Just Follow The Money

Take a look at the listing for “Grants and Contributions Paid” in the Broad Foundation’s 990s to get an idea of the organizations which Eli Broad supports. Those documents can be located on the National Center for Charitable Statistics Web site using the Employer Identification Number (EIN) 954686318. The National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is "the national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States."

You won’t be surprised to learn that it is rare-to-non-existent for the Broad Foundation to make a gift to any traditional public K-12 school. On the other hand, for at least the past decade, Broad has regularly supported many organizations which are working hard to make the traditional public schools extinct.

The following are just a few of Broad’s favorite organizations, along with their Employer Identification Numbers (EINs).

• Alliance for College Ready Public Schools - 954779029
• Aspire Public Schools - 943311088
• Broad Center for the Management of School Systems - 202692176
• Center for Education Reform - 521847187
• Center for Reform of School Systems Inc - 760681611
• Excellent Education Development - 954766001
• Green Dot Educational Project - 954679811
• Leadership Public Schools Inc - 731643646
• Los Angeles Parents Union - 202207418
• New Leaders (aka New Leaders for New Schools) - 043519203
• New Schools Fund, d/b/a NewSchools Venture Fund - 943281780

In viewing the 990s of the above recipients, you’ll find out how much “direct public support” they have received (philanthropic gifts, grants and other contributions). The sources are not listed, however the organizations' Web sites usually list the major supporters, so you can start to track the sources from there.

Janelle Scott published a paper last spring, "The Politics of Venture Philanthropy in Charter School Policy and Advocacy." Scott is an Associate Professor at UC Berkeley, formerly of NYU. Her paper explains the billionaires' strategy to insert charter schools into communities by the careful maneuvering of their immense foundation-giving. Read more about her investigation here.

According to Scott, the "gifts" of these foundations are going to a broad range of

• charter advocacy groups
• pro-charter research organizations
• alternative teacher, principal, and superintendent training programs
• charter school development organizations

You’ll notice that almost all of the education-oriented organizations which Broad supports can be categorized into one of these four groups.

In the name of "philanthropy," a highly functioning network has now been established by the corporate forces with the purpose to increase the number of charter schools in the U.S. The portrait of this network is clearly revealed when following the “education reform” destinations of Eli Broad's money.

DON'T BE FOOLED. This network was NOT established to improve education for America's shrinking middle class, nor for its growing underclass. This project was undertaken by a small set of people who are obsessed with money and power. They are intent on undermining our public schools (and what's left of our democracy) by using an assortment of approaches -- each one potentiating the other -- with the ultimate goal to:

• destabilize communities by fostering the growth of competing and bickering factions
• detach schools from the democratic process (the government)
• continue to cut spending on public education
• transfer control of public schools from the American citizenry into the hands of private business

Broad Henchwoman Directing DOE's Race To The Top

Last May, Arne Duncan appointed Joanne Weiss as Director of Race To The Top, the multi-billion dollar competitively earned fund which Duncan and Obama have designated to "encourge and reward States that are creating the conditions for [Eli Broad's designed plan of] education innovation and reform." With states so desperate for money, they are essentially being forced to comply.

Joanne Weiss' most recent employment was as Partner and COO at NewSchools Venture Fund. Her job description states, “she focuses on investment strategy and management assistance to a variety of the firm's portfolio ventures, and oversees the organization's operations. As part of this work, she serves on the boards of Aspire Public Schools, Green Dot Public Schools, Leadership Public Schools, New Leaders for New Schools, Revolution Foods, Rocketship Education and Teachscape.”

NewSchools Venture Fund, Aspire, Green Dot and New Leaders for New Schools have received millions of dollars from Eli Broad. You could say that Broad paid for a significant amount of Weiss’ salary. The 2006 - 990 for NSVF declared that Weiss was compensated $228,000 (page 28). During 2005, the NSVF received a total of $13,111,610 in gifts, grants and contributions (pg. 13). That year, Broad gave $1,860,000, or 14.2% of the total, in contributions.

