Why, it is the communist way. Dumb down the population, to the point they are as ignorant as a rock, then teach them men are women, communism is great, Stalin was a hero, Islam is a religion of peace, and then they grow up and vote. Or perhaps just riot in the street to put their new commie leader in power.
The teachers union and the California government are the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to our kids. All they do is politicize education.
To quote the Pink Floyd song..."..hey, teacher, leave us kids alone..."
Not everything is about the weather. Some things are more important, like the future of our children. If it takes moving to Mississippi to look out for our kids...good choice! Mosquitoes here I come!
All teachers, union and non-union, deserve to be paid a living wage. Charter schools and private schools impoverish their teachers and staff. The goal is not education. The goal is to steal public money for pretend education for the vast majority and then provide high level instruction for the very elite. The elite schools will not admit "undesirable" students while taking public money. It is playing out in Ohio with Ed Choice Vouchers that subsidize extremely wealthy families in very elite private schools that are super selective in who they admit as students. Charter Schools then become warehouses for every other student. All families and all students deserve a proper well funded education.
Actually, charter school teachers get the same wage that public school teachers get. I taught in public schools and a private school. The private school test scores were better than the public schools in our area here in San Diego. Yes, our salaries were lower in the private school, but it didn't matter to me, the parents supported me and I could maintain discipline in my classroom which is a problem in public schools.
In Ohio, where I live, Charter Schools are notorious for low pay and few benefits. The Charter Scams are also Notorious. ECOT, The Electronic classroom of Tomorrow, took millions and millions from the state. They provided students with obsolete laptops and minimal internet to sit at home as their classroom. They inflated and lied about their enrollment and kept taking money every year delivering next to nothing for their students. They were finally exposed and collapsed. Charter after Charter in other Ohio cities offered very little for their students with the bulk of the subsidies going to Board Members and investors until they would be discovered and then they would shut down and open another school in another location. No Oversight, no standardized testing. They marketed to low income neighborhoods, promising culturally sensitive instruction and did nothing for those kids. No other private or religious schools would take them so they returned to public schools. When those kids returned to their public schools in Jr. High and High School they could not read and were years behind their peers. They were then the problem for public schools to remediate and the public schools were held responsible for these kids performance on the tests. Similar stories in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, etc.
What a shame, I'm sorry it happened that way in OH, Tim. Here in CA, Charters are under the purview of the Dept of Education and are held accountable. I do have some questions about the Muslim charter school here in San Diego, though...mostly along religious instruction with public money lines.
Ohio Ed Choice Vouchers has had a profound positive impact for economically disadvantaged students in Ohio. The widest disparity in outcomes was reserved for disadvantaged subgroups. Low Income black students were 138% more likely to obtain a degree than public school peers. In fact, every demographic group with vouchers outperformed public school students.
The studies you referenced were carried out by ideologically right wing organizations who do not follow ethical standards in statistical analysis. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute study and the Urban Institute have always supported charter and private education in very corrupt ways. Fordham is a very dishonest broker. A review of Fordham's Ohio study by the National Education Policy Center points out Fordham's bias, <https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication-announcement/2023/02/edchoice> Policy Matters Ohio <https://policymattersohio.org/news/2025/02/26/local-data-show-how-vouchers-hurt-public-schools/> critiqued Fordham to reveal that Ed Choice increased Racial Segregation in Ohio Schools and defunded public schools. If private and charter schools get to cherry pick their students forcing public schools to educate everyone else the result of greater class, race, and ability segregation is inevitable. Also many Charter or Private Schools refuse to enroll special needs students, They are served by public school teachers because Charters and Private schools do not hire certified special educators in large numbers. In Ohio you do not need Teacher training to be teacher in Charter Schools. Some Private Schools require that but many do not. In 2025 a Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jaiza Page ruled that Ed Choice violated the State Constitution including a violation of the constitutional requirement for a single system of "common schools" and that the program would create a system of private schools that would be funded by public money. Additionally, the judge agreed with an argument that stated Ohio didn't fund public schools enough while expanding EdChoice, which also violates a constitutional requirement. The largest recipients of Ed Choice money goes to wealthy families who already send their kids to private schools, most of which are very race and class segregated. Unfortunately, the extremely right wing Ohio Supreme Court will hear this case and reverse the lower court decision. According to <salary,com> Charter School salaries in Ohio as of August 2026 range from $37,975 to $65,500 neither of which end you look at is a livable wage. The median is $25/hour. The facts on the ground will remain the same. None of this matters to Current California because you exist to slant the issues toward the extreme right.
