Category:

WHAT. THE. CHUCK.

3/30/2015

Cagle that is...

Photo from Rocky Top Politics

Charles W. (Chuck) Cagle is listed as a shareholder and chair of the Education Law and Government Relations Practice Group for Lewis, Thomason, King, Krieg, and Waldrop on the firm's website.

According to the website: Cagle graduated from Tennessee Tech in 1978, receiving his law degree from the Nashville YMCA Night Law School in 1989. Now known as Nashville School of Law, this school has not been accredited by the American Bar Association and its graduates may not be allowed to sit for the bar examinations in other states.

It also goes on to say that he "oversees the firm’s representation of over 70 public boards of education, two private schools, two private universities, and a private medical school in a variety of legal matters... Mr. Cagle also is a registered lobbyist with the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance. His list of lobbying clients has included school superintendents, school employee professional organizations, school boards, private schools, private universities,"

Friends might call him "Chuck" but Momma Bears like to call him, Chucky Sleeze.

Friends might call him "Chuck" but Momma Bears like to call him, Chucky Sleeze.

Why? Well, let's start with all the conflicts of interest pointed out in The Knoxville Focus:

In addition to representing over half the school districts in the state, here is a quick list of some of Chuck’s lobbying clients:

(1) Tennessee State Collaborative on Reform of Education (SCORE)
(2) Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS)
(3) The Association of Independent and Municipal Schools (AIMS)
(4) Mr. Cagle is also a registered lobbyist for Pearson Education.

Yes THAT Pearson

Pearson is the biggest book publisher in the world, who stands to make millions selling books and materials to the state and to school systems that were forced to buy new books because of Common Core. SCORE played a huge role in bringing Common Core to Tennessee.

And who plays a major role at the local level in deciding what textbooks get bought with taxpayer money? The School Superintendents. Cagle represents the School Superintendents (TOSS) in Nashville as their personal lobbyist.

Mr. Cagle’s client Pearson Education also landed the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing contract without having to contend with any competing bids.

Oh, but that's not all...

Photo from Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

Photo from LinkedIn

Chucky Sleeze's wife, Sandra G. worked for Pearson as a Senior Account Executive. Yes, that same Pearson!!! And when Sandy was unavailable, ol' Chucky would pinch hit for her, like at this important meeting for the Association of Independent and Municipal Schools, where "Chuck Cagle represented PEARSON in the absence of Sandra Cagle and indicated that PEARSON was happy to sponsor the AIMS luncheon." After doing Sandy's part, then Chuck gave his "Legislative Update" as the AIMS Lobbyist/Attorney.

According to LinkedIn, Sandy was employed by Pearson for thirteen years. She left in 2013, just after Chucky got into trouble with Tennessee Ethics Commission for an incident involving Pearson. Uh oh.

Details are in Commission's November 13, 2012 minutes. A Pearson employee gave a case of wine to an employee at the Tennessee Department of Education (tsk-tsk), but Chucky got the wine back and reported the incident, so no action was taken against him. This wasn't his first time before the Ethics Commission. Earlier that year, Cagle was fined by the commission for forgetting to register on time. Well, those things happen when you are as busy as Chucky representing all those schools systems and education organizations.

Maybe Chuck forgot to file his registration because he was busy working on the Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools merger? Sometimes, things get lost in the shuffle when you ping pong back and forth between being a lawyer and a lobbyist.

Anyway, back to the merger... Only, it really wasn't a merger.

It was a contentious legal battle. Unfortunately for Shelby County Schools, they hired Chuck Cagle to be their lawyer. So, all those promises of the school merger litigation dragging out until kindergarteners went to college never happened. Instead, Chucky urged the Shelby County School Board to "start planning for the inevitable.” And forget about a special school district or municipal schools because "the idea of some or all of the suburban municipalities forming their own school systems probably wouldn't get far in the legislature which has not only a 1982 ban on special school districts but a similar ban on municipal school districts."

Even though, Chucky turned out being wrong wrong wrong about municipal schools, he can still be rather pushy about things. Back in 2007, he pled "no-contest" to assault after pushing and calling someone an idiot at a school board meeting. "No-Contest" means Chuck didn't want to admit to assault because he might get sued. But he can't plead "not guilty" because he did it. And you can see his lame little push in this video.