Contributions from Eli Broad to the following organizations

	Aspire Public Schools¹	Green Dot Public Schools ²	New Leaders for New Schools ³	NewSchools Venture Fund 	Total
2001	-	-	$1,056,000	-	$1,056,000
2002	-	-	$1,218,000	$530,000	$1,748,000
2003	-	-	$2,250,000	$470,000	$2,720,000
2004	$1,500,000	$700,000	$2,000,000	$500,000	$4,700,000
2005	$1,800,000	$700,000	$720,000	$1,860,000	$5,080,000
2006	$450,000	$700,000	$375,000	$650,000	$2,175,000
2007	$145,200	$1,210,040	$375,000	$3,595,000	$5,325,240
Total	$3,895,200	$3,310,040	$7,994,000	$7,605,000	$22,804,240

¹ Aspire Public Schools: The charter management organization co-founded by Don Shalvey and Reed Hastings, the founder and CEO of Netflix. Just before this, they co-authored the California Charter School Initiative which was signed into law in 1998, thus lifting the cap on charter schools in California.

² Green Dot Public Schools: The charter management organization which was launched by Steve Barr with support of Reed Hastings. Hastings also co-founded EdVoice with John Doerr (investment banker) and is connected to Eli Broad and the recently deceased Don Fisher (The Gap, KIPP’s big supporter). Broad and Fisher were co-chairs on the EdVoice board.

³ New Leaders for New Schools: The principal training program created by this faction that implements an alternative curriculum and pays its participants a salary while they are being trained. NLFNS also makes arrangements for school districts to assign the participants to administrative positions at schools. NLFNS also trains its participants for administrative positions in charter schools.

 NewSchools Venture Fund: Some Broad Foundation 990s list this as the “New Schools Fund.” The NSVF is a major hub where funds are accumulated and then distributed to charter management organizations and “education entrepreneurs,” both nonprofit and for-profit. Reed Hastings helped to start the NSVF. In 2003 it also received $22 million from the Gates Foundation to “create systems of charter schools through nonprofit charter management organizations.”

About This Web site

In upcoming weeks, I will be refining this Web site and adding more and more information. I am currently researching the Broad Foundation's 990s, the Broad Residency in Urban Education, and a number of other related topics. Please be sure to check back periodically.

If you have any links or information to share, or live in a community which has been negatively impacted by the decisions made by people affiliated with the Broad Superintendents Academy, the Broad Residency in Urban Education, or other related Broad-supported organizations, please share your story in the comment sections of these posts.

Thank you for visiting THE BROAD REPORT.

Impact Location of BSA Graduates

GRADUATES OF THE BSA (CALLED “FELLOWS”) ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN AT LEAST 33 U.S. CITIES AND 25 STATES)

STATES AFFLICTED

1. California

2. Colorado

3. Connecticut

4. Delaware

5. Florida

6. Georgia

7. Illinois

8. Indiana

9. Louisiana

10. Maryland

11. Massachusetts

12. Michigan

13. Minnesota

14. Missouri

15. Nevada

16. New Jersey

17. New York

18. North Carolina

19. Pennsylvania

20. Rhode Island

21. South Carolina

22. Texas

23. Virginia

24. Washington, D.C.

25. Washington

CITIES AFFLICTED

1. California, Long Beach

2. California, Oakland

3. California, Riverside

4. Colorado, Aurora

5. Connecticut, New Haven

6. Delaware, Dover

7. Delaware, Wilmington

8. Florida, Orlando

9. Georgia, Atlanta

10. Illinois, Chicago

11. Illinois, Elgin

12. Illinois, Rockford

13. Indiana, Fort Wayne

14. Louisiana, Baton Rouge

15. Maryland, Prince George’s County

16. Massachusetts, Springfield

17. Massachusetts, Worcester

18. Michigan, Detroit

19. Minnesota, Saint Paul

20. Missouri, Kansas City

21. Nevada, Las Vegas

22. Nevada, Reno

23. New Jersey, Elizabeth

24. New York, New York City

25. New York, Rochester

26. North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg

27. North Carolina, Durham

28. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

29. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh

30. Rhode Island, Providence

31. South Carolina, Charleston

32. Texas, Dallas

33. Texas, Fort Worth

34. Virginia, Richmond

35. Washington, D.C.

36. Washington, Seattle

BSA Acceptance Rate

NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO THE BSA PROGRAM EACH YEAR*

2002 = 25

2003 = 20

2004 = 22

2005 = 20

2006 = 18

2007 = 14

2008 = 12

2009 = 12

* PLEASE NOTE THE REMARKABLE DECLINE IN PARTICIPATION! Perhaps this program is now being viewed as less-than-successful. Broad seems to have shifted his priorities. The foundation is giving more money than ever before to various [corporate-affiliated] education reform initiatives.

