celebrated as Steve Holland derided "stupid Republicans".
There was one observation I made last week when the committee killed the bill. I arrived at the door to the committee room ninety minutes before it started to get a place in line- and I was third. The line got longer and longer as 1:00 PM drew near but everyone in line was a charter school opponent. Nice guys and we got along fine but make no mistake, they were there to kill the bill. I saw a few charter school advocates show up around 1:00: two from the Mississippi Center for Public Policy and two from the Mississippi Tea Party (and they should have stayed home.). That was it. The other side arrived early and in large numbers while only a few charter school proponents bothered to show up for the battle. Any question who wanted it more?
The House Republican Leadership forgot how to play hardball and make no mistake: this defeat was a major embarrassment for them and even the Governor after they leaned on those five Republicans. This fiasco would have never happened in a House run by Buddy Newman or Billy McCoy. They would have called in the Desoto County delegation and told them if they kept opposing the bill, then they would cut that extra funding Desoto County gets for being a high-growth school district.* The Black Caucus would just loooove to get their hands on that money for schools in the Delta. Tim Ford would have probably offered them more money but you get the idea. Now House Republicans are left hoping Tate can save them with a procedural trick or the Governor will call a special session. One can only hope lessons were learned last week and will be applied to future battles after the bruised egos heal.
*The same thing can also take place on a different level. Representative Weathersby wants to kill this bill because his brother is the Superintendent of Rankin Schools. It sure would be a shame if the proposed bonds get rejected by the voters of Rankin County. Yup. would hate for that to happen.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Charter schools deserved to lose
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One man once said, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." The first time since reconstruction-you might as well say ever-that MS has a majority republican presence in the house, senate and mansion. Couldn't get it done-not only charter schools but immigration and many others. Tate Reeves is a joke and he is one of many who bow down to big business and politics so the haves can continue to have and have and have and all the while no progress for # 50. It is looking like more of the same in Jackson.
In essence, this year's charter school effort died when Doug Davis got beat in the Senate GOP primary last year. The education forces helped beat him because he didnt jump to their wishes on education funding. This showed De Soto County GOP legislators that education elites can be a factor in GOP primaries, a fact that was not lost on the House Education Committee members from that county.
The GOP had little notice that it would control the House, and even less notice as to who the Speaker would be. Thus, they had even less time to put together a well-researched and thought-out agenda. This showed in the Charter Schools effort, as well as in numerous other initiatives this session. Because of the short time period, this is forgivable this time.
GOP legislators and their activist allies should take the time between sessions to research and market a bold agenda, including Charter Schools. they should work out the legislation with the folks that want to get these problems solved. Then maybe this wont happen next time.
@ 1:02
You might want to check your facts on the charter school bill before you start the "blame game". Tate Reeves did his job. Charter schools passed the Senate no problems whatsoever. They were in, out, and passed it. It fell apart in the House under Gunn's leadership( or more like lack of it). Gunn showed absolutely no backbone at all, and even when ole Phil had to step in he couldn't even sway one of the five republicans to change their vote.
If you just don't like Tate that's one thing, but don't let your bias dilute the facts. I'm disappointed with several republicans that I've always liked, but this time Tate's the only one I see that did his job.
I pointed that out to someone. Know what the response was? He was in bed with the teachers and they were playing good cop bad cop. Yup, they had a conspiracy for tate to pass it out and look good and fail in the House so he would still look good. Can't make that up.
Indeed, this push for charters has not been a grassroots effort, and non-grassroots efforts hardly ever succeed in Mississippi. I predicted this on March 6th, for what it's worth, here: http://mississippi123.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/the-mississippi-charter-movement-anything-but-grassroots/
The proponents of charters should take a few pages from Governor Winter's successful push for mandatory Kindergarten in the 80's, in which supporters literally traveled the state and built support FIRST instead of jumping straight into the legislative process.
Of course, unlike the push for charter schools, Winter's push for mandatory Kindergarten was, well, right.
Our legislators are learning a lesson in the new world; campaign's to get elected now must immediately be followed by campaigns to promote the agenda. Otherwise special interests run the show, and since they have always run the show, we get little change at all. There is no organization because all these ambitious Republicans are jockeying for position.
Dumbass me! I thought Kingfish was just reporting the news all along. Had no clue (prior to this diatribe) he was so deeply mired in it. Call me uninformed or at least not part of the inner-circle.
I've made no secret of my advocacy of charter schools. None whatsoever. Oh, thats right, you have no memory when it comes to this website and rarely comprehend what you read. Although every hearing I attended was covered as straight up news.
