Monday, January 30, 2012

Antioch free tuition

On another post Anonymous wrote:

"$106,000 College Education For Free? Antioch College Waiving Tuition For Students Enrolling In Next 3 Years


Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/29/antioch-college-free-tuition_n_1239065.html "

12 comments:

Questioner said...

Free tuition is nice, but MR always seemed to depend on the power of the pocketbook rather than the power of his ideas to get people to go along.

Anonymous said...

You couldn't pay me to go to that college!

Anonymous said...

The $40 application fee for Antioch is waived if students apply online. I think we should overwhelm them with an application from every PPS graduating senior, listing Mark Roosevelt as a reference.

South Hills Stan said...

Read this for what it is: applications for next fall must be really low and they are going all-in on the endowment because it is hard to attract students if you do not have students.

The article makes no mention of counts of applications for next fall. That is a shame, as it would have put this issue front and center.

You would have that Mark Roosevelt learned his lesson with the Pittsburgh Promise when PPS' enrollment decline continued.

You cannot bribe your way to a financially sound student population.

Anonymous said...

Questioner,

Is it possible to find out who in the State granted the PPS board the right to hire Roosevelt and provide him with an emergency superintendent certificate?

Anonymous said...

Gerald Zahorchak was the Secretary of Education when this dispensation was made. He since left that position (about a year ago) and became Superintendent in Allentown. He was let go from that position a few months later.

Zahorchak's superior was the Governor of PA, who at the time the decision was made was Ed Rendell.

It is difficult to nail down the process by which PA Superintendent Certification was dispensed.

Other additional requirements for a Superintendent's Certification includes previous service in an Administrative capacity for at least three years. It is also required that a Superintendent candidate have a University School of Education sign off that all required courses have been completed. So many REQUIREMENTS were overlooked or set aside.

Many, many questions are left unanswered about how this could occur.

Ashamed to Work Here said...

The weekly cost to the School District and its taxpayers to support the Bob Fadzen hearing roughly approximates the value of a year of tuition at Antioch (and may even exceed it).

Let's see, we have:

1. Ira Weiss, solicitor, sitting in conference room A all day, literally alternating between sleeping (I am not making this up) and texting;
2. Gretchen Love, attorney from Campbell Durrant and Beatty, taking copious notes and offering moral support to Chief Human Resources Officer Jody Spolar;
3. Carl Beard, hearing officer, paid by the Board, including lodging expenses;
4. Two attorneys trying the case for PPS from Goehring, Rutter & Boehm;
5. The court stenographer;
6. The police commander/acting chief of school police that our communications and marketing team has walking back and forth almost all day just to see who is in the room;
7. Jody Spolar, Chief Human Resources Officer, sitting taking copious notes.

Fascinating that at the pace Spolar and Love are taking notes that the notes they took when interviewing the ambulance team were unable to be produced for the hearing even though the ambulance team admitted Spolar and Love took a lot of notes during their interviews.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine the total cost of this witch hunt just from September on.

And how about the Andrews study? Yes, that study, the one that was never approved by the elected Board of School Directors in accordance with law. The one that was paid for by "Ira Money" - he advances the cost, you reimburse him, as though it was the cost of a few copies and postage on your legal bill.

For a study that started in July 2010 here we sit in 2012 with no results of the Andrews study. In fact, the district refused to turn over anything but a redacted version of the study - showing only those pieces of the study naming Fadzen - to the Chief's legal team. Even at that the only version so far available is a later draft, because the first two versions were "too police-y", whatever that means.

Well Solicitor Weiss, we know what "too-police-y" means. It means that the study did not reach the conclusions you asked for. We know that it must have been uber-critical of the interference you and Spolar created in potentially criminal cases. We know it chastised the police-by-public-relations mandate from Superintendent Roosevelt and Chief of Staff Lisa Fischetti.

Mark Brentley continues to ask for this report, and not the scrubbed, third or fourth draft so redacted. Let's put it on the table Dr. Lane. Let's see every draft and then look at the changes you made.

This is no laughing matter. School Police and School Security are charged with keeping our children safe in schools. If you are not supportive of the cause, it is time to get out of the way, take the rest of the carpetbaggers with you, and get a Superintendent that will get the job done and not be beholden to venture philanthropists or egomaniacs from Yellow Springs.

Anonymous said...

I know I'm asking this too late, but how is it even legal for the state to waive Superintendent requirements?

It's almost like we live in some sort of kingdom, where the king can simply change things at will.

I could go on, but I've got to stop now and write a letter to the governor.

I've always wanted to be a dentist, but I don't want to go to dental school. Perhaps the governor will give me a waiver.

Anonymous said...

Antioch is not an accredited college and does not antcipipate to qualify for 3 years. That's not a given, and they are in a precarious financial state. This must be the driving force behind the "free tuition". It is a big risk and I would not gamble my kids education based on "I hope so". It isn't 100% free, room and board is 8-9K and the town has a bleak (part time) job market for students. Can you imagine spending 4 years 40 grand and find out your diploma is only worth the paper it is written on?

Roosevelt will be gone when it comes crashing down.

Article regarding accredited vs. non- accredited colleges.
http://www.onlinedegreecenter.com/_
articles/accredited_vs_nonaccredited.php

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:49:

You could translate the King James faster than PPS responded to the Andrews Study.

Must be some real Area 51 stuff for the Roosevelt/Lane/Fischetti/Weiss to hide this "top secret" document.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have a theory as to WHY someone is putting out cash for MR and the free tuition for small defunct -used to be liberal leaning college? Who is profiteering? I just cant follow the money on this one

Anonymous said...

@Anon 2/6/12 6:29

MR is not the only politician invested in this college scheme. Remember, there are other hapless grand and great grandchildren of former US Presidents invested too. They all have their reputations, careers, and futures to protect. I'm sure that they will do anything to make their scheme work.

I said before and I'll say it again, we have not heard the last of MR.