Oh please, any study that concludes anything you don't like is right wing and dishonest. The problem you can't explain away is in California 2/3 of the students in public schools are not at grade level or proficient in math and less than 1/2 are proficient in English or reading. Many kids are stuck in failing schools and this is not a recent phenomenon. The test scores have been awful for at least 25 yrs and counting. If parents want their kids to go to another school that may be performing better, they can't. That is the real travesty that you can't explain away with your teacher union sycophancy. Trust me, most parents if given the option of having their kids attend a private or lousy public school will 9 out of ten times choose the private school. The problem is people like you and your teacher union friends would rather keep them captive in your crappy schools.
Doesn't it sound like a similar plan of Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood? To eliminate a certain class of people and elevate a different class of people.
Actually I'm a credentialed teacher in CA. I've taught in public and private schools and I've homeschooled. All three have advantages and disadvantages, for my husband and I, we found public school fit our oldest son and private school fit our youngest son. Homeschooling was required when public school teachers had our youngest for 2 years and he still couldn't read. I fixed that within 3 months and he went back to school with a strong foundation the next year.
It should be obvious to everyone who is calling the shots here in California. The Unions and NGO’s are in the drivers seat, recycling laundered money into campaigns to elect liberal politicians, which in turn has a blind eye to the monumental failure of our children. All while placating the psychosis of the left. When will this pay for play scam end? Never, ever. The fraud and grift is so pervasive that it has become part of our culture. The premise being a classic Alinsky tactic, to call out and shame parents who want academic excellence for their children with the most despicable terms.
It’s over in California, it was a great run, but it’s over. People are doing what they’ve always done, migrating to places with more opportunities.
We punish our children because of extreme TDS. That is not only stupidity but absolute short-sightedness. The CTA should be declared a terrorist organization.
In no small words, one of the most corrupt unions I've ever seen in my 62 years. That i have personally delt with! That's a union that needs to be dismantled.
Because of their radical ways! Things that are taught in the classroom now I didn't even hear until college and the military. Not to mention CTA allows extreme woke teachers to install their ways in our children, and if we complain we are the bad guys. Let just say not a fan.!
The Democrats know they can’t take that money because it will result in our children, actually being educated and they can’t afford that. They need them stupid so they can push their communistic agenda without interruption. The teachers union spoon feeds it to them beginning at three and four years old now,(TK) right on up through 12th grade for most. This is why they want to extend “free education“ through 14 years now, (community college). To give them two more years of activist training.
Well said Lou, screw the CTA and these crazy ass Democrats trying to undo the greatest and freest form of government the world has ever seen
Mr. Segal, thank you for your article regarding The Scholarship Tax Credit Program.
The LLL DemoNcrat party of CA has proven time and again they only "market" for money that they can directly influence the outcome of, for their benefactors.
Yes, "only an ARROGANT idiot persists in their error.” Look no further than California's high-speed rail for evidence of that.
I completely agree that their stupidity knows no bounds, by purposely oppressing the academic future of millions of children, particularly those home and privately schooled outside of the Godless, sexually confused public school system.
It is shameful that the public education system is the tail, capable of wagging the dog.
Liberal's express "hate" by their actions and their words, whereas conservative's identify problems with the facts. The truth hurts and yes, liberal ideology is destroying the state of California.