So, how does Chucky get away with all those conflicts of interest? Why do school boards keep hiring him to be their lawyer? Why do reputable education organizations pick him to be their lobbyist? We want to know!!!

WHAT. THE. CHUCK...???

How to get stinking rich in the education industry

12/3/2013

Times are tough, but that doesn't mean you can't make a buck in education right now. No qualifications or experience? No problem! In fact, it is actually works better if you have zero classroom experience (so you won't have any compassion for the hardworking teachers and innocent students you'll be profiting from).

You could pay $1,395 to attend a workshop (like this one) to learn how to get rich in the education industry, but Momma Bears already did the homework and figured it all out. And Momma Bears is all about sharing knowledge with other concerned folks. So, save your money and read about the easy 10-step program to getting rich with other people's money through America's public school system...

10 steps to hitting the jackpot in education:

Step #1: Start a consulting business or organization. It doesn't really matter if it is profit or non-profit. Non-profit organizations will seem more trustworthy and innocent to the public (but don't worry, that doesn't mean you won't get a nice paycheck.)

Step #2: Create a catchy name for your organization. Acronyms work especially well. Don't forget a logo. You cannot go wrong with an apple logo, they are very much in style right now.

Step #3: Make a website with pretty pie charts and lots of catchy buzz-words like these:

achievement gap
data driven benchmarks
human capital
Common Core aligned
education strategies
global citizen
rigorous, relevant, and robust

Step #4: Convince a school district that they are failing. You'll need to cherry-pick and manipulate test score data, make some glitzy charts, and use lots of buzz words. It helps if you can WOW the school board members and Superintendent with free trips or fancy meals, too.

Step #5: Find a Gullible Billionaire. (Bill Gates, Eli Broad, or any of the Walton family love education entrepreneurs, especially if you have a great logo.)

Step #6: Convince that failing school district to apply for a grant from the Gullible Billionaire. Note: the Gullible Billionaire may require a "matching grant" to get his money. Don't fret your pretty little entrepreneurial heart over that little detail! There's money to be squeezed from within that school district (those students don't need money for library, art, or music, do they?) Don't forget to tell the school district to ask for matching grants from that town's Chamber of Commerce and other gullible rich people. Businesses love to donate if you publicize their names; it is well-known that customers especially love businesses that help children. Be sure to check all those potential sources of grant money.

***Disclaimer: the Billionaire will require private student data in exchange for his grant. Don't worry, you won't go to jail. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) law was quietly changed to make it all legal. Parents would be upset if they knew, though, so don't let them find out.

Step #7: Name your price (which is conveniently the same amount as their grant funds plus the money they squeezed from their tight budget). Set a time limit to your involvement with the district, and include in the contract that you get paid no matter what.

Step #8: Pretend to study the data from the district. Visit some of their schools to seem legitimate. Then, convince the elected school board and superintendent to do any or all of the following (it really doesn't matter to you what they do, of course, because you still get paid regardless):

Fire teachers.
Hire unqualified temporary teachers that cost less and don't stay around long enough to get pricey retirement benefits.
Tell teachers they can earn bonuses and/or merit pay for reaching impossible goals.
Spend more money on testing students (but call them "benchmark assessments" to compile even more data, which Gullible Billionaires love).
Suggest they give biased surveys to teachers, parents, & students to convince them that you know what you are doing (these surveys are a great way to gather even more data. In fact, some Gullible Billionaires will often pay 100% for the surveys in addition to the grant!)
Squeeze even more students into classrooms to save their school district money (but don't ever mention how much they are wasting on outside consultants like yourself!)
Close neighborhood schools and give them to charter school investors.

Step #9: Now that you have stirred up a hornet's nest in that school district, it is time to get out of Dodge, cowboy! The citizens are starting to see they've been duped. It is time to go on a nice vacation or buy yourself a yacht with those millions of education dollars filling up your bank account.