Nope, you sure can't make a story like that up. I think I'd be insulted that they thought you were ignorant enough to believe something like that. You know I understand that Tate winning by that huge majority was a bitter pill for some people to swallow, but it's over and done with and they just need to let it go and move on for the good of the party. The Senate is functioning like a well oiled machine. It's effective and they're getting stuff done. No one can even begin to say the same thing about the house. Gunn just dropped the ball on this one.
Plus my understanding is that it's highly frowned upon for the Lt. gov to go over to the house side and try to do the Speaker's job for him if he can't get the votes. So I see no way that people can even begin to pin this debacle on Tate.
The consensus at the capital is Tate saved the R's last week. Several times.
I don't think I ever saw a list of the 5 Republican opponents to the house bill. Could someone please provide that? Thanks.
Indeed, the proponents need to do their homework and come up with the best plan to meet the State's needs and the data to back up their proposal.
Speaker Gunn better get the handful of knuckleheads under control before all hell breaks loose. I can think of no better place to start enforcing party discipline than Tom Weathersby. The Rankin County school district is nothing more than a taxpayer subsidized employment agency for the Weathersby family. It's become the biggest joke in public education.
Tom Weathersby broke with the party's position to protect his brother's kingdom and his worthless relatives' jobs. Speaker Gunn needs to put a foot in Weathersby's South Rankin good ole boy redneck ass at his first opportunity.
KF is SPOT-ON with the coverage of this debate. No where can u find a break down of how this story unfolded except here..but no matter how disorganized the pro Charter school groups were...it came down to 5 republicans on the Education committee who killed the bill...and the only way that can happen is if those 5 people think they can get away with it. What made them think that? They see what many in the HOUSE see....Speaker Gunn is weak....PERIOD. He has NO CLUE what to do half the time. And to loose a slam dunk vote like this is inexscusable. He made no threats! He could have replaced these 5 people on the committee and be done with it. He could have made sure they had no power at anything EVER again, cut their money to their districts....but what did Gunn do...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! THIS GUNN GUY IS A JOKE!!! I cant tell you how many people have told me since the session began that he is just LOST in his postion as SPEAKER. That he has no idea what he is doing... that his chief of staff is no better ...they laugh at him behind his back...they make jokes...one table full of republican legislators made the comment one night at Ticos that it was just a matter of time before he is either run out or he will just quit. HOW SAD...it took all this time for the GOP to control the HOUSE and because of a bunch of IDIOT FRESHMAN legislators who had no clue who to vote for speaker....we got stuck with a weak idiot at the helm.
KF is SPOT-ON with the coverage of this debate. No where can u find a break down of how this story unfolded except here..but no matter how disorganized the pro Charter school groups were...it came down to 5 republicans on the Education committee who killed the bill...and the only way that can happen is if those 5 people think they can get away with it. What made them think that? They see what many in the HOUSE see....Speaker Gunn is weak....PERIOD. He has NO CLUE what to do half the time. And to loose a slam dunk vote like this is inexscusable. He made no threats! He could have replaced these 5 people on the committee and be done with it. He could have made sure they had no power at anything EVER again, cut their money to their districts....but what did Gunn do...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! THIS GUNN GUY IS A JOKE!!! I cant tell you how many people have told me since the session began that he is just LOST in his postion as SPEAKER. That he has no idea what he is doing... that his chief of staff is no better ...they laugh at him behind his back...they make jokes...one table full of republican legislators made the comment one night at Ticos that it was just a matter of time before he is either run out or he will just quit. HOW SAD...it took all this time for the GOP to control the HOUSE and because of a bunch of IDIOT FRESHMAN legislators who had no clue who to vote for speaker....we got stuck with a weak idiot at the helm.
4:14 Here are the R's that voted against Charter Schools. 3 from Desoto, and then there is Weathersby, whose family member is the Superintendent in Rankin County...hmmm
Forrest Hamilton (DeSoto County) - R
Wanda Jennings (DeSoto County) - R
Steve Massengill (Hickory Flat) - R
Pat Nelson (DeSoto County) - R
Tom Weathersby (Rankin County) - R
How ethical and highly responsible to believe lawmakers should have been threatened with district cuts, etc to garner their vote. The very idea that bribery should be tolerated sickens me.
If legislators cared about education, they should have independently researched charter schools, the bestcand the rest. Perhaps an effective bill would have been developed. Instead they rushed to vote on this important issue that they knew would not pass. Who sat around and listened to the sixty pg contents being read? We, the people, have grown tired of important laws being passed before the implications are considered.
This reader responded to a Democrat's FB question a week before the vote so social networks were no totally overlooked. That being said, every respondent replied similarly that if highly funded public schools do not work in this state, then what in the world makes anyone believe charter schools are the cure-all? Are stringent federal requirements the problem? No, or else none of our districts would succeed.