BSA Graduates in Alphabetical Order

TOTAL SINCE 2002 = 130 GRADUATES (ALSO CALLED "FELLOWS")

Alfaro, Robert (2004)

Anderson, Bart G. (2006)

Atkinson, Cheryl L. H. (2006)

Baker, Jill A. (2005)

Barry, John (2004)

Bass, Angela (2005)

Bobb, Robert C. (2005)

Boone, Melinda (2004)

Brady, Thomas (2004)

Brandon, Yvonne W. (2006)

Brizard, Jean-Claude (J.C.) (2007)

Burt, Helen (2004)

Burt, Walter (2002)

Byas, Dennis D. (2005)

Bynum, Randolph (Randy) (2007)

Carney, Ingrid (2007)

Carter, Arnold (2002)

Cash, David (2009)

Cerf, Christoper (2004)

Coleman-Potter, Bonita (2008)

Covington, John (2008)

Darden, Thomas (2009)

Dawning, Paula (2002)

Deasy, John E. (2006)

Dilworth, John (2005)

Downing, Kathryn (2002)

Evans, Mark (2003)

Fryer, Lawrence W., Jr. (2006)

Gill, Paul (2007)

Gist, Deborah (2008)

Glascoe, Michael (2002)

Goodloe-Johnson, Maria (2003)

Gorman, Peter (2004)

Gray, David “Scott” (2009)

Green, Patricia (2002)

Hankins, Paul (2004)

Hanna, Tomás (2008)

Harner, William E. (2005)

Harries, Garth (2009)

Harris, Carl (2002)

Hayes, Aaron B. (2005)

Heatley, Edmond (2008)

Hegedus, Andrew S. (2005)

Heyer, Erik (2003)

Hite, William R., Jr. (2005)

Hopkins, Delores (2002)

Hughey, Gary (2005)

Hurt, Dorene (2009)

Ingram, Alan (2007)

Jenkins, Barbara (2006)

Jenney, Timothy (2002)

Johns, Christine (2004)

Johnson, Hosanna (2009)

Johnson, Melody (2002)

King, Cheryl (2003)

Knighton, Christine (Nickey) (2007)

Lane, Linda (2003)

Lee, Candy (2004)

Leonard, Steven (2002)

Lepper, Steven (2009)

Levenson, Nathan (2004)

Littman, Kathi (2005)

Loe, Cynthia (2004)

Lowery, Lillian (2004)

Lusi, Susan (2003)

Lyles, Marcia V. (2006)

Malone, Matthew (2003)

Manley, Paul (2008)

Manos-Sittnick, Angela M. (formerly Manos) (2006)

Martinez, Pedro (2009)

Materassi, Leaura (2003)

Matthews, Vincent C. (2006)

Mazyck, Veleter (2007)

Mccown, Gaynor (2004)

McGann, Barbara (2003)

McGinley, Nancy (2002)

McIntyre, James P., Jr. (2006)

Meléndez de Santa Ana, Thelma (2006)

Micheaux, Donna J. (2005)

Mir, Gasper (2003)

Moore, Reginald (2005)

Morris, Howard (2003)

Morrison, Heath (2009)

Muñoz, Pablo (2006)

Oliver, Bernard (2002)

Olson, Kimberly (2005)

Paquin, Natalye (2004)

Peebles, Thandiwe (2002)

Pierce, Glenn (2003)

Pitre, Maria (2008)

Polakow-Suransky, Shael (2008)

Polk, Steven R. (2006)

Pombar, Frank D. (2008)

Porter, John Q. (2006)

Purcell, Carlinda (2004)

Randall, Pamela (2004)

Rayer, Ben (2002)

Raymond, Jonathan P. (2006)

Redden, Joseph (2003)

Robinson, Wendy (2002)

Roosevelt, Mark (2003)

Rose, Joel (2006)

Rosen, Amy (2004)

Rudden, Eileen (2009)

Runcie, Robert (2009)

Ryder, Beverly P. (2006)

Saavedra, Abelardo (2002)

San Pedro, Ofelia (2005)

Sandoval, Monica (2003)

Scanlan, John (2007)

Sheffield, LaVonne (2002)

Silva, Valeria (2008)

Sims, Deborah A. (2005)

Spampinato, Lynn (2004)

Statham, Kimberly (2003)

Stecz, Terrence (Terry) (2007)

Stockwell, Robert (2002)

Tata, Anthony (2009)

Terry, Laverne (2004)

Torres, Jose M. (2005)

Van Valkenburg, Frederick D. (2005)

Vigil, Joseph (2002)

Ward, Randolph (2003)

Watkins, Patricia (2002)

Wechsler, Norman (2003)

Welch, John (2002)

Whalen, Kathleen (2002)

Wilkins, Stephen (2007)

Williams, Bennie (2007)

Wise, Joseph (2003)

BSA Class of 2009

12 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

THE 2009 GRADUATES WILL BE IS ANNOUNCED IN THE NOVEMBER PRESS RELEASE.