Step #10: If you really want to rake in consistent long-term tax-payer money, consider starting charter schools. Charter operators set their own salaries and you don't have to deal with pesky financial audits and laws that apply to public schools. Charter investors get ridiculous tax breaks up to 38%, which will double your money in just 7 years! Yes, sir-ee, just sit back and let some commoners run your charter school empire while you watch your bank account grow.

So there you have it. Ten easy steps to hitting the jackpot in the education industry. What is your next goal in life? Perhaps children of your own? If you decide to brave the parenthood frontier, just make sure you put your own children in nice private schools with small class sizes, rich art programs, qualified teachers, huge endowments, and none of that common core stuff that some other education entrepreneurs came up with to sell textbooks & testing and gather data for Gullible Billionaires. Hey, maybe you'll see their yacht when you're on vacation so you can ask them for private school recommendations???

Don't believe Momma Bears? This kind of profiteering really has happened... maybe even in your school district!
Click these links to see for yourself:

Click HERE to read about grants & consultants in Knox County, TN
Click HERE to read about the enormous profit in Memphis, TN
Click HERE and HERE to see how TN's Governor profits
Click HERE to read how charters & testing companies make millions in TN
Click HERE to read about the scandals in FL, OK, ME, NJ, TN, NM, & LA
Click HERE to read the waste in Denver, CO
Click HERE and HERE to read how this firm profited from chaos in Colorado, New Orleans, New York, & St. Louis
Click HERE to read how a smart teacher does the math on Charter Schools
Click HERE and HERE to heed other's warnings about the Boston Consulting Group
Click HERE to see how Texas is being swindled big-time
Click HERE to see Louisana being taken advantage of
Click HERE for No Consultant Left Behind
Click HERE to see how a billionaire advertised for paid consultants in 15 states through Race to the Top
Click HERE to see how a consultant gets paid $625 an hour in Florida with public tax dollars (even though teachers haven't received raises in 7 years and the school board cut sports and student activities).

Pear$on in the U$A

11/21/2013

Parents, go check your child's textbooks. Do you see it there on the publisher's page? No? Well, don't just assume it isn't published by Pearson even if it says another publishing company's name because Pearson bought up lots & lots of publishing companies, but still retained the former names. (Click HERE to see all the companies Pearson now owns. We bet you'll recognize quite a few!). Pearson has a monopoly on common core. And testing. And pre-testing. And textbooks. And workbooks. And technology. And remedial help for students who fail the tests created by Pearson. And Pearson just recently acquired a major ADHD testing company (can you say, "conflict of interest"???) THEY are the ones publishing most of the common core hoops our children are forced to jump through. And they are making a boatload of our tax money off of it.

Pearson isn't even a U.S. company. Yes, you read that correctly. They have offices on U.S. soil for business purposes, but they an international corporation from the United Kingdom. Pearson spends millions on lobbyists and all-expenses-paid lavish trips for our elected and appointed officials in the USA to influence them. It is obviou$LY working for them.

This may seem far-fetched to think about, but we can't help but wonder: The British aren't still mad at the USA over that whole Boston Tea Party & Revolutionary War thing, are they? I mean, the U.S. hasn't paid taxes to them in centuries, but now our tax dollars are flowing into British pockets. Kinda weird to think about. Wouldn't making the other countries dumber make sense? Is THAT what is going on? It sounds crazy, but what other reason can explain: why is our children's curriculum is being dumbed down?

Even more suspicious, the second-largest stockholder in the Pearson corporation is "The Soverign Fund of Libya." Hmmm... That could explain why parents & teachers across the country are noticing a strange Islamic emphasis in their children's textbooks. Florida parents and leaders were outraged and required Pearson to re-print World History textbooks because of the obvious inaccuracies and bias toward Islam.

Tennessee parents, too, are upset about Pearson's latest textbooks. After dedicated parents read and researched new Pearson textbooks all summer, they attended the TN Textbook Commission meeting armed with proof. "On October 7, 2013 the state textbook commission came forward in a packed house to announce they agree, none of these textbooks should be accepted. This was unprecedented! The commission was praised by every activist, parent, community member and any one else that knew the courage and honor it took to stand up and make the right decision." Hooray! But HERE is where it mysteriously gets fi$hy: "On October 23, 2013 the commission met for an emergency session. What was about to happen was disappointing, but more than that it was shady and dishonorable. The decision was overturned. 3 of the members of the commission that had originally had the courage to do the right thing, by voting against these textbooks, suddenly decided to change their vote. What happened between Oct 7 and Oct 13 remains to be seen, but with the disgraceful decision made, disappointed parents and community members were told by state officials to go back to their local school boards to demand change there."

