It’s Time To Put Benghazi Nonsense To Rest

Ken O’Brien

The latest findings, released Friday, into the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, has refuted claims that there was a cover-up or that officials didn't do all they could at the time to save the four Americans killed that night.

The declassified two-year investigation by the Republican-dominated House Intelligence Committee, which conducted an exhaustive probe into the incident, debunked claims that the White House cooked up phony talking points for then-UN Ambassador Susan Rice. 

Southbridge Superintendent Reports On MCAS

Ken O’Brien

So now we have confirmation of what has been reported on this blog for a while. In 2013, 38 out of 105 students failed all or a portion of the MCAS. That’s over 1/3 of this year’s seniors.

Worse than that, these students went the whole of their junior year without being offered the opportunity to retake the test.

The fact is that this has never happened here before. I have to wonder if this has ever happened anywhere before. 

Charter Schools – Havens For Waste, Fraud And Abuse?

Ken O’Brien

May 4th through the 10th is National Teacher Appreciation Week. It is also National Charter School Week.

In what may be regarded as a poke in the eye to that latter occasion, a new study has been issued that focuses on what it maintains is a culture of criminal behavior that infects charter schools around the country.  Titled “Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud and Abuse,” the report focused on 15 states representing large charter markets, out of the 42 states that have charter schools.

The report, co-authored by the Center for Popular Democracy and Integrity in Education, makes the point that the problem of charter school waste, fraud and abuse, which it focuses on, is just one symptom of the underlying problem: inadequate regulation of charter schools.

94% Of Americans Will Pay Less Than Expected For Obamacare

A report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) shows that in about 94 percent of cases the Congressional Budget Office overestimated how high premiums would be. Those estimates were initially made at the time Obamacare was being debated.