Latest Breaking News On - Troy flint - Page 2 : vimarsana.com

Transcripts For KTVU Ten OClock News 20130829

traffic just after 7:00 tonight. the highway patrol ran traffic breakses. then officers set up road ramps at all the access roads that lead to the bridge from oakland and emeryville and from across the bay in san francisco. >> news chopper 2 was overhead for the closure. right now, we have live team coverage. ken wayne is live in the north bay at a major traffic bottle neck. noel walker is in san francisco, where she saw drivers being turned away. we begin with eric rasmussen live at the toll plaza where work has been going on for two hours. >> reporter: this all got started as soon as the chp officially closed off bridge to traffic at 8:03 p.m. the two main jobs tonight are demolition and grinding. we've got a front row seat. grinders are working on tearing up the surface of the road here on the oakland side of the bridge. they tell us crews will have torn up 1.2 square miles of road. it is all part of the carefully choreographed plan to get the new span open to traffic no later than tuesday morning. before that work could start though, we got to witness a little bit of history. the toll for this ford model a, $4. but it has the priceless opportunity to be the last car through the old span of the bay bridge. the major task of shutting down the bridge began more than an hour earlier. officers slowly reduced the flow of traffic. from the rooftop of the toll plaza, we could see some cars actually pulled over to the shoulder, trying to wait out the clock. instead, bob had made arrangements earlier this week to be the last car on the 76- year-old structure, yet even he says he's ready for the future. >> am i going to miss the old bridge? i don't think so. don't miss anything old. something new is always enjoyable. >> reporter: here's another look at the work that started minutes after authorities closed the bridge tonight. during this project, there will be 2,000 truck loads of asphalt coming in. 3,000 truck loads of debris going out. in the last hour, bay bridge authorities held a briefing to give us a progress report. they say so far it's going as planned. the chp also weighed in tonight, warning drivers over the next five days, do not cross any of those road blocks even to ask questions. they're urging everybody to plan ahead this holiday weekend. eric rasmussen, ktvu, channel 2 news. across the bay in san francisco, traffic was heavy for the last evening commute before the closure. >> thousands of drivers waited in traffic to get on the span, adjustment as they do each day. tonight, they crossed that old eastern span for the very last time. this video was shot by randy diecen. from this shot, you can see off to the left, the new eastern span, as crews continue to work ahead of next week's opening. >> here is a peek of what the drive should look like on the new eastern span. caltrans created this animation, it gives the perspective, heading east toward oakland. >> our team coverage continues now with noel walker, live in san francisco, where she witnessed some of the last vehicles making it to the bridge, while others were turned away. >> as promised, these barricades went right up at 8:00 sharp. we have officers directing people around these barricades. most drivers fought traffic in order to get on this onramp before it closed. but a few didn't. >> where are you going? >> reporter: at 8:00 sharp, the barricades went up. >> they just closed it. >> they closed it like 15 minutes ago. >> i'll just go around, because i missed it. >> you just missed it. >> reporter: the preparation started hours earlier. as crews got ready for the big closure, drivers got on the road. >> traffic is awesome. >> reporter: the afternoon rush hour was bumper to bumper, with drivers trying to beat that 8:00 deadline. >> can you believe this? labor day weekend, and they're going to close it. >> reporter: some less annoyed, and more nostalgic about the trip. >> i'm ready for the new one to open, because i drive it every day. >> reporter: it looked like a picture post guard. >> this is like saying goodbye to an old friend. >> reporter: barbara is just a few years younger than the bridge. we talked to sal castaneda, and his daughter savannah getting a little nostalgic too. >> i want to show her, hey, we were here. >> reporter: a moment in time. >> you're going to be one of the last ones over the bridge. >> reporter: and in with the new. occasionally, we'll let them see a car go through. the only people allow are people holding passes for treasure island. noel walker, ktvu, channel 2 news. >> more denails now on the timing of the -- details now on the timing of the closure. the east and west spans of bridge are closed. the eastern span is expected to open no earlier than next tuesday at 5:00 a.m. if the work is done sooner, it could open sooner. people who live south of market near the freeway, and the entrance to the bridge, they see an upside, because with the bridge closure, obviously there won't be much traffic or much noise that comes with that traffic. >> chaos today. >> pedicab drivers are also looking forward to the closure. but for folks on the corridor, they can expect to see more traffic than usual. our coverage continues throughout this newscast. ahead at 10:30, we'll check bag in with eric rasmussen for a life update from the bridge. then later, ken live from the north bay, with one area that will likely be a major choke point for traffic over the next five days. today, presidents past and present gathered in washington, d.c. to mark the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. it was on this day in 1963, dr. martin luther king shared his dream of the american future. >> when all of god's children, black men, and white men, jews and gentiles, protestants and catholics will be able to join hands. >> more than 2,000 people heard the historic address as they crowded together on the national mall in the sweltering august heat. today's events were rich in historic symbolism, as kraig bosswell reports. >> reporter: bells range out at the let freedom ring commemoration at the exact hour dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his now famous vision. the unforgettable voice paved the way for this moment. president obama, the nation's first black president, spending exactly where dr. king stood, reflecting on the progress and the work that remains. >> no one can match king's brilliance, but the same flame that let the heart of all who were willing to take the first step for justice, i know that flame remains. >> jim crow had a son called james crow jr. esquire. he writes voting suppression laws, and puts it in language that looks different but the results are the same. >> reporter: standing between three presidents on one side, and the king family on another, congressman john lewis, the last surviving speaker of the '63 march, challenged the nation, as dr. king did to make good on its promise. >> unemployment, poverty, and hunger, or the new struggle for voting rights. i say to each one of you today, we must never, ever give up. >> reporter: president obama and others pointed out the original march was about jobs and justice. noting the unemployment for blacks is almost twice the national average. >> more details now about the march. the sound system was sabotaged the night before. then lieutenant kennedy had them repair the sound still. this month president obama announced rusten will receive the medal of freedom post humorously. washington closed down liquor stores fearing the march would lead to violence. but it turns out there were no arrests at the march. coming up tonight, the voices of those who say the country has not moved far enough toward king's dream. new details on that surf school instructor in santa cruz charged with possession of child pornography. police say dylan grinner was inappropriately taking photos of young girls at the swim horse swim school. grinner was a volunteer there. so far, investigators have identified more than a dozen victims in this case. more charges could be in store for convicted murderer, joseph naso. the 79-year-old was found guilty of killing for women in the 1970s and 1990s. now prosecutors want to tie him to the murder of sharaleah patton. prosecutors are hoping to include patton's murder as evidence that naso should be given the death penalty. a fast food fight could be coming to a drivethrough near you and the action planned for tomorrow. >> the temperature bump you can expect tomorrow. >> paralyzed from the waist down. investigators say it's a case of road rage. after the break, the hope he is now sharing from his hospital bed. live look now at interstate 80 in oakland, off to the right hand side, you can see the ramp heading toward the bay bridge, it would normally have cars driving all across. but tonight, it is almost empty there, except for caltrans vehicles. about eight hours now, fast food workers from richmond to fremont plan to join in a protest. but what they're asking for has enough been done in their business before. >> reporter: workers say they're planning protests tomorrow. i spoke with one worker who says he's walking off the job to make a point. bay area fast food workers are entering a fight which started on the east coast. 19-year-old jason hughes wants people to walk in his shoes. >> i can't live on that. i have to debate, whether i'm going to buy food that night, or if i'm going to take bus the next morning. >> reporter: he doesn't plan to come to work tomorrow. it's part of a nationwide strike to form a union for fast food workers and to raise the minimum wage. other bay area cities have recently boosted their minimum wage. san francisco went up to $10.55 an hour. san jose this year went up to 10. fast food workers in the east bay, say they want $15 an hour. >> i love my job. i love the customers, i love the people i work with. >> restaurant owners have to raise their prices at least a third just to break even. >> reporter: but the california restaurant association says minimum wage is meant as a starting point only. saying the majority of those earners are part time, and under the age of 25. >> i think it's good. i think it should be raised. considering the cost of living in the bay area. >> i understand the need for a living wage. but $15 an hour, come on. outrageous. >> reporter: organizers have three protests planned tomorrow, they plan to gather in oakland, starting at 6:30 a.m. live tonight in fremont, maureen naylor, ktvu, channel 2 news. now to our continuing coverage of the rim fire. the rescue wing sent us video of the air drop. crews have done this more than 400 times. the fire is now 30% contained, but it's still growing, now covering 192,000 acres. that's about 300 square miles. also, a predator drone was used, and provided a look in realtime of flare ups that wouldn't otherwise be seen. anyone heading to the sierra for the long holiday weekend can expect smoky skies. a viewer said it was so smoky she couldn't even see the mountains. >> reporter: asking for the public's help to identify the woman behind a bu that involves a snake scam. authorities say she is hispanic, 35 to 45 years old. has a nose ring, a lip ring, and a tongue piercing. an elderly woman was approached by the suspect who told her a poisonous snake was loose in her neighborhood, then while the victim was distracted, her home was ransacked. police believe the same woman also struck in fremont over the weekend. a man from antioch who was paralyzed in an apparent road rage crash is talking for the first time about how he is doing. >> everybody out there, i just want to say thank you for all your support. >> reporter: the 47-year-old richard fletcher made this youtube video from his hospital in oakland. the highway patrol says fletcher was on a motorcycle on highway 24 when he was hit from behind by an angry driver. it happened two weeks ago, just after the claremont exit heading toward the caldecott tunnel. he suffered a broken spine and is paralyzed from the waist down. but his family hasn't given up hope that one day, he'll walk again. >> you never know what can happen. >> the driver