Really?!? Go to our local boards? It is not the responsibility of locally elected boards to review and approve every single textbook in their district. That would take them 4EVR (said like a teenager with much drama) to read and compare every textbook option for every grade. Most school board members have full-time jobs during the day. There is no way they could do that. No, the job of researching and approving textbooks is clearly the job entrusted to the State Textbook Commission, and they are obviously just passing the heat to the local boards. Even worse, the Textbook Commission canceled their November meeting and won't meet until January 2014. Cowards. Or maybe they will all be out of town on one of those luxurious "training" trips to Australia, Singapore, London, or Rio de Janeiro paid for by Pearson? Momma Bears aren't saying they are, of course, but Pearson has been under investigation in New York State for illegally influencing leaders with some sweeeeeeeeet trips around the globe.

It is not just Pearson's textbooks that are upsetting parents... Last year on the PARCC corporate core test in New York, Pearson Publishing included at least half-a-dozen test questions with NAME BRAND PRODUCTS embedded in the question. Yep, they plugged name-brand products to thousands and thousands of consumers, oops, I mean, "children," who were forced to quietly concentrate on the test question. Hmmm... we wonder how much the sale of Mug Root Beer increased after that day of testing? or if the stock in LEGO increased that month? Are the Pearson test-makers so dumb that they can't substitute a brand name beverage for "lemonade" or even something healthy like "water"? No, they are brilliant marketing geniuses! Imagine the profit possibilities! And because teachers and parents are not allowed to ever see the test, nobody will ever know... Tho$e $neaky, $ly devil$!

The USA needs to wake up! We're smart enough to educate our own children. We need to kick those with profit motives out of our public schools before it is too late.

This quote by Valerie Strass in her Washington Post column is terrifying, but says it best:

"Future historians (if there are any) are going to shake their heads in disbelief. They’ll wonder how, in a single generation, the world’s oldest democracy dismantled its engine — free, public, locally controlled, democratic education. If they dig into the secretive process that produced the Common Core State Standards, most of their questions will be answered."

It is just a shame that OUR kids are in the middle of this. Not Bill Gates' children. Not British children. Our brilliant, funny, loving American children. This is too close to home for Momma Bears to ignore. It is gonna take American Mommas & Daddies from all races, neighborhoods, and political parties working together to make things right.

Not the kind of Party you're thinking of

11/17/2013

We've heard it over and over... Any opposition to *common core gets blamed on The Tea Party. However, republican politicians blame cc opposition on "special interests" because they really need Tea Party support and don't want to burn any proverbial bridges with the party--those sly devils! The reality is that common core is a bipartisan issue. There are no sides of the fence to sling mud on because everyone is covered in it, courtesy of Bill Gates' money-pit.

We have news for you: The only Tea Party that we Momma Bears know of involves our daughters, some dolls, a few teddy bears, and a teapot. We're not radical. We're not political. We're Moms.

Now, to be honest, we've met some Tea Party people during this common core battle, and they're pretty nice people. It is obvious they love America and are passionate about American rights. Frankly, we wish more people were that way. The level of apathy in most citizens is just plain sad. It is much easier to just pretend it isn't happening, and let someone else deal with it. But we Momma Bears can't ignore what is happening because it IS affecting our children. We see it its negative effects right before our eyes. We hear about it daily from other parents across the country, so we know it isn't just our community that is affected.

Strange timing...
This blog has been in-the-works for the past few weeks, and, lo and behold, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, just happens to insult us moms as we were putting the finishing touches on this post. Oh. No. He. Didn't... Oh yes, he did! He said the pushback to his beloved Common Corporate federal standards is coming from:

“white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were.”

Yes, he really said that. Aw, snap! That was the sound of intelligent, insulted parents across the country as their jaws hit the floor in disbelief that the U.S. Secretary of Education would throw our children (and us) under the bus like that.