Are you aware that Gavin Newsom started as CA governor with a 30 billion dollar surplus. He has since driven the state into the ground, and now has a $112 billion dollar deficit, while hundreds of businesses exit CA for less hostile taxation and regulations.
You see Bart, unless someone points out the dam is broken, no one is likely to fix it. That's not hate, that's identifying the source of the problem.
This is not surprising, CA screws up in almost every category. CA ranks 37th in testing scores. Oh but wait, let's increase taxes on everything. The CA dream is dead, and unions and stupid special interest groups and a lame governor and worthless mayors are the cause. But let's keep voting them in because we don't want any other people telling us what to do...
Hate California? No. Hate California government and the Unions? Yes. Mississippi used to be the brunt of the joke when it came to education. That day is long gone. They have far better education than California. We here in California, are at the bottom of the curve. Mississippi has better scores than us and spends less money than us to get them. While I believe California is making a huge mistake by not opting in for this money, the money isn't going to fix Californias education. When compared to the whole world, we spend vastly more money on education currently. Yet, have results at the bottom. Money isn't gonna fix it. Get woke out, entitlement out, politics out, LGBTQ+ out, drag queens out, over sexualized materials out, and special interests out of our educational system completely. It has no place. Stop our educators from believing they can keep secrets from the parents and encourage things like a gender change to kids that aren't even old enough to understand the birds and the bee's. Instead of keeping secrets from the parents, involve them more. Cause right now they'll teach gender ideology but not cursive handwriting. Our kids cant even sign their names to a lefal document. How is that preparing them for the world? Their is an insanely high illiteracy rate, as well. Who was the last group of people in The USA that were kept from learning how to read and write? Ill wait for that answer....Government is not, and will not, raise my kids. Get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic. A little science and definitely history. Those that don't know the history are more likely to repeat it. Also, teach computers. But, bring back books, pencil, and paper. Computers are one of many tools. Books, pencils, and paper are the fundamentals. Fundamentals should be at the core of everything they do. So, no, it's not hate for the State of California. California is beautiful and I love my home. It is hate for the tyrannical and corrupt State government, the unions that enable them, and anyone that supports what they are doing.
The obvious reason California is turning down the money for education is that our governor does not want our kids to be educated. It surprises me how he would turn down this program since that would be a lot of money that Newsome could use for his bullet train, the bridge to nowhere or his pocket.
This should be posted on Facebook. It is an important message that needs to get beyond Santa Barbara. In today's world, do we really need the teachers' unions? Have they actually been preparing students for the next step in life? The end results of the public school system today are a failing grade. They graduate students who are not prepared for college or the world in general. It's not acceptable.
Dumbing down the population is the Communist way, so the people don't know what happened to them. California is a mess. One-party rule for 16 years has given us this situation. We need fresh ideas across the board. New thinking focused on the PEOPLE.
So you want to trap students and families in failing Charter Schools that are exempt from evaluation and oversight while you destroy Public Education. Charter Schools almost everywhere are scams that steal money from public schools, enrich their investors, and deliver very poor classroom instruction that often stick kids in front of canned programming on computers all day. The solution is to fund public education and make those schools better, not set up a scam that will drain public money into the coffers of failing charter schools and their investors. This is theft.
Why, it is the communist way. Dumb down the population, to the point they are as ignorant as a rock, then teach them men are women, communism is great, Stalin was a hero, Islam is a religion of peace, and then they grow up and vote. Or perhaps just riot in the street to put their new commie leader in power.
The teachers union and the California government are the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to our kids. All they do is politicize education.
To quote the Pink Floyd song..."..hey, teacher, leave us kids alone..."
Hate California much? I hear Mississippi is a lovely place to get away to.
Mississippi has better public schools if your child's education is paramount among your considerations.