accused of hitting fletcher was later shot by the chp, but survived. he has now been charged with attempted murder. getting a head start is getting harder. ktvu uncovers weeks of schooling about lost for some bay area children who need it most. a program that gives preschoolers a boost when they go back to school is the latest casualty of washington's budget battles. rob roth shows us why the cuts to head start aren't just harming young students, but parents and teachers too. >> we have to listen to our. >> momma -- >> and. >> poppa. >> reporter: the story of head start is a sad one. >> takes away good features for them. >> reporter: her 3-year-old daughter jasmine is one of the casualties. the earlier head start program that had a teacher coming to her home has now been eliminated. >> her learning skills went from low to really high. her first language is spanish. in a matter of weeks, she started picking up on a whole bunch of english words. >> reporter: they were forced to cut $1.1 million from its program this year, due to the sequester. >> devastated. i feel absolutely devastated. >> reporter: the county head start director says it's meant layoffs, and the program had to shorten the school year by 9 weeks. and these are all underprivileged children getting ready for school. >> these are the neediest families in our community. many of our families are homeless. many of the children we serve are foster children. >> reporter: the shorter year, means shorter paychecks. >> school is closing earlier, and coming back later. so i'm missing money, and i'm also a single parent. >> reporter: the cuts may not be over for head start, unless congress reaches a budget agreement, these little ones may see more of their programs eliminated come january. rob roth, ktvu, channel 2 news. and on ktvu.com we give a special back to school section. that's where you can look up school start dates, photos of our staff members, and tips of school savings. temperatures tomorrow, going to be a lot like they were today. starting to look like fall. it's going to rain in the pacific northwest, it misses us, but it keeps temperatures from getting real hot around here. tomorrow's forecast is just like today. fog forecast in the morning hours. pretty significant. a lost fog around the pay as you get going. the inland valleys, i think you'll be spared that much fog. you get the idea. fog around the bay. tomorrow, 90s inland, the but most of us will be in the 80s and 70s. back here at 10:45, i'll get specific for your neighborhood. stan jose's proposed soda ban is canned. the reason the proposal didn't even make it before the city council. >> 4, 3, we have ignition. >> a spy satellite goes into space. why it wasn't much of a secret. i have a dream. that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. i have a dream today. >> the words of dr. martin luther king jr. woven into the fabric of the american dream. 50 years later, questions still remain about how far the nation has come toward achieving a color blind society. tonight, ktvu's mike mibach reports on a claim of racial bias, when it comes to the numbers of young people being arrested in oakland. >> reporter: in west oakland, there's the sound of students. >> i have a dream. >> reporter: and the sound of king. >> little back boys, and little black girls will be available to join hands with little white boys, and little white girls. >> reporter: two oakland third graders with one principal on the importance of teaching dr. king. >> the legacy of social justice. the legacy is treating people fairly. >> reporter: at the small city park. likely to be discriminated against, and profiled by police. javontae and others talked about not being trialed fairly. about racial profiling. >> there's certainly some targeting that occurs among black youth. >> reporter: this joint report, claiming black youth made up 73% of arrests in oakland, nearly 80% of those arrested, according to the report were never prosecuted. school district spokesman, troy flint. >> it has to do with things like poverty. historical distrust of police. it has to do with broken families. inadequate support at school sites. >> reporter: the school district and oakland police say they did not racially profile when making their arrests. the chief of police said in a statement that opd is committed to practicing policing in a constitutional, and progressive manner. in oakland, mike mibach, ktvu, channel 2 news. >> you can listen to doctor king's entire speech, the 16 minutes long, we posted it at ktvu.com. you can listen to the link under hot topics. a proposed ban on the sale of soda and whole milk at city run venues in san jose was shut down before it even got to the city council. it would have outlawed the sugary drinks at community parks and libraries. it was proposed to promote health. he sayswhole milk was included, because it's more fattening than skim milk. >> the advocacy for public health is never going to end. i will always advocate for healthy choices, and for healthy city ordinances. >> he added that it was a shame that the idea was barely discussed. the committee decided that san jose had too many other priorities. a threatened strike by 911 operators has apparently been averted. the union is recommending approval. the issues included forced overtime, as well as benefits and pensions. our coverage of the bay bridge closure continues next. ahead in three minutes, a live update from the toll plaza. >> this bridge leads to what could be the biggest choke point in tomorrow's commute. we'll have a live report from marin county. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing live tv from southwest. now you can turn your device into your television. try it for free today, only on southwest airlines. on the air. in the air. with live tv. back now to our coverage of the new bay bridge. it is a huge operation to close an entire bridge. news chopper 2 took this shot just after 7:45 tonight. you can see the chp created a traffic break to stop the flow of vehicles from crossing the bay bridge. the bridge was closed less than 15 minutes later. take a look at this rare sight. all the toll booths are closed. construction crews are able to move in. >> these are shots of the ferry, which is very busy during the five day closure. >> right now, we want to go to ken wayne, it talking about navigating the heavy traffic. a two lane stretch of road, we will get to the blunt of the increased traffic. let's get to ken wayne with more on the closure of the bay bridge, and the impact. >> reporter: julie, we're at the end of the richmond, san rafael bridge. i drive this bridge five times a week. you look over my shoulder, it's not bumper to bumper traffic, but at this time of night, it is busier, it's going to be a whole different situation tomorrow morning. >> reporter: this is the choke point. part of it is just one lane in each direction. during tonight's commute it was bumper to bumper as cars made their way from marin county along this narrow roadway to the san rafael bridge. >> it's probably going to be very bad. a lot of the traffic for people to have to deal with. parking's bad to begin with. >> reporter: ben is talking about the parking lot. commuters flooded into the already full lot to head home from the city. tomorrow there's a good chance many more commuters will try to park here. >> the worst part is showing up to the ferry, at the usual time. >> you can't get around. you can't do what you need to do. everything is absolutely just overloaded. >> reporter: cynthia says it's already too crowded at the shopping center across the street from the ferry. >> all the time. and there's just no opportunity for you to just relax and take it easy without somebody pushing, or shoving. >> it could go either way. >> reporter: jennifer says it could mean a boost in business at the marin brewing company, or some people will find it next to impossible to get there. >> it could scare people away, because it gets harder to get here. it gets a little conchested. >> reporter: another live look at the richmond san rafael bridge. those headlines are coming from richmond into marin county. some say they'll try to leave early to get a jump on the traffic, and those who can telecommute or work from home, say there's a pretty good chance they won't even leave the house. local transit agencies say they have expanded their options for commuters who need to get across the bay over the next five days, starting tonight. b.a.r.t. will offer 24 hour service, and longer trains. 14 b.a.r.t. stations will stay open overnight. >> reporter: for some toll takers, the bridge closure brings an unpaid break from work. those who aren't assigned to other work, or who don't take paid leave will not be paid during the closure. the toll authority says the new span will come with upgrades to the toll taking system. however, they say there are no current plans to create an all electronic toll system, similar to the one used on the golden gate bridge. and this is old video. check this out, as the bay bridge was being built. they broke ground on july 9, 1933. the bridge was completed in just over three years, and opened to the public in november of 1936. and just go to ktvu.com for everything you need to know about the bay bridge closure. we have a special section dedicated to the project. just look under hot topics. a rare death sentence against the army major convicted in a deadly sentence at fort hood. he had admitted to the attack that also injured 32 people. a jury made up of senior military officers took two hours to decide, he should be executed. >> this has been a very long and exhausting process. we are tired, we are hurt, but we are resolved. justice has been served. >> hassan could become the first american soldier executed since 1961. the military requires a lengthy appeals process that can take years. a massive rocket, in fact, the largest ever at vandenberg air force base was launched into space today. >> 4, 3, we have ignition of the rs68 engines. >> the delta rocket carried a secret spy satellite, but the launch was no secret. it was seen for miles. the delta 4 is 23 stories tall. the last time one of them lifted off from vannedberg was from 2011. this time, the three main engines were ignited one after the other to lesson the impact. >> when temperatures could climb back into the 90s, and the outlook for your holiday weekend. >> only on 2, from vandalism to vicious attack? >> broke my nose. >> why he says taggers put down their spray paint and went after him. [ female announcer ] safeway presents real big deals of the week. or how to find big savings on the things you need. just make a straight line to safeway. your club card gets you deals you can't find anywhere else. load up the cooler. your favorite pepsi products are just $2.47 a 12-pack. charmin is $11.99 for 24 double rolls. and make it a giant scoop. breyers ice cream is only $2.88. