HIP HOP HIGH

September 15, 2011

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No Kids, No $ at Hip Hop High in the Pearl

I see that after a two year hiatus, the Zero is finally reporting about the progress, or lack thereof, of HIP HOP HIGH SCHOOL aka REAL Prep Academy. Worse, the Portland Public Schools and Oregon Department of Education appear to have been asleep at the switch over this, too.

As I’ve contended on the air,  someone–more than one?– should be fired and someone needs to go to jail if it’s found someone absconded with $500,000 in grant money. I see from the news that construction folks aren’t being paid. There’s no money for desks or the usual school regalia but apparently there was enough for walking around money for people to “talk up” Hip Hop High.  As one former board member told the Oregonian:

Eric Ensley, president of the board from its founding in May 2009 until he resigned in June 2010, said he tangled with Jayasuriya [the leader] over her desire to immediately begin paying people — including herself — rather than first get a firm financial plan and seasoned administrator in place.

“There were manipulative tactics to try to get things approved and paid for that I didn’t think should be paid for,” he said. “I can’t tell you how heated the debate got in the boardroom. … To pay Joe Schmo to advocate for the school just because he knows this deejay is no way to run a school.”

I don’t dispute that kids don’t all learn the same. That’s why I like school choice, charters and vouchers. I think they’re good ideas. One-size-fits-all schools don’t serve everybody. Maybe that’s why PPS officials thought it would be just groovy to have a school that:

 is dedicated to helping people of all ages, races, and backgrounds discover their true potential as creative human beings by  promoting educational advancements that inspire love, forgiveness, compassion and joy through the timeless tradition of sharing story, music, dance, and visual arts. 

Freedom Through Freestyle is the 501c3 through which the Charter is funded. Here’s their website. For an organization that’s all about the arts, well, this is underwhelming.

PPS is notoriously anti charter. Worthy charter ideas have been brought before them many times and turned down.  Why say yes to this shadow-of-a vestige-of-a-possibility-of-an-idea and say no to legit charter schools?

Maybe it’s just the usual: Political correctness. Is it that PPS officials and the board didn’t want to be seen saying no to a school run by people of color? Do you doubt it? Aw, what’s a half a million plus dollars of federal grant money? Call it stimulus!

And who got stimulated? According to PPS’s reckoning for the portion it oversaw, Michael Crenshaw, Imani Muhammad, Erica Yayasuriya (leader), Charter Starters, Studi 4, Jason Petty, Chris Allen, Sara Moskovitz, Elora Cosper, Verbal 800 Communications, Pacific Research and Evaluation, Deborah Dyson, Maron Irving, Terance Scott, Eric Ensley all got a little scratch from the grants. More than 50K worth.

The charter also got two grants totalling $450K.

Oh, and don’t forget the manager of the 80’s and 90’s Hip Hop De La Soul who was paid $79,000 to write the curricula for the school.

Who knew he was a curriculum writer? Oh, but wait, his buddy Maseo was “signed” to “endorse” and “advise” the school. Maybe that was the curriculum! Pay me and I’ll get my guy to make a few appearances, talk it up, and encourage people to show up. It’s diabolical genius! Poof! Instant school!

Poof.

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com