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Vinnie From Indy

(10,820 posts)
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 12:12 PM Jul 2013

Tony Bennett, Former Indiana School Superintendent, Changed Top GOP Donor's School's Grade

More criminality and corruption from the GOP. Bennett was the ONLY state wide GOP official to lose in the last election in Indiana. He is now Florida's problem.
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INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana and current Florida schools chief Tony Bennett built his national star by promising to hold "failing" schools accountable. But when it appeared an Indianapolis charter school run by a prominent Republican donor might receive a poor grade, Bennett's education team frantically overhauled his signature "A-F" school grading system to improve the school's marks.

Emails obtained by The Associated Press show Bennett and his staff scrambled last fall to ensure influential donor Christel DeHaan's school received an "A," despite poor test scores in algebra that initially earned it a "C."

"They need to understand that anything less than an A for Christel House compromises all of our accountability work," Bennett wrote in a Sept. 12 email to then-chief of staff Heather Neal, who is now Gov. Mike Pence's chief lobbyist.

The emails, which also show Bennett discussed with staff the legality of changing just DeHaan's grade, raise unsettling questions about the validity of a grading system that has broad implications. Indiana uses the A-F grades to determine which schools get taken over by the state and whether students seeking state-funded vouchers to attend private school need to first spend a year in public school. They also help determine how much state funding schools receive.

More at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/tony-bennett-indiana_n_3672196.html

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Tony Bennett, Former Indiana School Superintendent, Changed Top GOP Donor's School's Grade (Original Post) Vinnie From Indy Jul 2013 OP
Indiana's teachers urged republicans to "split their ticket" Chipper Chat Jul 2013 #1

Chipper Chat

(9,680 posts)
1. Indiana's teachers urged republicans to "split their ticket"
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 12:18 PM
Jul 2013

and vote for democrat Glenda Ritz for state superintendent because he was so anti-teacher. It worked and Bennett was sent packing to Florida. Looks like he fits in well with Gov Scott's administration!

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