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life. more now on tonight's bay bridge closure. for many people, today was a last chance to drive into history. a ktvu viewer gave us this video. she's been driving across the bridge twice a day for more than two decades. but this trip this afternoon was her last across the old eastern span. now to the south bay where police say they've been waging war on taggers. the problem isn't new, but it's not a victimless crime. only on 2, jeanine spoke with a disabled veteran who was beaten, and hospitalized after confronting taggers. it was one month ago today that mike logan was left beaten, and laid unconscious after beaten in his neighborhood. he heard a crash like sound in the middle of the night. when he walked toward the pedestrian bridge over highway 85, he spotted six men with spray paint cans, dropping them on cars. >> i say them throwing paint cans, so i yelled at them to stop. >> reporter: he says the group started swinging and kicking at him, causing his brain to swell. >> broke my nose, dislocated my jaw. shoulder, elbow, ribs. >> reporter: the case highlights why law enforcement agencies are focusing efforts on catching taggers. >> we need to be vigilant in trying to apprehend these folks in the act. >> reporter: the california highway patrol has also noticed an increase, and the agency has started a new task force that patrols overnight, specifically looking for taggers. >> we've arrested seven of them. i guarantee you, more than seven know we're looking for them now. >> reporter: the dea expects all will face felony charges. even graffiti sketches on note pads found on the offenders. >> we've been able to get some of the suspects to admit to spray painting the walls. >> reporter: he says a suspect has been arrested in logan's case, and faces a charge with assault with a deadly weapon. logan who was in the army special forces is hoping all will be caught. >> they hurt me. they didn't beat me. they beat me, they didn't win. >> reporter: logan isn't afraid to walk the bridge where he was beaten. he wants his attackers to know, he and others are watching for them. ktvu, channel 2 news. 19 suspected gang members are off the streets of richmond, thanks to operation exodus. richmond police, the contra costa county d.a.'s office, and drug enforcement agencies all teamed up to take down deep sea. police recovered 17 handguns, including one that they say was used in a shooting on interstate 80. pro palestinian protests that included mock israeli checkpoints did not include harassment, that is the finding from the department of corrections. the complaint said the defensement of a sign belonging to a jewish group created a hostile environment, and the university didn't do enough to respond to the incident. president obama says he still hasn't decided whether to order a military strike on syria, in response to the chemical attack there. the president told pbs news hour, he is sure the syrian government is responsible. the president says the military has given him options and he stressed, he doesn't want an open ended conflict. >> we do have to make sure in a when countries break international norms on weapons like chemical weapons that can harm us, they are held accountable. >> united nations inspectioners are in syria, but have not confirmed the allegations. serious questions tonight, regarding yesterday's devastating fire in fairfield. residents want to know if firefighters did all they could to save houses. a live report, right after the break. >> and will it be barbeque weather this holiday weekend? bill martin has your complete bay area forecast, including the labor day outlook. >> and a live look at the empty bay bridge toll plaza, and all the work that is already underway. they are on a tight schedule. that bridge is going to be closed for five days. caltran prepares for the historic opening of the new eastern span. people go to a mattress store and essentially they just get sold something. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. this labor day, don't invest in a mattress until you visit a sleep number store. once you experience it, there's no going back. oh, yeah! at our biggest sale of the year, every bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and through labor day only, save 50% on our limited edition memory foam mattress sets. only at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized. people who's homes were lost or damaged during that seven alarm fire are cleaning up tonight. they're also asking questions about how to prevent this type of thing from happening again. amber lee tells us how city leaders plan to address those concerns. >> reporter: frank, police have put up these barricades to keep out people who don't live here. volunteers were here to hand out these flyers. to let residents know there will be a community meeting tomorrow. volunteers went door-to-door, letting residents know what services are available. this homeowner wants them to do something about the dry vegetation along interstate 80 that fueled the fire. the owner of this home, which was destroyed also has questions. >> i think they could have saved my house. honestly. i think they could have saved my house, they just didn't. >> reporter: martin lawler says he doesn't want to point fingers, but he lost everything. he watched his home burned to the ground. >> there was a truss that pulled up next to my house. i thought, great, they're going to put out the fire in my house, and then they drove off. >> reporter: the incident commander tells me it came down to making a quick tough decision. >> we've got to put five on that house, or five spread out to save five other houses, and that house is already burning, we may not make a difference in saving that house. >> reporter: the first report came in at 3:38. when he was in route, he saw fire coming from a residential area. so he sent the crew there. when that one engine arrived, ten homes were already burning. >> throbbinged like a war zone in how fast it was -- it looked like a war zone, in how fast it was spreading. >> reporter: as the city manager and others toured the area this afternoon, we asked about neighbor's claims that the city is partially to blame for not maintaining the dry vegetation. >> i've heard that, and we're investigating that. >> reporter: residents will have a chance to ask city leaders questions at the community leading scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10:00 here on marigold drive. amber lee, ktvu, channel 2 news. another really nice day around here. today, yesterday, very nice, and tomorrow looks like it's going to be the same. these are the numbers from today. 88 in antioch. those will turn into 90s tomorrow, but low 90s, not going to go mid-the 0s. 82 in santa rosa. around the coast, mid-60s. temperatures are in the 60s throughout much of the bay area. this is the one keeping us from getting real hot around here. also helping with the fire danger. when it sits out here, it's tough to get the big temperatures. although on friday, this thing nudges a little bit this way. high pressure builds in. by friday, temperatures in the inland bay, mid-90s. fog forecast for the morning hours, there it is, you see it burn back. thosey your 90s in the inland bay valleys. as we go into the forecast for tomorrow, 56 in santa rosa. look at fremont, and livermore. those are the 60sment tomorrow morning, going to school or work, it's kind of mild. you start out at 62. it's easier to have a warmer day tomorrow. it's going to be easy to get to 92 in antioch. tomorrow, 91. the high pressure is building this way tomorrow, and further on friday. that's why the warmth will be there. fog will stay along the coast, and you've got a classic kind of late summer weather pattern that's going to stick with us through friday. by the weekend, things change around. 89 in clear lake. 80 in vallejo. these are forecast highs for thursday. it has been nasty. reno, lake tahoe, if you know people that have been up there, it's been bad. our air quality today was outstanding, and it will be tomorrow. friday we'll be warmer. here's the five-day forecast. tomorrow nice a lot like today. almost exactly. friday, i think you'll notice more warmth, especially in the interbay, and then the inland bay valleys. you'll just notice when it goes from 84, 85, you'll notice that. saturday and sunday, cooler clouds getting in here on sunday. may be showers to the north of the bay area. the impact on us for the holiday weekend, lower daytime high. it's going to trend cooler as we head into labor day. the temperatures, hit the high end. livermore valley, 82 degrees. the barbeques that you're thinking for the labor day weekend on monday may not happen. it's going to be chilly. >> interesting. >> thanks bill. if the a's could just keep doing what they're doing today, they'd be in really good shape. it wasn't just a good day, it was a great day. >> it could bode well for october. no mas. that's what the tigers were screaming. somebody is going to have to pay. they have torched the tigers pitching staff in three straight now. really lopsided tonight. 21 hits, 14 runs. 3-1 lead in the 5th. brandon moss just gets started. over the glove of austin jackson. all moss, all the time. in this one. so why not show you his feet? 6th inning, man on, he just clop clubs one -- clubs one for the distance. he had a single, a double, here's his second home run. 6 rbi's, polishing off a night with his 24th homer. a's go for the series sweep tomorrow. still 2.5 back in the al west. the giants looked as though they were punching a clock at a job they didn't care much about. colorado didn't even have a hit until the 7th inning. matt giving up a bloop. a 2-1 lead for the rockies. the bullpen lets it get away. giving up a bases loaded double to former giant, torrealba. the giants finally wake up in the top of the 8th inning, put a little rally together. 5-4 is as close as they would get. they lose 2 out of 3 to the rockies. there's a new kid in town worth her weight in gold for the cal swim team. meet olympic champ missy franklin, and hear why she decided to come to cal. sports part 2, next. vip on the cal campus today, but not a visiter. missy franklin is a full fledged bear. going to be burning up the pool in berkely for her college career. her first day as a freshman. different than the norm. most opportunities probably didn't have a press conference. she gave the answer to why berkely. >> it's probably the most unique environment i've ever been in. there's really nowhere else like it, and it's so much fun. you just sort of get used to seeing the fun, quirky people on the sidewalk. i think that's what i love so much about it. i came here and it was totally unique, totally crazy, and i love it. meantime, you could call it a slap on the wrist, but more than likely, the ncaa had very little evidence against johnny football. they realized there was a huge outcry. they just didn't figure it was worth it. arguably, the most exciting player in football, and last year's heisman trophy winner, johnny manziel allegedly was paid for signing autographs. that's what the big fuss is about. his punishment comes down to this. suspended for the 1st half of the texas a&m opener this saturday against rice. the 1st half, college football needs this guy. wisely, they weren't about to blow it out of proportion. that's the sporting life for a wednesday night. don't get me started on how college football players deserve to get a little something. >> he's like the college version of kaepernick though. >> kind of. >> just a real exciting player. >> don't know if his game will translate to the pros. but he's exciting to watch. >> thank you. >> thank you for choosing ktvu, channel 2 news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. >> the ktvu morning team will be keeping an eye on the bridge construction going on right now, in preparation for that opening of the new span, and we're always there for you at ktvu.com, on twitter, and on your mobile device. >> good night. ♪ [ music ] you've got to try this sweet & sour chicken helper. i didn't know they made chicken. crunchy taco or four cheese lasagna? can i get another one of those actually? [ superfan ] hey, america, we're here to help. ♪ [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant ask me what it's like to get your best night's sleep every night. [announcer] why not talk to someone who's sleeping on the most highly recommended bed in america? ask me about my tempur-pedic. ask me how fast i fall asleep. ask me about staying asleep. [announcer] tempur-pedic owners are more satisfied than owners of any traditional mattress brand. tempur-pedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. buy a tempur-pedic mattress set and get a free twin tempur-simplicity mattress. find a store near you at tempurpedic.com. n can i help you? we'd like some wedding invitations. oh. well, congratulations! thanks. yeah, thank you. when's the wedding? june. late june. well, we have quite a few to pick from. they're arranged in order of price. the most expensive are in the front. what about this one? frankly, they haven't manufactured that one for a number of years. i might have some boxes left in our new jersey warehouse. i'd have to check. we want these. why don't they make them anymore? well, for one thing, the glue isn't very adhesive. it takes a lot of moisture to make them stick.

