February 1, 2018 6:00 AM
Morning Reads – Thursday, February 1, 2018
Peaches
- Carr touts “open government”
- Cagle talks charter schools out-performing traditional districts.
- Keeping track of ICE custody deaths in Georgia
- Police chief tosses citizen trying to file complaint against police
- Savannah Democrat wants museum just for African American history
- #SouthGeorgiaProblems
- Atlanta Young Republicans featured in the New Yorker
- “Is luring Amazon to Georgia the best way to spend $1 billion?”
- Georgia Power is charging less to finance Vogtl now
- Georgia prisons saw record suicides in 2017
- Georgia highlighted for action on elder abuse
- Gun violence deaths and Georgia’s ranking
- The quest to ‘free the weed’ continues
Jimmy Carter
- You’ll be watched at the Super Bowl
- 10 million barrels a day for oil
- More on the Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald case at the CDC
- No government regulation can cure the love of a coke
- Why so many Republican retirements?
Sweet Tea
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Jessica Szilagyi
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Thanks for the oil production link. That’s great news regardless of your political leanings! No snark, just pleased.
Regarding Fitzgerald’s tobacco purchase. I think that’s just a tone-deaf thing. Maybe her broker bought it without her knowledge. Mt own guy will buy stuff and then I’ll get a trade confirmation. Basically just trying to make me money without going over every little thing. Y’all don’t imagine that she’d try and make money on a short sale after she made negative public remarks about smoking? I just don’t see that based on her public positive profile over many years. Anyway, it’s academic now, I suppose.
“I think that’s just a tone-deaf thing.”
No, not communicating with your investment advisor about your new high-profile government job is either incompetence or disregard for ethics. But keep on with the excuses for each lowering of the bar. It’s doing the GOP proud.
It would take a lot more time than I have to look into this further, but I am surprised to learn that Atlanta City schools, as well as Fulton County, and Marietta City, are considered charter school systems. I’m not sure what that means other than they are exempt from Title 20 rules.
In any case, a cursory glance at the report that Cagle mentions leaves me wondering how he can claim “Georgia students enrolled in Charter Systems are accomplishing record high levels of academic performance.” OK, so that’s a bit of a vague statement. Some charter students may be achieving at “record” levels, but the charts in the report don’t reflect that reality in a more general sense. In particular, on page 21 here:
http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/Charter-Schools/Committee%20Members/2017%20Charter%20Systems%20Annual%20Report%20-%202018-01-30.pdf
These are the 5 oldest charter systems. One is doing better than the statewide average, two are worse, and one is the same.
If there are “burdensome” rules that should be addressed then we should do that (but I am not clear on what rules the charter systems are being exempted from). Anyway, based on this measurement (CCRPI) the statewide average score seems to be improving.
Here’s a story from the ajc in 2016:
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/state-charter-schools-performing-about-the-same-regular-schools/vvACIhlJWEjErawEjYlVSK/
Without trying to be partisan it seems clear that every goper interested in education from Davos down to the lowest party functionary is pro-charter these days, and a campaigning pol can be expected to use the rosiest stats in support.
My understanding is there are three types of schools in Georgia where the charter tag is used. One is when you and I decide we want to set up a school and work to meet the necessary criteria. If we can convince the local school board to give us the OK, we’re in business.
The second type is to get direct state approval. This path was set up to bypass local boards that had turned down applications for reasons that were considered arbitrary by some.
The third type, the one cited in the report, is called a charter system, which doesn’t mean a system of charter schools. The charter here is the agreement between the local and state boards to waive some rules in exchange for the community becoming actively involved in governance at the school level. The governance boards have authority in personnel, financing, curriculum, and instruction but the local board remains in charge of management.
When Clarke/Athens went the charter system route they received an additional state grant of $80-90 per student, nearly $1M. I don’t know if that’s a one-time or regular grant.
A National Treasure…
https://movieweb.com/the-mule-movie-director-actor-clint-eastwood/
This was too good to pass up. He would fit right in with the Holly-weird crowd. Maybe he could work with Kathy Griffin. I hear she needs someone who would consider working with her.
http://www.wsbradio.com/news/weird-news/naked-bank-robber-found-not-guilty-reason-insanity/3Ov9IVidt9zEVAMDt4VacK/
That comment makes me think you and the bank robber have something in common.
Until something gets done at the Federal level the legalization of the evil weed will remain a pipe dream in Georgia.
Wow!!
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/01/economy-to-grow-at-5-point-4-percent-rate-in-first-quarter-atlanta-fed-tracker-shows.html
I guess we’ll know tomorrow!
http://buchanan.org/blog/never-trump-press-near-panic-128652
Let’s have a similar conversation tomorrow. We’ll both be able to make our observations! I will say this with a little humor; if it isn’t close to the hype my side has been saying, then it’s gonna be the letdown of all letdowns!
Add 87 more points and offset with a couple of Republican points, and it’s the same as climate change, a hoax.
Another civil observation: Federer is a freaking God!
Wimbledon and US Open? That’s bold. I’ll say Wimbledon only.