An
AP report out of the Sunshine State says Florida's Education Commissioner Tony Bennett will resign his position after only seven months on the job because of the grading scandal flap unearthed during his tenure as Indiana's Superintendent of Education:
A Florida education official says the state's education commissioner will resign because of allegations he changed a charter school's grade during his previous job as Indiana's school chief.
The official told The Associated Press of Tony Bennett's resignation on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to disclose the information before a formal announcement.
The official says Bennett will resign because of the scandal surrounding Christel House Academy, an Indiana charter school run by a major Republican donor. Emails published by the AP this week show Bennett and his Indiana staff scrambled last fall to ensure Christel DeHaan's school received an "A," despite poor 10th-grade algebra scores that initially earned it a "C."
Bennett lost his re-election bid last November in Indiana. He was hired by Florida in December.
UPDATE: The Star's Matt Tully is
reporting that Tony Bennett's wife took a job with Charter Schools USA earlier this year. That would be the same for-profit business that Bennett chose to manage Manual High School, T.C. Howe High School and Emma Donnan middle school in the late summer of 2012, all IPS schools his office ordered taken over by the state. Millions of state tax dollars have since flowed to the company. Tina Bennett is now employed as a regional director for Charter Schools USA in Florida. Coincidence? Guess who Charter Schools USA's Indiana lobbyist is? Yep, that would be Barnes & Thornburg.
11 comments:
Tony Bennett, a very bright educator, lost his re-election bid, I believe, because the Tea party did not like his position on Common Core.
Golden Parachute, here it comes!
I would agree with varangianguard, I suspect Bennett has a Golden Parachute for a soft landing.
I am a bit surprised Bennett did not try to "gut" it out and stay on the job. It makes me wonder what other issues maybe lurking in the background. Will the State of Indiana and /or General Assembly perform investigation. Pence has been very quite on this.
Plus, I guess one could infer that those of his aides who were complicit in changing the Academy's scores are "cheaters" as well?
" UPDATE: The Star's Matt Tully is reporting that Tony Bennett's wife took a job with Charter Schools USA earlier this year. That would be the same for-profit business that Bennett chose to manage Manual High School, T.C. Howe High School and Emma Donnan middle school in the late summer of 2012, all IPS schools his office ordered taken over by the state. Millions of state tax dollars have since flowed to the company. Tina Bennett is now employed as a regional director for Charter Schools USA in Florida. Coincidence? Guess who Charter Schools USA's Indiana lobbyist is? Yep, that would be Barnes & Thornburg."
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What a bookend. File this under Crony Capitalism.
Now, "I'm sure" that Mrs. Bennett was extremely qualified for her new job.
So, let's review.
1) Wife gets job with company benefiting from hubster's policies.
2) Minions who made this all happen for chief get pass from press. Where are their resignations?
3) Bennett "demands" Indiana Inspector General "investigate" in order to "clear his name". HAH! The IIG is just about as toothless as they come. Thanks Indiana legislature!
So, wife keeps plum job. Former minions free to continue up their own political ladders. IIG "clears" Bennett of "ethics" lapses. Bennett likely gets even more lucrative job in private sector promoting the dismemberment of public education.
Does it get any better than this? Apparently not, for the Bennetts and his former associates.
Ah! Barnes & Thornberg, again.
Why doesn't the Indiana Republican party just outsource all of its decisions to them?
Oh, wait: they already do!
The "minions" were long-trusted, dependable, Republican apparatchiks that have served, and will again be called to serve, under other Republican stars and stalwarts.
The "minions" were assigned to Bennett. He didn't do much in the way of hiring and recruiting. The people who put him in his office also told him who to hire, and they sent over the "right" people.
The "minions" know where all the bodies are buried, across several Republican administrations, so they will be very well protected by the Republican power structure.
People who will do what they are told, aren't terribly bright, and will carry out the mission without asking too many questions or creating too much accountability for their supervisors are very valuable to political parties.
Such persons are broadly shielded, because if they start talking, they have more to say than merely about the present officeholder or controversy.
Ellen:
Barnes & Thornburg is merely a conduit, the local consigliere for the mafia that controls the country.
As long and B&T and their deals don't blow up and make a public embarrassment, they're free to run Central Indiana.
Northwest Indiana, being part of Chicago, is run by some bigger boys, and B&T doesn't play in that game unless invited or by permission.
Well Anon, No disagreement from me.
You have to wonder why Tully didn't report the employment item while Bennett was still in office.
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