Transcripts For FBC Stossel 20130311

reversed himself also and is now creating this front group that's going to raise a lot of money -- lou: you're talking about the organization for action. >> exactly. to accomplish his agenda, yes. lou: for what? >> to accomplish his agenda. that's exactly what he's doing. lou: yeah. of so, basically, what we've got to do then in this sort of view of democracy is we've got to get a bunch of billionaires to contest the principles, the issues that will determine the destiny of the nation, and as long as we've got countervailing billionaires, we have a political system that works, is that right? [laughter] >> right. lou: thank you very much. >> it didn't work too well last time. >> it didn't work too long last time. lou: ed rollins, matt patrick, thank you. >> thank you, lou. lou: poor matt patrick. that's it for us tonight. thank you for being with us. coming up next week, haley par bear joins us, andrea tantaros, and thank you for being with us tonight. have a great weekend. good night from new york. ♪thththrough these ills. >> sthaim on stossel? the teacher's union doesn't like my reporting. i'm the problem. there's a solution. they don't like charter schools. >> the doorway of or public schools, take your pound of flesh. >> they don't like a school chancellor with reform. >> so, does he? >> we know it works. let's do what works. >> he wants more money for preschools, but -- >> it doesn't work. >> we know this school works. >> you firedded teacher after one day? >> she was incompetent. >> why does the establishment want to close a successful school? >> as a mom, i beg of you. >> this kills me. >> why it's hard to fight the education block. that's our show, tonight. >> and now, john stossel. john: schools are lousy. what would you do part of the government's monopoly? one school chancellor fired under performing teachers. that made teachers mad. >> she's misled, misguided, and doing that to other people. >> she's not trained, doesn't know what real teaching is. john: what a terrible choice to lead schools and called the hatchet lady. "time" made her look like a witch. who is this awful person? let's ask her. michelle rhe, joins us from california. you made people mad. >> yes, i did. >> you fired 36 principals, 200 some teachers, closed school, and eventually pushed out in washington, d.c.. >> yeah. well, remember, that when i took over the district, it was the lowest performing and most distucksal district in the entire country. what i did were things i thought were obvious, close low performing failing schools failing children for decades. i'm going to fire ineffective employees, pay the effective ones more money, cut a central office bureaucracy out of control in half. those were the things i knew needed to get done if we were going to fix the system, and that's when i started getting called all kinds of names, you know, but that was the, you know, this terrible person, but, you know, in my mind, it was just trying to bring common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system. stossel: you heard the phrase "education blob," do you think that's fair? >> there is an absolute inertia around a bureaucracy that is, that exists to serve iftsz, the need of adults, and contracts and jobs opposed kids. the system did not become the way it wasy accident. ople benefited from the dysfunction allowed to keep jobs, contracts, keep their programs going even though they didn't produce results for kids because there was no accountability. when you brought accountability into the system, and when you pushed it, you got reactions. >> you have a dmu book called "radical," and i don't think you are radical enough based on the standards of this program, but you were tood radical for washington, d.c., and you were unusual as a democratic, you supported, opposed vouchers, but now you've changed your mind. >> yeah. you know, i'm a lifelong democrat, and when i was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the mothers who wanted nothing more than what i wanted for my kids, which was to get a high quality education, i knew i didn't have spots in a high quality dc school for their kids to attend so i thought, you know what? i'm not going to stop this person from taking a $7500 voucher, by the way, less than what we were spending per kid in the district so that they could go to a cat lick or parochial school and get a great education. i was not willing to say to those parents, i'm sorry, you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while i try to fix the system. john: what you spent in the district is astounding. dc claims it's 19,000 per pupil, and cato says it's 29,000. that's 700,000 per classroom. where's the money go? >> well, this is one of the things that i found was that, you know, and you hear this a lot in the debates about education reform, you hear people all the time saying what we need in order to fix the system is more money, more money, but the reality is that over the last two to three decades in the country, we have more than doubled and almost tripled money spent on public education per child, and results are stagnant. until we fix the foundational, the fundamental problems that ail the system, then more money and investment will not produce better results. we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run and whether or not we're putting kids interests before adults' interest, and only after we fix those laws and policies will then an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids. john: fixes it means competition. your group got laws passed in that direction lifting the charter cap in mieshz. bliewk to you. thank you, michelle rhee. >> thank you. john: one who says she has evil is joe del grosso. at the top of the show, he was in a meeting attacking charter schools and also doesn't like for-profit competition. >> market driven education belongs on wall street, not broad street. john: you got a lot of applause for that, joe, thank you for joining us. >> yes. john: bob bowdon, made a movie calmed "the cartel," saying you're a cartel like a conspiracy of people trying to keep prices up, competition out. >> no. you're wrong about that. why keep competition away? >> you said it on the clip saying if it's market driven, it's bad. >> no, i said that i don't like for-profit education. that has nothing to do with competition. if school a wants to compete with school b, there's nothing wrong with than. non-profit charters are okay and private schools are okay for a voucher according to you? non-profit is okay? >> i'm not for religious institutions involved in public education. now, if you want something different for your child like my mother did for me, find another job, and get it for your child. i went to parochial school. >> if you have money, there's options to pay for private schools, hire tutors or move. >> that's correct. >> if you don't have money, the view is there should be no other options apart from newark public schools? >> correct. >> if you want out, too bad. >> why would you -- >> if you don't have the money, you have to stay. >> if you were a responsible parent, you'd make sure that that school in that community works. >> how would you do that if you go to the school board and they ignore you? >> that's management. you say we need more unions. i agree. that's a good thing. >> i don't remember saying that. if the parent wants to go october other school because this school fails my kid -- >> no problem. >> or a specialty school, i want to take that tuition money and go elsewhere, you say? >> as long as you can afford it, do anything you like. john: why because the 17 # ,000 spent to send kids to your newark schools, why isn't 15,000 attached -- >> john, i've never called the police in my life. can i get my money back? i never called the fire department. could i get my money back? john: just stuck with the schools you got? >> if newark, a number of murders every day, if i had enough money, could i say to the mayor, i don't want to use the police force, give me the money, and i'll hire my own. >> there's no reasonable ways to pick your own police force. there are reasonable ways to pick the schools and have the money follow the kid. you don't want it to happen because schools are not unionized. >> no, that has nothing to do with it. >> really? >> we have charter schools that use my union hall because we have a resource center free. i don't care whether they join the union or not. that's nothing to do with it. i prefer not having charting schools. >> you support the expansion of charter schools in newark? >> ones that work. what i can't support is the fact that we have charter schools that are not working, and we don't hold them accountable. >> if the charter doesn't work, then, and there's competition, if it's a bad one, why would parents pick it? it would go out of business. that's the market working. >> that's not the way it works. john: it could work that way if you didn't have controls. >> if it worked that way, that would be fine, but, unfortunately, it doesn't. john: you stop is it from working not allowing for-profit competition. >> why should education be a profit? what good is if you gain the world, but lose your soul? john: i don't lose my soul -- >> making money is a great thing to me, but,nyway, public education is the last bash ton of democracy. with you work into the door of a good school, there's no religion, you don't hear about the democrats, the republicans, the libertarians, the -- the -- you're there to get the american dream. an education that is supposed to talk about american values and deliver equality education. that's what i'm for. much of the rhetoric is that him and i talk at each other when really we should be speaking together about how do you improve student performance. >> one thing quick. here's the secret. he wants it to seem like the real issue here is corporatizing privatizers against public schools. corporate people are not the problem. it's the increasing numbers, hundreds of thousands more every year of mostly black and hispanic parents who want out of his schools, they want out, sign up for charter schools and want voucher. john: a brief break from the complicated discussion to bob's movie called "the cartel," and you may agree. a principal says you judgethe district by the number of fancy cars in the administration's parking lot. >> the number of mercedes benz out there, the worst the district is. ♪ john: bob, what's the point? >> the fact is we're told there's not enough money in public education, and, that, in fact, in places like newark, it's over 20,000 per student. john: 400,000 a classroom, what do you do with it? >> i'd like to know. put it this way, john, it goes to me, boy, oh, boy, if it went to me, that would be great. john: just disappears in the government monopoly. >> worse than that when you think about it. it's a school district whose budget is the same as running a city, a billion dollars. now, where that money goes is certainly not in the pockets of teachers or the custodians or anyone. there's no get rich scheme for a teacher, but, unfortunately, if i -- you know, if i have to look at it and say the truth, there is a lot of waste that goes on and it's taxpayer money, and that's a shame. john: we're out of time, and we agree about that. joe del gross thank you, bob bowdon. i should say the problem of american schools, not just schools, but schools are often bad in states that don't have strong union. the problem is the government monopoly, the publishment that fights change and reformers call it "the blob." >> it's like a bloby job java hut thing that can't be judged. the blob is the unions, janitor's unions, the politicians, and if you try to make a change, the blob says -- >> we don't do that here reck cigs downtown. we have five people toign off, and the deputy of curriculum has to say it's okay. it's crazy. john: it is, and now it looks like the blob is going to close the best schools in california. why would they do that? the best ones. that's next. ♪ dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. that's why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. you are gonna need a wingman. and with