Posts Tagged ‘CIS-Communities in Schools’
Communities In Schools Model (When You Hear This Rhetoric, Go Find Those Tax Returns!) From Oct. 17, 2016: Feb 2018 Intro on Continuing Relevance of Awareness of CIS and Related Models [Publ. Feb. 23, 2018].
Communities In Schools Model (When You Hear this Rhetoric, Go find those Tax Returns!) From Oct. 17, 2016 (short-link ends “-8Fb”; moved here 2/17/2018. Hate to waste all that earlier work by not publishing it!)
Extended Version of Title, same link: Communities In Schools Model (When You Hear this Rhetoric, Go find those Tax Returns!) From Oct. 17, 2016: Feb 2018 Intro on Continuing Relevance of Awareness of CIS and related models. Currently about 11,400 words.
The term “Communities in Schools” represents a national nonprofit and its similarly-named affiliates, although these are NOT considered “related organizations” at the tax level. To its credit its recent tax returns or financial statements are posted at its main website under the link “Financial Information.” I posted tax returns for the national organization and at least a few affiliates at the bottom of this post. I was interested that the national organization increased its “Total Assets” by $5M over just two years, to $56M, for the year ending 2015, and that (on a more recent website check) its mostly-male board of directors did have six women, including the former First Lady of Texas, and other powerhouses. (Shown with the bio blurbs below the “affiliates” map image.)
Here’s a recent Map from their “affiliates” page of “Where we are” for a general concept. Note: having an entire US State colored in doesn’t necessarily reflect how much of a presence (or what size operations, how many schools they’re involved with — or in fact, much other than a location) throughout that entire state. And there are some “multi-state” affiliates listed.
Interactive map. For a list, see Affiliates page. Interesting what sections of the country it is NOT in… Map is interactive on the website, not this image.
Image #1 of 3, CIS Bd of Directors (incl. 2 of 3 “National leadership” — Wynn & Milliken but not Erquiaga also) alpha by last name, as thumbnail photo directory. Wynn & Erquiaga both functional or previously IN public education in NEVADA. But this National entity is legally domiciled in Georgia (which I note has many affiliates) with a Virginia (i.e., closer to W.D.C.) address.
Image #2 of 3, CIS Bd of Directors (incl. 2 of 3 “National leadership” — Wynn & Milliken but not Erquiaga also) alpha by last name, as thumbnail photo directory.
Image #3 of 3, CIS Bd of Directors (incl. 2 of 3 “National leadership” — Wynn & Milliken but not Erquiaga also) alpha by last name, as thumbnail photo directory.
Communities In Schools, Inc. (national) board of directors each has a bio blurb. Out of 24 total (incl. former Educ. Secretary under Pres. Obama, Arne Duncan; above three images), here are the six women so privileged in slideshow format (some bios may take two — Chairman Elaine Wynn’s takes three — images):
Interesting while the FY2016 and FY2017 audited financial statements are posted, no tax return past FY2015 (Fiscal year ending Sept. 30, meaning, now (Feb. 2018) that’s considerably “odd.” Also, the latest tax return says financials are “available upon request” when they are made available (except tax return for 2016, so far) on the website. Also while the tax return specifies only “children in schools” it’s clear from the website that, children in poverty, esp. children of color, is the “issue” and this nonprofit’s main focus.
Also, unspoken but fairly obvious, “Schools” is a subset of all legal schools within the country, and seems to mean PUBLIC schools; where poor kids are mostly warehoused…except those that have somehow broken out and gotten scholarships to better educational situations… (Keeping in mind that charter schools are still public, not private).
I’d like to raise certain financial issues up front here (for example, how the most recent available (FY2015) tax return shows “Gross receipts” $40M+ but Revenues less than half that, which were overspent, too. Why such a difference was found on “Statement of Revenues” which showed $25M of securities sold for $26M+ — i.e. at a loss. … Then there’s the matter, showing in Form 990 Part XI (Reconciliation of $$ differences between tax returns and audited financial statements) a $56M “Donated Services” reported as shown on the FS but NOT on the tax returns (for an organization reporting total assets of $56M at year end on the tax return. Turns out that $56M “Donated services” were in media, and from one of its major subcontractors, Causeway Agency. Having received the $56M, they simply expensed out the exact same amount (an accounting tactic?) on the FS).
I have decided against putting together the exhibits up top. See their “Financials” page for the links. This is fascinating, but for later. Except the following image gallery(!)
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Three (or Four) Famous, Privately Controlled Nonprofits Who Just Wanna Transform Public Education (and Urban Populations to Practice On) [Publ. April 3, 2017]
Three (or Four) Famous, Privately Controlled Nonprofits Who Just Wanna Transform Public Education (and Urban Populations to Practice On) (case-sensitive short-link ends “-6iI”)
Intro added right before hitting “Publish”:
This is a detailed post, under 10,000 words only because I broke off the bottom third (where it started) for separate publication. It has at least two other spinoff posts one of which was already published on 3/30/2017. I hope that by publishing several on similar topics in fast sequence, some common sense and raised awareness of just how many, and how deep are the pockets, of the school transformation networks (plural) with their subcontractor friends from the consulting field, in combination with of course proprietary technology platforms, are fully functional and effectively ARE transforming the landscape. Another term for this would be “development” as it occurs by developed countries upon “under-developed” or developing ones.
We should acknowledge that “the world’s THE stage”; while these typically operate in the US, their foundation backers often do not. Many of the concepts for application on the US public schools — a vast resource for testing grounds for this and that pilot, and also representing compulsory consumption of products & services (for most, unless they have the privilege or option of alternate forms of K-12 education under U.S. law) came from England, Germany — from Europe, countries with peerages, titles of honor, and sometimes a national religion going back centuries, which the US does not have.
Careers and career professionals in the field of school transformation do exist, often working for the largest private foundations around (I found another one today, in a different network with, predictably, a doctorate (and B.A. degree) in psychology, government task force positions, and numerous foundation positions, including at the Annie E. Casey Foundation). The U.S. is being “developed” every bit as much as other countries, but in a more different manner and sold as solving our social problems. Most troubling to me is attempting to turn local public schools into community centers, rather than giving equal consideration to the possibility that this is a top-heavy, expensive model just too tempting for the profiteers to avoid.
These networks, private influence (non-representational particularly of local people) on school districts and most schools’ continuing, ever-present search for more money and programming which might bring that in or justify it, are here, probably to stay. I advise becoming well-aware of the proliferating nonprofits while they are still around to be tracked. (Some are starting to close themselves down, and the track record may not be around forever).
I am not writing from the sidelines on this issue. Although I may not have lived in many of the states where nonprofits I discuss are headquartered, I have lived in several different states in the USA over the decades, and both East Coast, MidWest, and West Coast. I am a parent, I know exactly what it is like to be a single parent with a college degree attempting to head my own children in the same direction on scholarships. Unfortunately, also having had to deal with marital domestic violence, part of this time I also had do this while dealing with the usual choice such (mothers) get: (a) the abuse itself (if in the relationship) and (b) the family court litigation (if one exits the relationship and becomes in ANY way, sharpe or form involved with the social services in the process, bringing on the child support, marriage/fatherhood factor into the mix in any divorce or custody proceedings). In this context, I had NO real free time, and became acutely aware of the relative efficiency of different forms of schooling upon the household as well as (which was not even in question at the time) the relative levels of achievement and involvement in so-called “extracurricular” activities my children could be in, given a two-parent household with a commute every single weekend.
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Let's Get Honest! Absolutely Uncommon Analysis of Family & Conciliation Courts' Operations, Practices, & History 