We are opposed to common core, but not for the reason he claims. Our children are just fine, thankyouverymuch. Mommas know when fibbing is going on. We know that data has been manipulated to make it appear that American students are behind other countries academically. The truth is POVERTY in the USA is an undeniable factor on test scores. If the test scores of children in poverty weren't included, the USA leads the world in high test scores. And, unlike some countries, the USA tests every student in public school, rich or poor. Just look at this article posted last week about the 11 perfect scores on this AP Calculus test. All 11 students were from the USA. The test was given in 59 countries. BAM! We bet those Mommas and teachers are proud of those kids! And, to think, those students weren't raised with common core!

The nation who is "winning" the global education race is Finland - a country that does not have common core. In fact, Finland doesn't even have standardized tests. Finnish teachers are treated like rock stars and paid respectably. Class sizes are small in Finland. Oh, and Finland's poverty rate is less than 5%. The USA poverty rate is between 20-25%. Bingo.

The reality is that we Moms, Dads, teachers, principals, and even our elected officials are finding out that we've been duped. We've been sold a lemon with common core. The evidence is impossible to ignore. After our children are tucked in bed at night, we Momma Bears research common core and education reform until our eyes hurt. We email each other links and share them on facebook. We contact our school boards and legislators with proof that these reforms are hurting our children and schools.

The common denominator in all of this common core and reform-baloney is: MONEY. Our children are profiting corporations and investors. Momma Bears will tackle these greedy organizations in upcoming blogs. Stay tuned!

Next blog: Pear$on Publi$hing in the U$A

*Dear English teachers & Grammar Nazis:

Please note that "common core" is purposely not capitalized in our blog because we don't really think it is a Proper Noun. Everyone knows that common things do not get capitalized. It does not deserve the respect that capital letters imply. And if the real owners of common core (whoever they are) want to sue us, then bring it on. We just might sue them back, too, for taking spelling out of our children's education.
We may also affectionately refer to common core as: corporate core, common core Federal standards, common crap, etc. Of course, you are smart enough to know what we mean (and probably clever to come up with your own name for cc$$).

Momma Bears force the issues...

9/30/2013

What is a Momma Bear to do when she only has 2 minutes to talk? Some bright Momma Bears find a way to get their message across:

School board members are not listening to the citizens that elected them. The only time to speak to those board members, other than emailing them (and they don't respond), is during the public comments section of their meetings. Two whole minutes to get your point across. One Momma Bear had an idea. She told another Momma Bear. The idea grew and took off. Here is her story:

I'm a frugal Mom who is frustrated with all of the changes going on in my children's school district. It is overwhelming seeing the glowing articles in the local newspaper about school reform, but knowing it is just more twisted data, with cute pictures of children, published to make politicians look good. The truth is: Our schools are starved of funding while profiteers are getting rich. I follow many education blogs and news across the country, so I read what is really happening across the nation to public school districts. I see what is heading our way to Memphis, TN. Will we end up bankrupt like Philadelphia? Will we close 50 neighborhood schools like Chicago? Will 70% of our students fail the PARCC like in New York? Will charter vultures take over our district like New Orleans, Los Angeles, & in Florida? Memphis is high poverty and ripe for the picking. Infuse it with money from out-of-touch-with-reality billionaires, and our school district is prime for profiting everyone but the children.

I've talked to my elected school board member for my area. He listens and understands. He is a great guy, but he is just 1 of 7 on the school board, and he has other issues to deal with. Ugh, I hate politics. These are children, and they shouldn't be used as negotiation! How can get my point across to the 6 other members on the School Board? I'm just a Mom.

Diane Ravitch has a powerful voice. If only she were here... If only I could talk like her... She just published her brand new book, Reign of Error. She says everything I want to say. There's no way I can read it aloud in the 2 minutes I'm allowed to speak at their meeting. I get a crazy idea... What if I got Diane Ravitch's book for each of the school board members?