my cash back, you are money. forget him. my airline miles will take your game worldwide. what i'm really looking for is -- i got two words for you -- re-wards. ♪ there's got to be better cards than this. [ male announcer ] there's a better way with creditcards.com. compare hundreds of cards from all the major banks to find the one that's right for you. it's simple. search, compare, and apply at creditcards.com. first round's on me. ah. 4g, huh? verizon 4g lte. 700 megahertz spectrum, end-to-end, pure lte build. the most consistent speeds indoors or out. and, obviously, astonishing throughput. obviously... you know how fast our home wifi is? yeah. this is basically just asast. oh. and verizon's got more fast lte coverage than all other networks combined. it's better. yes. oh, why didn't you just say that? huh-- what is he doing? jo: you heard about america's lousy schools, but there's some independent public schools that do really well. one chain of three schools? california takes kids from the poorest neighborhood and teaches them so well those kids prosper. the schools were created by a guy named ben chavez. here's what i say. >> give me the worst school in oakland, black, mexican, poke dot, give us the worse school anywhere in america, and we'll take it, and we'll out perform the other schools in five years. jowrn: ben created the model at the indian haven charter school in the heart of the a rough neighborhood. >> now, these are hard workers here. john: they have the highest test scores in california. you can do that on the same amount the state gives every school? >> well, yeah, less. we get less than every other school. >> the kids in american indian public charter schools are scoring so far above the average for the state for public school children, there's not a word for it. john: here at american indian, they pay some kids to tutor other kids. >> we hire students and pay them. they are excited to make money. reporter: chavez is politically incorrect. >> what do you want to study? >> science. >> science! a mexican in science? yeah, good for you, honey, a rare bird. john: criticized for strict rules. >> you were in trouble, weren't you, boy? >> they want us to succeed. >> he had to do pushups. >> you try hard. >> the other school, we didn't have homework, just a page of homework, but here we have six subjects of homework, and the teachers were nicer than here, and here, they are meaner. john: meaner, and yet no student was expelled since the school began in 2000. no way! >> i love fools, the kids who get in trouble because you can take a kid who is acting like a fool or gets in trouble, and use them as an example. it's -- john: a 6th grade student acts out in class sits on the floor in app 8th grade class. >> yes, that's true. embarrassment keeps kids in line. whether we like it or not. >> at my old school, it was games. here, it's running fo ten minutes or running around the block. john: you fire people at your schools. >> they should be. john: you fired a teacher after one day. >> she was incompetent. john: you could tell in one day? >> yes, she was incompetent. jo: attitudes don't sit well with the blob, firing students, provocative racial comments and say he illegally profited from the schools. the blob doesn't like profit. the oakland school board may revoke american indian's charter. there was a hearing about it last week. >> the profit is blurring people in who have no interest in children. >> we can take it back under the public umbrella, keep it in tact and provide a real model for oakland going forward. john: our special correspondent, kennedy, was at the hearing, back under the public umbrella, sounds like the blobments to take over an independent school. >> yeah, the blobments control, and, really hates autonomy as well as teacher's unions. it's about money. they don't want charters to make a profit, but at the same time, if those kids go back into the oaklands unified school district, ohmland gets millions of dollars from the state and federal government. john: at the hearing those who liked the school spoke too. >> please, do not close this school. as a mom, i beg of you. [cheers and applause] >> we have such a great school. don't take that away from us. >> my kid was always suspended, out of class. my first year, i was always throwing desks, chairs, getting detention. this school fails me. my second year, i'm more mature, i don't get into trouble -- >> mr. president, his time expired. >> oh, come on! [applause] >> just go ahead and finish. [applause] john: they let him finished. he interviewedded parents and students who defend ben chavez. >> whether you're asian, white, mexican, no matter what, he thinks everyone can do it, and he will make you realize that you can do it, and at the end, you realize that you did it. you're like, okay, you were right. i can do it. >> i love the school. my daughter is doing great at the school. she'd spend the night if the school was a boarding school. >> what do you think about the controversy surrounding the school? >> i think it's a bunch of bs. oakland should really be ashamedded of themselves. this is one of the best schools and one of the best things that happened to oakland, and how is it they are wanting to close our school? john: they are not just capricious, but they are threatened, and chavez did things that might have broken the rules that he made money. >> yeah. there's a lot of accusations. ben may be a deeply flawed map, but the school's work, and that's what the parents are fighting for, and that's what we all want. we want the very best education for the kids, and that's what gets lost in the argument. john: the kids went on to good colleges, berkeley? >> yes, three graduated from those schools in three years, from berkley. john: because of the training at american indian? >> yes, sir because of the emphasis on math and literature. spent so much time in the classes, and they finished their ap, their college level courses in high school. john: they do a good job. kennedy concludes a reason they want to close the school is they just don't like ben. this man helps run chavez's school, and, yet, he says things like this about him. >> he's like a monster, all right? no one likes him. why they want to close the school is about him. he's a curse. he was a blessing in establishing the school, but a curse here. i hate to say it, but it's the truth. john: a curse? the monster when we return, we'll meet the curse. he's here. ♪ john john we just told you about the founder of three california charter schools that succeed, teaching kids people said could not be taught. despite the success of the schools, despite the best test scores in california, the oakland school board may shut the schools down. ben, basically, this is because people don't like you. >> yes, they hate me. john: saying you did illegal profit making thing. >> can youbelieve that in america? you shouldn't make a profit or educate kids. john: troy flint speaks for the board. ben is here with me. the school should be closed because of him? >> this school should not be closed because of ben. the school should be closed because there's an egregious conflict of interest that's resulting in almost $4 million being stolen from oakland taxpayers. john: what do you mean "stolen"? >> it's been misappropriated for personal use, funneled through contracts into businesses in which they have an ownership interest. if american indians implement proper reforms and deals with the conflict of interest, we're happy to see the school kept open under a responsible, fiscal management entity. john: haven't they done what you want? he's off the board. >> he's off the board, but he's inserted figure heads. we need a third party entity to come in and apply generally accepted accounting principles and stop the history of fraud. john: a history of fraud, ben, you commit fraud. some of the specifics. you charged rent to the school because you own the property. the rent's too high. your company did construction jobs and was paid. true? >> sure did. i own the building. i charged $1.09 a square foot. some schools in the city pay $2 a square foot. john: you paid your wife. >> i sure did. she's the accountant. $150 ,000 a year for her company and she did other charter schools. the next bid was for $300,000. i saved the school $150,000. now they don't use her anymore, but pay a quarter million dollars a year. who is ripping off the taxpayer? john: incurred charges on your personal card, credit card, paid for by the school? >> listen, what happened is the school's credit card was -- it was over extended. couldn't use it, and the secretary on several occasions used to my credit card. charges were made, i turned it in, the school paid the charges, $20 # 45 exactly. i reimbursed the school. they didn't tell that part of the story. he used a word like "stolen," i have not stolen a dime, mr. flint. it's rhetoric. as a matter of fact, mr. flint, give me -- john: him him the chance to respond. go ahead, troy. >> anyone with interest in viewing thfacts can go to the oakland unifieded school district site and review the report. the appendix has text and snapshots of the financial accounting that's clear. it's not just the oakland school board saying this but the county superintendent of schools, the california department of education that found the violations. these are three distinct entities. it seems very coi understand den -- coincidental people are are not involved with schools on a day-to-day basis have the same conclusion. john: part of the education blob. i wonder is maybe he's an awful person and maybe he made a profit that he shouldn't have made, but the kids did really good -- >> it's not about the profit with all do republic, it's about breaking the law in the pursuit of profit. that's a sharp distinction. john: why talk about closing the school when for less money per student, they do well? u.s. news and world report ranked them number one in oakland. you got your district which is millions of dollars in debt. i would think american indian is are the good guys, and you're the bad guys. >> the students at american indian, the teachers, and the families are the good guys. the people abovethem in the administration who are taking advantage of their desire to have a good education to enrich themselves in violation of the law are the bad guys. you have to separate the two. john: thank you, troy flint. ben, you don't deny that you have 5 really big ego, you're a monster, and a curse? >> oh, yeah, all of those. i know how to educate kids. ousd does not, ripped off the taxpayer, but i understand they hate competition. i don't work at the school. what they try to do is using me to close the school. john: thank you, ben chavez. the school board decides in a couple weeks. coming up, universal preschool. doesn't that sound warm and fuzzy? next, do kids even need school? this 14-year-old doesn't go to school. we talk to him next. ♪ ♪music plays thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz: for proving there's nowhere we can't go. but, at some point... giant leaps gave way to baby steps... and with all due respect, you're history. if you taught us anything, it's that you can't cling to the past... if you want to create the future. that's why, instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. pushing u.s. aviation to new heights. all 80 thousand of us. busy investing billions in the industry's boldest moves. it's biggest advances in technology. bringing our passengers the best, the most spacious fleet in the sky. and earning more awards than any other airline... to show for it. so rather than simply saluting history... we're out there making it. (announcer) at scottrade, our clto make their money do more.re (ann) to help me plan my next move, i take scottrade's free, in-branch seminars... plus, their live webinars. i use daily market commentary to improve my strategy. and my local scottrade office guides my learning every step of the way. