Tom Frank, Cincinnati

I spent a year teaching at Riverside Academy in Cincinnati, OH, it was the worst year of my life. I have spent every year of my life since kindergarten in public schools, I had no rights, and my students were carted in, and a price tag on their heads. It was almost as if it the students were brought in by the bus load, scanned in to get the money from the local district and the state, and then it didn’t matter what happened, as long as the management company, White Hat Management (owned by David Brennan) was reimbursed by the state. Cha-Ching! for White Hat management. At $7,385.58 per student, with 17% being spent on Administration, teachers were left scrounging for materials and curriculum. It was clear that students were not the top priority of the school. That year the school went through three top administrators. I walked around scared, not supported, and untrained. I felt worthless, and as an advocate for students, my voice was muted, with threats of firings.

The horrific acts of White Hat Management are long and easy to find. Just talk to a teacher or student who spent some time there. The worst was when the Psychologist was told that he could no longer attend IEP meetings because he was costing the management company too much money.
I now teach in Cincinnati Public Schools, and here in Cincinnati, there is no reason to send a child to a charter school. Our public schools are a point of pride in our community, and recognized as a national model for community learning centers.

Get these schools out of Cincinnati, and Ohio. They only care for money, not children.