PARTICIPANTS LISTED FOR THE CLASS OF 2009*

• Cash, David
• Darden, Thomas
• Gray, David “Scott”
• Harries, Garth
• Hurt, Dorene
• Johnson, Hosanna
• Lepper, Steven
• Martinez, Pedro
• Morrison, Heath
• Rudden, Eileen
• Runcie, Robert
• Tata, Anthony

5 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS “FEATURED ALUMNI.”

• Darden, Thomas
• Harries, Garth
• Morrison, Heath
• Runcie, Robert
• Tata, Anthony

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2009 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

January 2009 press release

November 2009 press release: pending

BSA Class of 2008

12 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

10 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THE CLASS OF 2008*

• Coleman-Potter, Bonita
• Covington, John
• Gist, Deborah
• Hanna, Tomás
• Heatley, Edmond
• Manley, Paul
• Pitre, Maria
• Polakow-Suransky, Shael
• Pombar, Frank D.
• Silva, Valeria

10 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS “FEATURED ALUMNI.”

*Two of the original participants left the program, Jaime Aquino and Frank Riggs

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2008 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

January 2008 press release

November 2008 press release

BSA Class of 2007

14 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

11 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THE CLASS OF 2007*

• Brizard, Jean-Claude (J.C.)
• Bynum, Randolph (Randy)
• Carney, Ingrid
• Gill, Paul
• Ingram, Alan
• Knighton, Christine (Nickey)
• Mazyck, Veleter
• Scanlan, John
• Stecz, Terrence (Terry)
• Wilkins, Stephen
• Williams, Bennie

5 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS "FEATURED ALUMNI."

• Brizard, Jean-Claude
• Bynum, Randolph
• Gill, Paul
• Ingram, Alan
• Scanlan, John

*Three of the original participants left the program, José Betancourt, Brenda Cassellius, and W. L. (Tony) Sawyer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2007 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

January 2007 press release

November 2007 press release

BSA Class of 2006

18 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

17 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THE CLASS OF 2006*

• Anderson, Bart G.
• Atkinson, Cheryl L. H.
• Brandon, Yvonne W.
• Deasy, John E.
• Fryer, Lawrence W., Jr.
• Jenkins, Barbara
• Lyles, Marcia V.
• Manos-Sittnick, Angela M. (formerly Manos)
• Matthews, Vincent C.
• McIntyre, James P., Jr.
• Meléndez de Santa Ana, Thelma
• Muñoz, Pablo
• Polk, Steven R.
• Porter, John Q.
• Raymond, Jonathan P.
• Rose, Joel
• Ryder, Beverly P.

8 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS “FEATURED ALUMNI."

• Brandon, Yvonne W.
• Fryer, Lawrence W., Jr.
• Jenkins, Barbara
• Lyles, Marcia V.
• Matthews, Vincent C.
• Meléndez de Santa Ana, Thelma
• Muñoz, Pablo
• Rose, Joel

*One of the original participants left the program, Constantine (Dean) S. Vakas.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2006 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

January 2006 press release

November 2006 press release

BSA Class of 2005

20 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

18 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THE CLASS OF 2005*

• Baker, Jill A.
• Bass, Angela
• Bobb, Robert C.
• Byas, Dennis D.
• Dilworth, John
• Harner, William E.
• Hayes, Aaron B.
• Hegedus, Andrew S.
• Hite, William R., Jr.
• Hughey, Gary
• Littman, Kathi
• Micheaux, Donna J.
• Moore, Reginald
• Olson, Kimberly
• San Pedro, Ofelia
• Sims, Deborah A.
• Torres, Jose M.
• Van Valkenburg, Frederick D.

7 = NUMBER OF 2005 GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS " FEATURED ALUMNI."