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) scottrade... ranked "highest in customer loyalty for brokerage and investment companies." it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. never really thought i would make money doinghat i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. ♪ john: some don't fight the blob, but escape it and home school. home schooling was once unusual, but as more people realize how bad the government monopoly is, more used it. one and a half million americans are home schooled, most go to college, most do better than the other kids in college. how does home schooling work? well, some parents act like teachers in a classroom. it's structured, but some have no rules letting the kids learn almost entirely op their own calledded unschooling, and it's getting more attention. 14-year-old jude steffers-wilson's unschooled, and jamie unschools her. amy milstein, why do you unschool? what's it mean? >> learning without a curriculum, learning through your life, things that motivate you internally, things you are interested in. john jon i would have just watched tv all day. >> well, you know, maybe you would have watched tv all day for awhile, but my kids know that i trust them. they know that they can pursue their interests, and they make good decisions about what they do in the day. john: your son is playing mine craft? >> that's the big thing now is mine craft, a video program where you can build things. you learn about building materials and how to set up systems and circuits and, you know, you create this whole internal world. john: what if they relaxed out? >> they can if they want. generally speaking, you know, they do sometimes, of course, but, you know, that gets old after awhile. john: jude, what do you do? >> i basically do what normal kids do, but n really. i do it on my own. john don't you worry you boant learn stuff you need to learn to succeed? >> no. i mean, what do you think i need to learn to succeed? john: math? english, reading. >> i learn math, english. john: how? >> i read, i write. as i said, mr. stossel, yeah, but -- john: why? if i -- when i was your age, i think, i mean, i hated school. i would have done nothing. >> so did i. i never fit in. it was never me. it was never me. school just never fit into me. i could not do anything. john: left school at age 12? >> yes, sir. john: there were discipline problems? >> yes. john: people on your father's side of the family say, what about the sat's? >> yeah. it's just -- i don't like that. i mean, why -- john: what about them? >> what about the sates? why does -- why do i have to be tested to go to college. i may not go to college when i'm 18, maybe it's 25, 40 #, 50. i don't know. >> there's a lot of colleges that have specific admissions processes for home schooled kids. some of them don't require the sat's, others do, but it's just a small part of what they look at. kids put together portfolios showing the projects they've done, places they worked. >> that's my plan. >> books read, and the universities get a full picture of what the kid's life is like, and as you said, they love home schooled kids and they generally very well in college. john: people say they don't know how to socialize. they are home alone. >> uh, a double team now. okay, you want to go first? >> i'll go first. >> okay. >> that's a myth. that's a big myth in home schooling. in fact, the reason my husband and i decided to home school was we knew a family with kids, and they were amazing socially, and that'sst that was the first thing i noticedded was how well they fit in no matter where they were. john: how? >> they live in the world. you know, in nowhere in the world are you segregated by age except in school. john: every three months you send a report to the state? >> the parents, uh-huh. john: the parents, to say what? we're here? he can multiply? >> yeah, basically to tell them what we do. with unschoolers, it's free form more than following a curriculum. for myself, i keep kind of a daily journal of what we do, and then i put that into a report that i know will satisfy the state regulations. john troy, what's five time nine? >> 45. john john that's right. many say it's a religious thing. many home schoolers are a devout christian. >> i'm not religious at all, and i hope i donned offend anybody, but i'm not religious. i think it's another myth as when you say it's not social. it's not strictly religious. john: started that way, but less so over time. amy, the last word. >> okay. john: this sounds weird to people. >> i know it does, but it's natural if you think about it. we're all self-directed learners at birth. nobody teaches us how to walk with curriculum, nobody teaches us speaking. kids grow up in bilingual households have no problem with two languages, but at five, we decide everything has to be forced on kids, learning has to be a forced situation. somehow imagineically they'll stop learning on their own. that's not the case. john: thank you amy and jude, good luck to you both. >> thank you. john: my president says the way to improve education is for government to offer more school earlier. after all, everyone loves head start. >> head start has been such an extraordinary success over all these years. john: i thought so, but that's not true. the truth when we come back. ♪ with the spark miles card from capital one, bjorn earns unlimited rewas for his small business take theseags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjors small busiss earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve limited reward here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? [ crows ] yep, there i am with flo. hoo-hoo! watch it! [chuckles] anyhoo, 3 million people switched to me last year, saving an average of $475. [sigh] it feels good to help people save... with great discounts like safe driver, multicar, and multipolicy. so call me today. you'll be glad you did. cannonbox! [splash!] >> tonight, i propose working with states to make high quality preschool available to every single child in america. john: free preschool for every child. why not? makes sense. start them early. who doesn't want more education for kids? my president says when states offer preschool -- >> like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job. we know it works. let's do what works. john: well, yes, but what does work? steven barnett says the president's right and universal preschool is a good thing, but darcy found, well, what did you find? >> it doesn't work. john: it must. you start them early. they must get something out of it. >> it's more fairy tale than fact, and when you look at the head start program, all of the research done,ing inning looking at the students in oklahoma and georgia, you find they might have a few gains in first grade, by by second or third, they look no different than students who have not been to preschool at all, and, n., some chldren have -- and, in fact, some children come away with worse issues. john: steven, this is what weirded me out when i read about this. it's just intuitive that preschool and programs like head start should help, and you say they do, but the president's own education department found, whop whoops, no lasting benefit. >> smaller than expected from head start, but head start doesn't have all the things of a high quality program. john: so they have great success in oklahoma and georgia? >> well, oklahoma has pretty good success. georgia has some success, and it turns out compared to what they spend on it, probably enough to generate a positive benefit cost ratio. steve: this is what i don't get. you say "success," from i read, georgia started the program 20 years ago. you'd think they'd lead the nation now in the goals. they are not. no gains by 4 #th grade, raised graduation rates, 4th grade reading schools, close the minority achievement gap. none of the states have done that. steven, i know your group at rutgers gets money from the education department, but i assume you are objective about this, see failure after failure, the country's going broke, but you want to spend more money on this? >> well, the country can't afford not to spend money on this. the reason we are going broke is the high cost of things that are avoidable and can be prevented by quality education. john: steven, isn't it true that we do well in 4th grade, in reading fall behind by 8th grade, and 12th grate, we're way behind. >> well, by 12th grade, they are not the same kids. we have to wait for the 4th and 8th graders to get to 12th grade and see how they do then. john: darcy, your turn. >> well, i just think the whole thing is really ridiculous, and i think what parents out there really need to know is that preschool is not going to get your child into harvard, and it's not going to keep your child out of jail. many america, when children interkindergarten, the department of education's own datathey have all the qualities that teachers say are important, they are enthusiastic, eager to learn, good health, know their abc's and numbers because parents know best, using now a variety of ways to teach their children. some at home, some in programs, some in church day care facilities. parents know what the individual children need, and they are doing a great job getting them ready for school. it's in the later years we have the problems, and that's where we need to focus school reform. i just want parents out there to know that preschool is not a silver bullet, and if you, you know, for a preschool to beneficial to your child, it has to be better than the setting that they are currently in so if that preschool is better than what you're doing at home or better than the situation you've got your kids in, take advantage of it, but if not, keep doing what you are doing. john: a bigger question how should taxpayers pay for all of this? thank you, darcy and steven. coming up, the teacher's union said, give us a chance to run a school, we can do better, and they got their chance. what happened? we'll tell you next. ♪ shame on you! shame on you! john: when union teachers shamed outside my office to yell at me, they said teachers need more money. need more money. if teachers were valued in paid like lawyers or executives then it would be better. many people believe that, but it is a mess. america has been more, much more. we have triple spending for students. since i was in college, the blue line on the chart triple. student achievement and math, reading, and science, they did not improve and all. so what happened to all the money? we don't know. the government monopoly squanders money in los angeles where they spend half a billion dollars to build the school, the most expensive one in america. they planted palm trees, did elegant landscaping, but in this beautiful swimming pool, even something called the cocoanut grove modeled after a night club. a very nice, but education, not so nice. the school graduates just 56 percent of its students. schools in oakland, they aren't as fancy, but the students do better. they get top test scores. so they move to shed his schools down. teachers protesting me for my stupid in america sw said, union teachers are as -- are the solution. when i complained about stupid union rules they said, no. our rules are good and necessary if cities with less strain, let us train and evaluate teachers, we would do a great job. we have the expertise, the intelligence, the experience to be able to do what works for children. now, although the union does not like charter schools, they say if you have charters the union could create a school where every parent would want to send their children. so, they were given a shot, the united federation of teachers a charter school of their own. we welcomed the chance to show them what this uni

Transcripts For FBC Stossel 20130309