Why not learn from Mississippi's remarkable success? https://thesantabarbaracurrent.substack.com/p/how-do-you-spell-mississippi?r=12we52&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Not everything is about the weather. Some things are more important, like the future of our children. If it takes moving to Mississippi to look out for our kids...good choice! Mosquitoes here I come!
Except for the humidity and bugs.
What have I been saying. The unions run that. Just another example of the state being held hostage because big union money.
Abolish all PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS.
All teachers, union and non-union, deserve to be paid a living wage. Charter schools and private schools impoverish their teachers and staff. The goal is not education. The goal is to steal public money for pretend education for the vast majority and then provide high level instruction for the very elite. The elite schools will not admit "undesirable" students while taking public money. It is playing out in Ohio with Ed Choice Vouchers that subsidize extremely wealthy families in very elite private schools that are super selective in who they admit as students. Charter Schools then become warehouses for every other student. All families and all students deserve a proper well funded education.
Actually, charter school teachers get the same wage that public school teachers get. I taught in public schools and a private school. The private school test scores were better than the public schools in our area here in San Diego. Yes, our salaries were lower in the private school, but it didn't matter to me, the parents supported me and I could maintain discipline in my classroom which is a problem in public schools.
In Ohio, where I live, Charter Schools are notorious for low pay and few benefits. The Charter Scams are also Notorious. ECOT, The Electronic classroom of Tomorrow, took millions and millions from the state. They provided students with obsolete laptops and minimal internet to sit at home as their classroom. They inflated and lied about their enrollment and kept taking money every year delivering next to nothing for their students. They were finally exposed and collapsed. Charter after Charter in other Ohio cities offered very little for their students with the bulk of the subsidies going to Board Members and investors until they would be discovered and then they would shut down and open another school in another location. No Oversight, no standardized testing. They marketed to low income neighborhoods, promising culturally sensitive instruction and did nothing for those kids. No other private or religious schools would take them so they returned to public schools. When those kids returned to their public schools in Jr. High and High School they could not read and were years behind their peers. They were then the problem for public schools to remediate and the public schools were held responsible for these kids performance on the tests. Similar stories in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, etc.
What a shame, I'm sorry it happened that way in OH, Tim. Here in CA, Charters are under the purview of the Dept of Education and are held accountable. I do have some questions about the Muslim charter school here in San Diego, though...mostly along religious instruction with public money lines.
Ohio Ed Choice Vouchers has had a profound positive impact for economically disadvantaged students in Ohio. The widest disparity in outcomes was reserved for disadvantaged subgroups. Low Income black students were 138% more likely to obtain a degree than public school peers. In fact, every demographic group with vouchers outperformed public school students.
The studies you referenced were carried out by ideologically right wing organizations who do not follow ethical standards in statistical analysis. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute study and the Urban Institute have always supported charter and private education in very corrupt ways. Fordham is a very dishonest broker. A review of Fordham's Ohio study by the National Education Policy Center points out Fordham's bias, <https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication-announcement/2023/02/edchoice> Policy Matters Ohio <https://policymattersohio.org/news/2025/02/26/local-data-show-how-vouchers-hurt-public-schools/> critiqued Fordham to reveal that Ed Choice increased Racial Segregation in Ohio Schools and defunded public schools. If private and charter schools get to cherry pick their students forcing public schools to educate everyone else the result of greater class, race, and ability segregation is inevitable. Also many Charter or Private Schools refuse to enroll special needs students, They are served by public school teachers because Charters and Private schools do not hire certified special educators in large numbers. In Ohio you do not need Teacher training to be teacher in Charter Schools. Some Private Schools require that but many do not. In 2025 a Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jaiza Page ruled that Ed Choice violated the State Constitution including a violation of the constitutional requirement for a single system of "common schools" and that the program would create a system of private schools that would be funded by public money. Additionally, the judge agreed with an argument that stated Ohio didn't fund public schools enough while expanding EdChoice, which also violates a constitutional requirement. The largest recipients of Ed Choice money goes to wealthy families who already send their kids to private schools, most of which are very race and class segregated. Unfortunately, the extremely right wing Ohio Supreme Court will hear this case and reverse the lower court decision. According to <salary,com> Charter School salaries in Ohio as of August 2026 range from $37,975 to $65,500 neither of which end you look at is a livable wage. The median is $25/hour. The facts on the ground will remain the same. None of this matters to Current California because you exist to slant the issues toward the extreme right.