• Baker, Jill A.
• Bass, Angela
• Bobb, Robert C.
• Dilworth, John
• Hite, William R., Jr.
• Micheaux, Donna J.
• Torres, Jose M.

*This list was obtained online in ~2007; it is no longer posted. Three of the original participants left the program, Roger Gibson, Samuel T. King and Maria J. Lamb. John Dilworth was not included in the original press release.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2005 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

February 2005 press release

November 2005 press release

BAS Class of 2004

22 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

21 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THE CLASS OF 2004*

• Alfaro, Robert
• Barry, John
• Boone, Melinda
• Brady, Thomas
• Burt, Helen
• Cerf, Christoper
• Gorman, Peter
• Hankins, Paul
• Johns, Christine
• Lee, Candy
• Levenson, Nathan
• Loe, Cynthia
• Lowery, Lillian
• Mccown, Gaynor
• Paquin, Natalye
• Purcell, Carlinda
• Randall, Pamela
• Rosen, Amy
• Spampinato, Lynn
• Terry, Laverne

7 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS “FEATURED ALUMNI."

• Alfaro, Robert
• Barry, John
• Boone, Melinda
• Brady, Thomas
• Lowery, Lillian
• Randall, Pamela
• Gorman, Peter

*This list was obtained online in ~2007; it is no longer posted. Two of the original participants left the program, Thomas J. Fiscus and Manuel C. Silva. Pamela R. Hughes changed her name to Pamela Randall.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2004 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

February 2004 press release

November 2004 press release

BSA Class of 2003

20 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

19 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES*

CLASS OF 2003

• Evans, Mark
• Goodloe-Johnson, Maria
• Heyer, Erik
• King, Cheryl
• Lane, Linda
• Lusi, Susan
• Malone, Matthew
• Materassi, Leaura
• McGann, Barbara
• Mir, Gasper
• Morris, Howard
• Pierce, Glenn
• Redden, Joseph
• Roosevelt, Mark
• Sandoval, Monica
• Statham, Kimberly
• Ward, Randolph
• Wechsler, Norman
• Wise, Joseph

3 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS “FEATURED ALUMNI.”

• Goodloe-Johnson, Maria
• Lane, Linda
• Roosevelt, Mark

*This list was obtained online in ~2007; it is no longer posted.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2003 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

The 2003 meeting locations and dates are revealed in a series of press releases for this year. This was only done for 2003.

• March 2003: Minneapolis Embassy Suites Airport Hotel
• April 2003: Boston Hyatt Harborside (at Boston Logan Airport)
• June 2003: Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C
• July 2003: Embassy Suites Center City Hotel in Philadelphia
• September 2003: Doubletree Hotel - Post Oak, Houston
• November 2003: Graduation in San Diego at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort

February 2003 press release

November 2003 press release

The Fellows received guidance throughout the year from leaders in business, education and the nonprofit sectors.

Speakers at the San Diego Academy session include:

• Alan Bersin, Superintendent, San Diego City Schools
• Tom Vander Ark, Executive Director, Education, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Wendy Puriefoy, Executive Director, Public Education Network
• Steven Adamowski, Former Superintendent, Cincinnati Public Schools
• Carl Cohn, Former Superintendent, Long Beach Unified School District
• Carmen Russo, Former Superintendent, Baltimore City Public School System
• Terry Abbott, Public Relations Director, Houston Independent School District

BSA Class of 2002

25 = NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED

23 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THE CLASS OF 2002*

• Burt, Walter
• Carter, Arnold
• Dawning, Paula
• Downing, Kathryn
• Glascoe, Michael
• Green, Patricia
• Harris, Carl
• Hopkins, Delores
• Jenney, Timothy
• Johnson, Melody
• Leonard, Steven
• McGinley, Nancy
• Oliver, Bernard
• Peebles, Thandiwe
• Rayer, Ben
• Robinson, Wendy
• Saavedra, Abelardo
• Sheffield, LaVonne
• Stockwell, Robert
• Vigil, Joseph
• Watkins, Patricia
• Welch, John
• Whalen, Kathleen

7 = NUMBER OF GRADUATES CURRENTLY LISTED AS FEATURED ALUMNI."