might be roughly 0% and then if you see a high stock market, he says he will feel better about the economy. from the gains from your stocks, it will drive the economy even higher. the only problem is that consumer spending power, it hasn't worked. there is a huge disconnect between the stock market and the economy. as long as the fed keeps artificially driving higher, investors will be happier. this will be just another bubble. dennis: be sure to watch the tom sullivan show this weekend. you can catch it at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on saturday and sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. happy friday, everyone. thank you for being withthththt. >> sthaim on stossel? the teacher's union doesn't like my reporting. i'm the problem. there's a solution. they don't like charter schools. >> the doorway of our public schools, take your pound of flesh. >> they don't like a school chancellor with reform. >> so, does he? >> we know it works. let's do what works. >> he wants more money for preschools, but -- >> it doesn't work. >> we know this school works. >> you firedded teacher after one day? >> she was incompetent. >> why does the establishment want to close a successful school? >> as a mom, i beg of you. >> this kills me. >> why it's hard to fight the education block. that's our show, tonight. >> and now, john stossel. john: schools are lousy. what would you do part of the government's monopoly? one school chancellor fired under performing teachers. that made teachers mad. >> she's misled, misguided, and doing that to other people. >> she's not trained, doesn't know what real teaching is. john: what a terrible choice to lead schools and called the hatchet lady. "time" made her look like a witch. who is this awful person? let's ask her. michelle rhe, joins us from california. you made people mad. >> yes, i did. >> you fired 36 principals, 200 some teachers, closed school, and eventually pushed out in washington, d.c.. >> yeah. well, remember, that when i took over the district, it was the lowest performing and most distucksal district in the entire country. what i did were things i thought were obvious, close low performing failing schools failing children for decades. i'm going to fire ineffective employees, pay the effective ones more money, cut a central office bureaucracy out of control in half. those were the things i knew needed to get done if we were going to fix the system, and that's when i started getting called all kinds of names, you know, but that was the, you know, this terrible person, but, you know, in my mind, it was just trying to bring common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system. stossel: you heard the phrase "education blob," do you think that's fair? >> there is an absolute inertia around a bureaucracy that is, that exists to serve iftsz, the need of adults, and contracts and jobs opposed kids. the system did not become the way it was by accident. people benefited from the dysfunction allowed to keep jobs, contracts, keep their programs going even though they didn't produce results for kids because there was no accountability. when you brought accountability into the system, and when you pushed it, you got reactions. >> you have a dmu book called "radical," and i don't think you are radical enough based on the standards of this program, but you were tood radical for washington, d.c., and you were unusual as a democratic, you supported, opposed vouchers, but now you've changed your mind. >> yeah. you know, i'm a lifelong democrat, and when i was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the mothers who wanted nothing more than what i wanted for my kids, which was to get a high quality education, i knew i didn't have spots in a high quality dc school for their kids to attend so i thought, you know what? i'm not going to stop this person from taking a $7500 voucher, by the way, less than what we were spending per kid in the district so that they could go to a cat lick or parochial school and get a great education. i was not willing to say to those parents, i'm sorry, you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while i try to fix the system. john: what you spent in the district is astounding. dc claims it's 19,000 per pupil, and cato says it's 29,000. that's 700,000 per classroom. where's the money go? >> well, this is one of the things that i found was that, you know, and you hear this a lot in the debates about education reform, you hear people all the time saying what we need in order to fix the system is more money, more money, but the reality is that over the last two to three decades in the country, we have more than doubled and almost tripled money spent on public education per child, and results are stagnant. until we fix the foundational, the fundamental problems that ail the system, then more money and investment will not produce better results. we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run and whether or not we're putting kids interests before adults' interest, and only after we fix those laws and policies will then an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids. john: fixes it means competition. your group got laws passed in that direction lifting the charter cap in mieshz. bliewk to you. thank you, michelle rhee. >> thank you. john: one who says she has evil is joe del grosso. at the top of the show, he was in a meeting attacking charter schools and also doesn't like for-profit competition. >> market driven education belongs on wall street, not broad street. john: you got a lot of applause for that, joe, thank you for joining us. >> yes. john: bob bowdon, made a movie calmed "the cartel," saying you're a cartel like a conspiracy of people trying to keep prices up, comptition out. >> no. you're wrong about that. why keep competition away? >> you said it on the clip saying if it's market driven, it's bad. >> no, i said that i don't like for-profit education. that has nothing to do with competition. if school a wants to compete with school b, there's nothing wrong with than. non-profit charters are okay and private schools are okay for a voucher according to you? non-profit is okay? >> i'm not for religious institutions involved in public education. now, if you want something different for your child like my mother did for me, find another job, and get it for your child. i went to parochial school. >> if you have money, there's options to pay for private schools, hire tutors or move. >> that's correct. >> if you don't have money, the view is there should be no other options apart from newark public schools? >> correct. >> if you want out, too bad. >> why would you -- >> if you don't have the money, you have to stay. >> if you were a responsible parent, you'd make sure that that school in that community works. >> how would you do that if you go to the school board and they ignore you? >> that's management. you say we need more unions. i agree. that's a good thing. >> i don't remember saying that. if the parent wants to go october other school because this school fails my kid -- >> no problem. >> or a specialty school, i want to take that tuition money and go elsewhere, you say? >> as long as you can afford it, do anything you like. john: why because the 17 # ,000 spent to send kids to your newark schools, why isn't 15,000 attached -- >> john, i've never called the police in my life. can i get my money back? i never called the fire department. could i get my money back? john: just stuck with the schools you got? >> if newark, a number of murders every day, if i had enough money, could i say to the mayor, i don't want to use the police force, give me the money, and i'll hire my own. >> there's no reasonable ways to pick your own police force. there are reasonable ways to pick the schools and have the money follow the kid. you don't want it to happen because schools are not unionized. >> no, that has nothing to do with it. >> really? >> we have charter schools that use my union hall because we have a resource center free. i don't care whether they join the union or not. that's nothing to do with it. i prefer not having charting schools. >> you support the expansion of charter schools in newark? >> ones that work. what i can't support is the fact that we have charter schools that are not working, and we don't hold them accountable. >> if the charter doesn't work, then, and there's competition, if it's a bad one, why would parents pick it? it would go out of business. that's the market working. >> that's not the way it works. john: it could work that way if you didn't have controls. >> if it worked that way, that would be fine, but, unfortunately, it doesn't. john: you stop is it from working not allowing for-profit competition. >> why should education be a profit? what good is if you gain the world, but lose your soul? john: i don't lose my soul -- >> making money is a great thing to me, but,nyway, public education is the last bash ton of democracy. with you work into the door of a good school, there's no religion, you don't hear about the democrats, the republicans, the libertarians, the -- the -- you're there to get the american dream. an education that is supposed to talk about american values and deliver equality education. that's what i'm for. much of the rhetoric is that him and i talk at each other when really we should be speaking together about how do you improve student performance. >> one thing quick. here's the secret. he wants it to seem like the real issue here is corporatizing privatizers against public schools. corporate people are not the problem. it's the increasing numbers, hundreds of thousands more every year of mostly black and hispanic parents who want out of his schools, they want out, sign up for charter schools and want voucher. john: a brief break from the complicated discussion to bob's movie called "the cartel," and you may agree. a principal says you judge the district by the number of fancy cars in the administration's parking lot. >> the number of mercedes benz out there, the worst the district is. ♪ john: bob, what's the point? >> the fact is we're told there's not enough money in public education, and, that, in fact, in places like newark, it's over 20,000 per student. john: 400,000 a classroom, what do you do with it? >> i'd like to know. put it this way, john, it goes to me, boy, oh, boy, if it went to me, that would be great. john: just disappears in the government monopoly. >> worse than that when you think about it. it's a school district whose budget is the same as running a city, a billion dollars. now, where that money goes is certainly not in the pockets of teachers or the custodians or anyone. there's no get rich scheme for a teacher, but, unfortunately, if i -- you know, if i have to look at it and say the truth, there is a lot of waste that goes on and it's taxpayer money, and that's a shame. john: we're out of time, and we agree about that. joe del grosso, thank you, bob bowdon. i should say the problem of american schools, not just schools, but schools are often bad in states that don't have strong union. the problem is the government monopoly, the publishment that fights change and reformers call it "the blob." >> it's like a bloby job java hut thing that can't be judged. the blob is the unions, janitor's unions, the politicians, and if you try to make a change, the blob says -- >> we don't do that here reck cigs downtown. we have five people to sign off, and the deputy of curriculum has to say it's okay. it's crazy. john: it is, and now it looks like the blob is going to close the best schools in california. why would they do that? the best one. that's next. ♪ hi hi ♪(whistling tune) ♪("don't worry be happy") john: you heard about america's lousy schools, but there's some independent public schools that do really well. one chain of three schools? california takes kids from the poorest neighborhood and teaches them so well those kids prosper. the schools were created by a guy named ben chavez. here's what i say. >> give me the worst school in oakland, black, mexican, poke dot, give us the worse school anywhere in america, and we'll take it, and we'll out perform the other schools in five years. jowrn: ben created the model at the indian haven charter school in the heart of the a rough neighborhood. >> now, these are hard workers here. john: they have the highest test scores in california. you can do that on the same amount the state gives every school? >> well, yeah, less. we get less than every other school. >> the kids in american indian public charter schools are scoring so far above the average for the state for public school children, there's not a word for it. john: here at american indian, they pay some kids to tutor other kids. >> we hire students and pay them. they are excited