A teacher has been filtering through the 1061 pages of ESSA (reauthorization of No Child Left Behind) in order to point out troubling issues with the legislation signed into law yesterday by President Obama:
1. Pay For Success – “Investors” like Goldman Sachs come into a school district to evaluate SPED kids. Goldman Sachs gets a kickback or “return on their investment” for every student NOT enrolled in Special Ed. In Utah, Golman Sachs determined that 99% of SPED kids were not SPED – miraculously cured! They also received a first payment of $250K! Stealing scarce resources from the kids that need it the most and lining the pockets of billion dollar corps.
2. No parent opt out provision. Leaves it up to states to work out how to deal with opt outs.
3. Still has the 95% participation testing requirement.
4. Still allows Secretary of Ed to take over state and LEA’s.
5. Big swath of funding to the expansion of charter schools.
So why did Senators Ayotte, Shaheen and Congresswoman Kuster ALL vote for this?
Why did Governor Hassan, the AFT and NEA in NH all praise this?
NH parents need to think about who is serving the interests of children and who is serving the interest of Goldman Sachs the next time they vote.