I had a birthday a few weeks ago, and I got a little birthday money to spend however I want. I was going to buy myself a new purse since my old one is getting worn out, but instead, I go to a local bookstore. They have Diane Ravitch's new book in stock, but they are nearly $30 each. Gulp. My birthday wasn't that profitable. I can afford to buy 3 books if I also take a little out of our grocery envelope (We're loyal Dave Ramsey followers in our household. I can make our groceries stretch a little farther this month.)

I mentioned my idea to a few friends, and before I know it, they've each gone to bookstores in their area of town and purchased books, too. One friend used a gift certificate that her fellow PTA board members gave her as a gift of appreciation; she said she couldn't imagine a better use for it! Another friend's husband spent his lunch break going to 2 different bookstores to get more copies; bless him, he's a Daddy Bear!!! Together, we Momma & Daddy Bears had 8 books: enough for the 7 school board members + the Superintendent, too.

I worried all afternoon about what to say during my 2 minutes at the School Board Meeting that night. Here is what I said:

Surveys show that parents and citizens want excellent NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC schools. We want our elected school board to represent our students… not business interests. We have elected YOU to govern our schools, not charter operators who seek to profit, not charter operators who seek to recruit the brightest and best students, and exclude those with disabilities or low test scores. Our public schools should always be public.

We teach our children not to bully and not to tolerate bullying. Do not let those who were appointed to their position in Nashville bully you into approving charter schools. We did not elect them, we elected you. The appointed TN BOE, the appointed Commissioner of Education, Kevin Huffman, and Governor Haslam who appointed them all, clearly do not have our students’ best interest at heart. Do not let them, or the businesses that fund and profit from them, make decisions that are not in the best interest of our children.

I'm not too proud to admit that I then played the guilt card. I told them how I sacrificed my birthday money on these books, and how other parents pitched in to get copies for them, too. I tell them that his book expresses what we, as parents, want them, as our elected school board, to know. I beg them to please read the books, and I stress how important it is to us.

My 2 minutes are up. I take a seat in the audience and stay for the next few hours. The meeting drags on, and they take a crucial vote regarding a charter school moratorium. I want to cry because it fails. Did they hear what I said one bit?!?!? I shouldn't be surprised, the majority of the board members are funded by Stand for Children (Note: Stand For Children is a non-profit lobbying group funded by corporations & Bill Gates. They stand ON children, not for them. Anywhere money can be made in education, you'll find greedy Stand for Children there in the midst of it, along with an equally greedy group called "Students First" that just came into our town last year). Money speaks louder than parents and students. Parents are going to have to scream at the top of our lungs to be heard, and even then, I'm not sure that it will outweigh the dollar signs stuck in their ears.

I am a wishful optimist. I have hope that the board members will read the books we gave them... Maybe Diane will get it past their pocketbooks and through their thick skulls? That is my birthday wish. Every child, rich or poor, black or white, should be able to attend their their neighborhood school that is well-funded and well-staffed. They should have excellent music, art, sports, & extra-curricular programs. Librarians and guidance counselors are a must. Students, especially those who are academically behind, should have small class sizes taught by certified, experienced teachers. Testing should be a minimum, and not full of stress and anxiety as it is now for students. Our children's test scores shouldn't be used to hurt teachers and close schools in poor, starving areas. Those with profit motives should be banned from our schools. I could go on and on, but Diane Ravitch says it better than I do. Read her book and you'll know exactly what I mean.

If you, too, are a Momma Bear, Daddy Bear, or Grandparent Bear,
please join us on Facebook!

WHAT. THE. CHUCK.

Cagle that is...

Oh, but that's not all...

How to get stinking rich in the education industry

10 steps to hitting the jackpot in education:

Has your school district been duped, too???
Send the info to Momma Bears and we'll post it!

Pear$on in the U$A

Not the kind of Party you're thinking of

Momma Bears force the issues...

Archives

Momma Bears

Categories

WHAT. THE. CHUCK.

Cagle that is...

Oh, but that's not all...

How to get stinking rich in the education industry

10 steps to hitting the jackpot in education:

Has your school district been duped, too??? Send the info to Momma Bears and we'll post it!

Pear$on in the U$A

Not the kind of Party you're thinking of

Momma Bears force the issues...

Archives

Momma Bears

Categories

Has your school district been duped, too???
Send the info to Momma Bears and we'll post it!