Michelle Rhee is smiling. [View all]

[madfloridian]

One of her major battles against public education has been LIFO. That means Last in First out when layoffs occur. That is not an unfair way to do things, and I believe many major companies do that.

But today she is smiling. She's a big winner along with a group formed by billionaires to privatize public schools.

From what I can understand the lawsuit in effect said that minorities were hurt because bad teachers were put in their schools instead of being fired. That's paraphrasing, but I think it's the gist of it.

That hits me and many others who taught in schools heavily minority feeling very angry. Our school taught minorities, many others poor and needy, and we had some of the best teachers I ever taught with...even in the richer schools I had been in before. It's such an awful accusation to make.

You can bet your bottom dollar there were many rich folks behind those 9 students who brought the lawsuit.

From CNN today. There's video there of an interview done today.

U.S. schools chief calls California ruling 'a mandate' to fix tenure, firing laws

She's not the only one gloating today. Arne Duncan is also smiling a very big smile.

Poor and minority students are especially hurt by the laws because "grossly ineffective teachers" more often work in their schools, Los Angeles County Judge Rolf M. Treu said.

The ruling was hailed by the nation's top education chief as bringing to California -- and possibly the nation -- an opportunity to build "a new framework for the teaching profession." The decision represented "a mandate" to fix a broken teaching system, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.

...Rhee called the ruling "groundbreaking" and a moment for the state to now build "a first-class educational system."

The union said:

"This suit is not pro-student. It is fundamentally anti-public education, scapegoating teachers for problems originating in underfunding, poverty, and economic inequality," California Federation of Teachers President Joshua Pechthalt said.

The CTA described Students Matter as a group created by Silicon Valley multimillionaire David Welch and a private public relations firm and said the group is supported by former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor "Michelle Rhee and Students First, Parent Revolution Executive Director Ben Austin, billionaire and school privatizer Eli Broad, former lawmaker Gloria Romero, and other corporate education reformers with an interest in privatizing public education and attacking teachers' unions."

The Students Matter page lists the media and politicians and other leaders who supported this lawsuit. Group's legal team headed by Ted Olson.

Students Matter

Editorial: Los Angeles Times
Editorial: The Bakersfield Californian
Editorial: San Jose Mercury News
Editorial: New York Post
Editorial: Pasadena Star-News
California Assemblywoman Kristin M. Olsen
Oakland Alliance of Black Educators
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Former Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, Sacramento City Unified School District
Former Superintendent Tony Smith, Oakland Unified School District
Superintendent John Deasy, Los Angeles Unified School District

A little more on it from the New York Daily News.

Tenure for teachers in California public schools ruled unconstitutional


Attorneys Theodore Boutrous, far right, and Marcellus McRae, second from right , are joined by nine California public school students who sued the state to abolish its laws on teacher tenure, seniority and other protections, during a news conference in January.

Beatriz Vergara and eight other students brought the lawsuit, claiming that bad tenured teachers amounted to a burden so unfair it violated constitutional rights.

The ruling, which affects 6 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade, potentially has national implications.

Eva Moskowitz according to the article is very very happy.

Reformers in New York hailed the decision.

Eva Moskowitz, founder of the Success Academy charter school chain, called it “a significant social justice win for children. The high failure rates in our schools wouldn’t be tolerated for hospitals, police or fire departments.”

Why is she so happy?

Moskowitz moving her charter into yet another public school. Causing tensions in NYC

The "Eva" Empire has expanded to the Bronx, bringing a Harlem turf war for school space into the borough. Eva Moskowitz, the City Council member-turned-charter school CEO, has opened two new academies from her charter school franchise, Success Charter Network, inside Public School 30 in Mott Haven, and PS 146 in Morrisania. And Bronx Success Academies 1 and 2 are already ruffling feathers with district school staffers.

..."Staffers at the district schools say their new neighbors have booted them from classrooms and stairwells, while sharing the libraries, cafeterias and playgrounds.

...."Staffers at PS 30 say Bronx Success 1 sealed off the third floor to its staff and students - even taking over a stairwell - so Success students don't mingle with their district school neighbors.

"We are not allowed there," said one PS 30 teacher, noting the classrooms taken over by Success were formerly used for tutoring children with special needs. Now we have to do therapy sessions in the hallway."

It's not just Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan (as Obama's appointee) and Eva Moskowitz who are so happy today.

Far too many here are very happy also. As the implications of losing our unions in America sink in...some might change their minds. I doubt it.