Furthermore, charter schools without properly drafted legislation are rift with admin fraud and mispent funds. FL is a prime example. Superiors bill their charters for expensive hotel and restaurant bills that are not necessary for the benefit of a child's successful education. I mean, just how does a steak dinner and a bottle of wine benefit second graders? How is bribing votes the proper way to conduct the state's business?
Word at the Capitol today is that Lt. Gov. Is looking for a way to save charter school bill.
But I voted for the other guy....so I hope he fails!!
Tom Weathersby has always been a goober.
Tate showed his colors with the immigration legislation, ( if the Gov is for it, Tate is against)
The quickest way to doom the immigration bill would be to assign it to a committee headed by, oh, somebody like Hobbles Bryan. Wait! Isn't that what Tate did? It's hard to believe someone with those Cherub-Cheeks could be so devious.
Meanwhile, some of you who are looking for a villain need to look not in Desota. Kuykendall simply did what he thought was best. For you baseball fans, wouldn't that be like saying "Dammit, we lost because their relief pitcher was too damned good!"
Kudos 9:06pm!
The notion that bullying the members of your party into supporting a bill, no matter how poorly drafted is disgusting.
The notion that if a bill is so well researched that it is grounded in the facts and so well written so as to make opposition difficult apparently no longer occurs to either party.
What a radical idea that our elected officials should try to do their jobs and act in the best interest of the State or Nation rather than play power politics among themselves!
April 10, 2012 8:00 AM and April 9, 2012 9:06 PM are the same poster.
@ 8:00 am & 9:06 pm
You should probably take off your rose colored glasses now...
While I agree that "bullying" members to vote a certain way isn't right, I also realize that it's kind of hard to come to these men's defense on this considering the reason the five of them held out was because they were being threaten, bribed, or influenced by their superintendents or own personal gain. So let's be honest if your going to call out the lawmakers trying to get them to change their vote then you should at least be willing to acknowledge that it's becoming increasingly clear that these five men had some major reasons to keep them from changing their vote, and it had nothing to do with whether they thought charter schools was in "the best interest of the State".
8:00am, where does voting a certain way to protect one's brother's fiefdom and sorry relatives' jobs fall on your disgust-o-meter? Tom Weathersby's vote against charter schools was to protect The Family business. It is La Cosa Redneck. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you think Tom Weathersby voted against charter schools based on policy, you live in a fantasy land. He voted against charter schools because they are seen as a threat to the system that has brought a very comfy lifestyle to the entire Weathersby brood, all at taxpayer expense.
Kinda hard to blame him, I guess. Without brother Lynn passing out taxpayer-funded jobs, all the useless Weathersby kids would have to go find real jobs, involving real work, with normal-sized paychecks.
Curt, it falls in " disgusting".
You seem to miss the point.
The point is that it was likely hard to find a legislator on EITHER side of the aisle that knew jack about charter schools. They simply knew their party or those who are influential in their political existence were for or against.
Worse, those who were behind the proposal clearly didn't bother to learn much of anything about charter schools either.
This looked for all the world like Magnolia Venture and the meat packing boondoggles. Neither were bad ideas, per se, but due diligence was NOT done. The details mattered then and now!
It will not behoove the GOP to be as stupid and careless and heady with power when they are in charge as the Democrats were .
Already, the rational middle is having to choose between the frying pan and the fire and the kitchen is burning down around us.
Honor,honesty and competence might actually sell to the voter.
Oh, here we go again. More grandiose pontifications from the jerk off troll who somehow is convinced they've been divinely anointed to defend -- anonymously, of course -- the "rational middle".
START YOUR OWN BLOG.
Your bullying won't work with me 10:32 am.
You are anonymous as well, I see.
And, even in anonymity , you are unable to defend your position or dispute the RATIONALITY of what I've written.
Since my comments aren't inflammatory or off point", I can't be a troll. You , on the other hand...
Is that Alma or Karen?\
8:52 am My glasses were crystal clear when I worked on issues in Mississippi's best interest . There were jerks and idiots and greedy bastards on both sides then as well, but the competent legislators from both sides worked together on many issues.
Cochrane, Lott and Montgomery worked well together and worked with Democratic governors of the State.
They weren't opposed to an idea just because the folks on the other side of the aisle were for it. They " played well with others" and disagreed without being disagreeable.
Have you not noticed how Bill Billingsley can defend his position without being rude or crude? And, he would do that even in anonymity because he's a gentleman.
JJ is doomed KF as long as stay with anonymous commenting.
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