Oh please, any study that concludes anything you don't like is right wing and dishonest. The problem you can't explain away is in California 2/3 of the students in public schools are not at grade level or proficient in math and less than 1/2 are proficient in English or reading. Many kids are stuck in failing schools and this is not a recent phenomenon. The test scores have been awful for at least 25 yrs and counting. If parents want their kids to go to another school that may be performing better, they can't. That is the real travesty that you can't explain away with your teacher union sycophancy. Trust me, most parents if given the option of having their kids attend a private or lousy public school will 9 out of ten times choose the private school. The problem is people like you and your teacher union friends would rather keep them captive in your crappy schools.
Peabody Charter is a pretty great school, don't know what you're on about.
Doesn't it sound like a similar plan of Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood? To eliminate a certain class of people and elevate a different class of people.
Partly true, yet a very narrow perspective of the whole picture. I know of no Charter school or private ones that impoverish their teachers!
Thanks Tim, unfortunately I suspect most of the readership here believe that Trump is heaven sent and home schooling is wonderful.
Actually I'm a credentialed teacher in CA. I've taught in public and private schools and I've homeschooled. All three have advantages and disadvantages, for my husband and I, we found public school fit our oldest son and private school fit our youngest son. Homeschooling was required when public school teachers had our youngest for 2 years and he still couldn't read. I fixed that within 3 months and he went back to school with a strong foundation the next year.
It should be obvious to everyone who is calling the shots here in California. The Unions and NGO’s are in the drivers seat, recycling laundered money into campaigns to elect liberal politicians, which in turn has a blind eye to the monumental failure of our children. All while placating the psychosis of the left. When will this pay for play scam end? Never, ever. The fraud and grift is so pervasive that it has become part of our culture. The premise being a classic Alinsky tactic, to call out and shame parents who want academic excellence for their children with the most despicable terms.
It’s over in California, it was a great run, but it’s over. People are doing what they’ve always done, migrating to places with more opportunities.
We punish our children because of extreme TDS. That is not only stupidity but absolute short-sightedness. The CTA should be declared a terrorist organization.
In no small words, one of the most corrupt unions I've ever seen in my 62 years. That i have personally delt with! That's a union that needs to be dismantled.
Because of their radical ways! Things that are taught in the classroom now I didn't even hear until college and the military. Not to mention CTA allows extreme woke teachers to install their ways in our children, and if we complain we are the bad guys. Let just say not a fan.!
The Democrats know they can’t take that money because it will result in our children, actually being educated and they can’t afford that. They need them stupid so they can push their communistic agenda without interruption. The teachers union spoon feeds it to them beginning at three and four years old now,(TK) right on up through 12th grade for most. This is why they want to extend “free education“ through 14 years now, (community college). To give them two more years of activist training.
Well said Lou, screw the CTA and these crazy ass Democrats trying to undo the greatest and freest form of government the world has ever seen
Mr. Segal, thank you for your article regarding The Scholarship Tax Credit Program.
The LLL DemoNcrat party of CA has proven time and again they only "market" for money that they can directly influence the outcome of, for their benefactors.
Yes, "only an ARROGANT idiot persists in their error.” Look no further than California's high-speed rail for evidence of that.
I completely agree that their stupidity knows no bounds, by purposely oppressing the academic future of millions of children, particularly those home and privately schooled outside of the Godless, sexually confused public school system.
It is shameful that the public education system is the tail, capable of wagging the dog.
With so much hate for California, why not leave? Mississippi would welcome you I suspect.