• Harris, Carl
• Glascoe, Michael
• Johnson, Melody
• McGinley, Nancy
• Rayer, Ben
• Robinson, Wendy
• Sheffield, LaVonn

*This list was obtained online in ~2007; it is no longer posted.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2002 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

Participants in the academy will not need to leave their current jobs immediately. They will attend trainings for a number of weekends over a ten-month period in locations across the country. Fellowships, including tuition, travel and all program-related expenses, will be fully covered by The Broad Center. At the end of the training, The Broad Center will help place participants in urban school districts as administrators and superintendents.

The Fellows received guidance from leaders in business, education and the non-profit sectors. Faculty at the Academy included:

• Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education
• Henry Cisneros, CEO, American CityVista
• William Cox, Managing Director, School Evaluation Services
• Chris Cross, Senior Fellow, Center on Education Policy
• Chester E. Finn, Jr., President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
• Frances Hesselbein, Chairman, The Drucker Foundation
• Don McAdams, Founder, Center for Reform of School Systems
• Donald Nielsen, President, Hazelton Corporation; Chairman, 2WAY Corporation Hugh B. Price, President and CEO, National Urban League
• Paul Ruiz, Principal Partner, Education Trust
• Adam Urbanski, Director, Teacher Union Reform Network
• Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers

February 2002 press release

November 2002 press release

BSA Launch in 2001

PRESS RELEASE: Washington, DC -- ELI BROAD AND GOVERNOR JOHN ENGLER LAUNCH THE BROAD CENTER FOR SUPERINTENDENTS

National Adacemy [sic] will Identify, Train and Support The Next Generation of Public School Superintendents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 16, 2001

CONTACT:
Melissa Bonney Ratcliff*
310-954-5057 voice mail
310-435-5702 cell phone

Washington, DC - Today, The Broad Foundation and Governor John Engler (R-MI) launched The Broad Center for Superintendents at an event hosted by the Center for National Policy at the United States Capitol Building.**

Eli Broad, one of the nation's leading Democratic contributors, joined with John Engler, one of the nation's most prominent Republican Governors, to address the growing leadership crisis in America's public schools.

Broad and Engler launched The Broad Center for Superintendents to identify, train and support talented business, non-profit and government executives - along with traditional education leaders -- to serve as superintendents in urban public school districts.

Superintendents are in charge of our nation's greatest investment - our children. However, many have little training or background in complex financial, labor, management, personnel and capital resource decision-making. In fact, 98 percent of superintendents are trained as teachers - not managers. Additionally, the average urban superintendent's tenure is just over two years. This program will dramatically change this equation.

"This is a direct infusion of leadership at the highest management level of our nation's urban public school districts. We are building an executive leadership corps to protect and to grow our nation's investment in children," said Eli Broad, Founder, The Broad Foundation.

The Broad Center for Superintendents is an executive leadership development program designed to develop the critical skills needed to become a successful urban superintendent. Its focus will be a training academy that prepares future superintendents to meet the unique challenges that urban public school districts face. (A brochure describing the Academy program is attached.)

Michigan Governor John Engler said, "This is an exciting opportunity to cultivate great leadership in our nation's largest school districts. Literally millions of American children will benefit. I applaud Eli Broad for his vision and commitment."

Participants in the Academy will not need to leave their current jobs immediately. They will attend trainings for a number of weekends over a ten-month period in locations across the country. Fellowships, including tuition, travel and all program-related expenses, will be fully covered by The Broad Center. At the end of the training, The Broad Center will help place participants in urban school districts as administrators and superintendents.

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said: "I am delighted to see Eli Broad, renowned as a businessman and philanthropist, join with John Engler, the Governor of Michigan and a dedicated public servant, to provide a new approach to preparing school system leaders. The role of the superintendent is critical to the success of school reform and to the achievement of young people, and I applaud these gentlemen for their efforts to support and invest in developing our school leaders."

Established in 1999, The Broad Foundation's mission is to dramatically improve student achievement in our nation's cities by investing in new ideas and innovative leadership in urban school systems across the country. The Foundation supports efforts to improve governance, management and labor relations in our nations [sic] largest urban school districts.

NOTES:

*Melissa Bonney Ratcliff is currently a partner with Tom Vander Ark at Vander Ark/Ratcliff, “a full service strategic consulting firm focused on serving the education and non-profit sectors.”

**John Engler served as governor of Michigan (Eli Broad’s home state) from 1991 to 2003. His administration was characterized by privatization of state services, tax reduction, educational reform, welfare reform and major reorganization of executive branch departments. In September 2004 he was named the new President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. He serves as a juror for the Broad Prize.