Liberal's express "hate" by their actions and their words, whereas conservative's identify problems with the facts. The truth hurts and yes, liberal ideology is destroying the state of California.
Are you aware that Gavin Newsom started as CA governor with a 30 billion dollar surplus. He has since driven the state into the ground, and now has a $112 billion dollar deficit, while hundreds of businesses exit CA for less hostile taxation and regulations.
You see Bart, unless someone points out the dam is broken, no one is likely to fix it. That's not hate, that's identifying the source of the problem.
The Democrats aren't CA, nor are the public schools. don't conflate his dislike for Dems and public schools with all of CA.
California already has a shrinking tax base. Your taxes are already going up so let’s encourage more people to leave. Dense thinking.
This is not surprising, CA screws up in almost every category. CA ranks 37th in testing scores. Oh but wait, let's increase taxes on everything. The CA dream is dead, and unions and stupid special interest groups and a lame governor and worthless mayors are the cause. But let's keep voting them in because we don't want any other people telling us what to do...
Hate California? No. Hate California government and the Unions? Yes. Mississippi used to be the brunt of the joke when it came to education. That day is long gone. They have far better education than California. We here in California, are at the bottom of the curve. Mississippi has better scores than us and spends less money than us to get them. While I believe California is making a huge mistake by not opting in for this money, the money isn't going to fix Californias education. When compared to the whole world, we spend vastly more money on education currently. Yet, have results at the bottom. Money isn't gonna fix it. Get woke out, entitlement out, politics out, LGBTQ+ out, drag queens out, over sexualized materials out, and special interests out of our educational system completely. It has no place. Stop our educators from believing they can keep secrets from the parents and encourage things like a gender change to kids that aren't even old enough to understand the birds and the bee's. Instead of keeping secrets from the parents, involve them more. Cause right now they'll teach gender ideology but not cursive handwriting. Our kids cant even sign their names to a lefal document. How is that preparing them for the world? Their is an insanely high illiteracy rate, as well. Who was the last group of people in The USA that were kept from learning how to read and write? Ill wait for that answer....Government is not, and will not, raise my kids. Get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic. A little science and definitely history. Those that don't know the history are more likely to repeat it. Also, teach computers. But, bring back books, pencil, and paper. Computers are one of many tools. Books, pencils, and paper are the fundamentals. Fundamentals should be at the core of everything they do. So, no, it's not hate for the State of California. California is beautiful and I love my home. It is hate for the tyrannical and corrupt State government, the unions that enable them, and anyone that supports what they are doing.
The obvious reason California is turning down the money for education is that our governor does not want our kids to be educated. It surprises me how he would turn down this program since that would be a lot of money that Newsome could use for his bullet train, the bridge to nowhere or his pocket.
This should be posted on Facebook. It is an important message that needs to get beyond Santa Barbara. In today's world, do we really need the teachers' unions? Have they actually been preparing students for the next step in life? The end results of the public school system today are a failing grade. They graduate students who are not prepared for college or the world in general. It's not acceptable.
Dumbing down the population is the Communist way, so the people don't know what happened to them. California is a mess. One-party rule for 16 years has given us this situation. We need fresh ideas across the board. New thinking focused on the PEOPLE.
I have written in this multiple times. It is the ultimate symbol for the complete control of the CA Teachers Association.
Love your work, Jon!
So you want to trap students and families in failing Charter Schools that are exempt from evaluation and oversight while you destroy Public Education. Charter Schools almost everywhere are scams that steal money from public schools, enrich their investors, and deliver very poor classroom instruction that often stick kids in front of canned programming on computers all day. The solution is to fund public education and make those schools better, not set up a scam that will drain public money into the coffers of failing charter schools and their investors. This is theft.
Insanity continues in California.
Lou Thanks again to showing how inept and corrupt our state is. Cjrrrs
Stupid kids need free stuff. That just how the Dem politicians like them.