to make money. reporter: chavez is politically incorrect. >> what do you want to study? >> science. >> science! a mexican in science? yeah, good for you, honey, a rare bird. john: criticized for strict rules. >> you were in trouble, weren't you, boy? >> they want us to succeed. >> he had to do pushups. >> you try hard. >> the other school, we didn't have homework, just a page of homework, but here we have six subjects of homework, and the teachers were nicer than here, and here, they are meaner. john: meaner, and yet no student was expelled since the school began in 2000. no way! >> i love fools, the kids who get in trouble because you can take a kid who is acting like a fool or gets in trouble, and use them as an example. it's -- john: a 6th grade student acts out in class sits on the floor in app 8th grade class. >> yes, that's true. embarrassment keeps kids in line. whether we like it or not. >> at my old school, it was games. here, it's running for ten minutes or running around the block. john: you fire people at your schools. >> they should be. john: you fired a teacher after one day. >> she was incompetent. john: you could tell in one day? >> yes, she was incompetent. john: attitudes don't sit well with the blob, firing students, provocative racial comments and say he illegally profited from the schools. the blob doesn't like profit. the oakland school board may revoke american indian's charter. there was a hearing about it last week. >> the profit is blurring people in who have no interest in children. >> we can take it back under the public umbrella, keep it in tact and provide a real model for oakland going forward. john: our special correspondent, kennedy, was at the hearing, back under the public umbrella, sounds like the blobments to take over an independent school. >> yeah, the blobments control, and, really hates autonomy as well as teacher's unions. it's about money. they don't want charters to make a profit, but at the same time, if those kids go back into the oaklands unified school district, ohmland gets millions of dollars from the state and federal government. john: at the hearing those who liked the school spoke too. >> please, do not close this school. as a mom, i beg of you. [cheers and applause] >> we have such a great school. don't take that away from us. >> my kid was always suspended, out of class. my first year, i was always throwing desks, chairs, getting detention. this school fails me. my second year, i'm more mature, i don't get into trouble -- >> mr. president, his time expired. >> oh, come on! [applause] >> just go ahead and finish. [applause] john: they let him finished. he interviewedded parents and students who defend ben chavez. >> whether you're asian, white, mexican, no matter what, he thinks everyone can do it, and he will make you realize that you can do it, and at the end, you realize that you did it. you're like, okay, you were right. i can do it. >> i love the school. my daughter is doing great at the school. she'd spend the night if the school was a boarding school. >> what do you think about the controversy surrounding the school? >> i think it's a bunch of bs. oakland should really be ashamedded of themselves. this is one of the best schools and one of the best things that happened to oakland, and how is it they are wanting to close our school? john: they are not just capricious, but they are threatened, and chavez did things that might have broken the rules that he made money. >> yeah. there's a lot of accusations. ben may be a deeply flawed map, but the school's work, and that's what the parents are fighting for, and that's what we all want. we want the very best education for the kids, and that's what gets lost in the argument. john: the kids went on to good colleges, berkeley? >> yes, three graduated from those schools in three years, from berkley. john: because of the training at american indian? >> yes, sir because of the emphasis on math and literature. spent so much time in the classes, and they finished their ap, their college level courses in high school. john: they do a good job. kennedy concludes a reason they want to close the school is they just don't like ben. this man helps run chavez's school, and, yet, he says things like this about him. >> he's like a monster, all right? no one likes him. why they want to close the school is about him. he's a curse. he was a blessing in establishing the school, but a curse here. i hate to say it, but it's the truth. john: a curse? the monster when we return, we'll meet the curse. he's here. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] from the way the bristles move to the way they clean, once you try an oral-b deep sweep power brush, you'll never go back to a regular manual brush. its three cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles reach between teeth with more brush movements to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. and even 76% more plaque than sonicare flexcare in hard to reach areas. oral-b deep sweep 5000 power brush. life opens up when you do. john john we just told you about the founder of three california charter schools that succeed, teaching kids people said could not be taught. despite the success of the schools, despite the best test scores in california, the oakland school board may shut the schools down. ben, basically, this is because people don't like you. >> yes they hate me. john: saying you did illegal profit making thing. >> can you believe that in america? you shouldn't make a profit or educate kids. john: troy flint speaks for the board. ben is here with me. the school should be closed because of him? this school should not be closed because of ben. the school should be closed because there's an egregious conflict of interest that's resulting in almost $4 million being stolen from oakland taxpayers. john: what do you mean "stolen"? >> it's been misappropriated for personal use, funneled through contracts into businesses in which they have an ownership interest. if american indians implement proper reforms and deals with the conflict of interest, we're happy to see the school kept open under a responsible, fiscal management entity. john: haven't they done what you want? he's off the board. >> he's off the board, but he's inserted figure heads. we need a third party entity to come in and apply generally accepted accounting principles and stop the history of fraud. john: a history of fraud, ben, you commit fraud. some of the specifics. you charged rent to the school because you own the property. the rent's too high. your company did construction jobs and was paid. true? >> sure did. i own the building. i charged $1.09 a square foot. some schools in the city pay $2 a square foot. john: you paid your wife. >> i sure did. she's the accountant. $150 ,000 a year for her company and she did other charter schools. the next bid was for $300,000. i saved the school $150,000. now they don't use her anymore, but pay a quarter million dollars a year. who is ripping off the taxpayer? john: incurred charges on your personal card, credit card, paid for by the school? >> listen, what happened is the school's credit card was -- it was over extended. couldn't use it, and the secretary on several occasions used to my credit card. charges were made, i turned it in, the school paid the charges, $20 # 45 exactly. i reimbursed the school. they didn't tell that part of the story. he used a word like "stolen," i have not stolen a dime, mr. flint. it's rhetoric. as a matter of fact, mr. flint, give me -- john: him him the chance to respond. go ahead, troy. >> anyone with interest in viewing the facts can go to the oakland unifieded school district site and review the report. the appendix has text and snapshots of the financial accounting that's clear. it's not just the oakland school board saying this but the county superintendent of schools, the california department of education that found the violations. these are three distinct entities. it seems very coi understand den -- coincidental people are are not involved with schools on a day-to-day basis have the same conclusion. john: part of the education blob. i wonder is maybe he's an awful person and maybe he made a profit that he shouldn't have made, but the kids did really good -- >> it's not about the profit with all do republic, it's about breaking the law in the pursuit of profit. that's a sharp distinction. john: why talk about closing the school when for less money per student, they do well? u.s. news and world report ranked them number one in oakland. you got your district which is millions of dollars in debt. i would think american indian is are the good guys, and you're the bad guys. >> the students at american indian, the teachers, and the families are the good guys. the people above them in the administration who are taking advantage of their desire to have a good education to enrich themselves in violation of the law are the bad guys. you have to separate the two. john: thank you, troy flint. ben, you don't deny that you have 5 really big ego, you're a monster, and a curse? >> oh, yeah, all of those. i know how to educate kids. ousd does not, ripped off the taxpayer, but i understand they hate competition. i don't work at the school. what they try to do is using me to close the school. john: thank you, ben chavez. the school board decides in a couple weeks. coming up, universal preschool. doesn't that sound warm and fuzzy? next, do kids even need school? this 14-year-old doesn't go to school. we talk to him next. ♪ ♪ john: some don't fight the blob, but escape it and home school. home schooling was once unusual, but as more people realize how bad the government monopoly is, more used it. one and a half million americans are home schooled, most go to college, most do better than the other kids in college. how does home schooling work? well, some parents act like teachers in a classroom. it's structured, but some have no rules letting the kids learn almost entirely op their own calledded unschooling, and it's getting more attention. 14-year-old jude steffers-wilson's unschooled, and jamie unschools her. amy milstein, why do you unschool? what's it mean? >> learning without a curriculum, learning through your life, things that motivate you internally, things you are interested in. john jon i would have just watched tv all day. >> well, you know, maybe you would have watched tv all day for awhile, but my kids know that i trust them. they know that they can pursue their interests, and they make good decisions about what they do in the day. john: your son is playing mine craft? >> that's the big thing now is mine craft, a video program where you can build things. you learn about building materials and how to set up systems and circuits and, you know, you create this whole internal world. john: what if they relaxed out? >> they can if they want. generally speaking, you know, they do sometimes, of course, but, you know, that gets old after awhile. john: jude, what do you do? >> i basically do what normal kids do, but not really. i do it on my own. john: don't you worry you boant learn stuff you need to learn to succeed? >> no. i mean, what do you think i need to learn to succeed? john: math? english, reading. >> i learn math, english. john: how? >> i read, i write. as i said, mr. stossel, yeah, but -- john: why? if i -- when i was your age, i think, i mean, i hated school. i would have done nothing. >> so did i. i never fit in. it was never me. it was never me. school just never fit into me. i could not do anything. john: left school at age 12? >> yes, sir. john: there were discipline problems? >> yes. john: people on your father's side of the family say, what about the sat's? >> yeah. it's just -- i don't like that. i mean, why -- john: what about them? >> what about the sates? why does -- why do i have to be tested to go to college. i may not go to college when i'm 18, maybe it's 25, 40 #, 50. i don't know. >> there's a lot of colleges that have specific admissions processes for home schooled kids. some of them don't require the sat's, others do, but it's just a small part of what they look at. kids put together portfolios showing the projects they've done, places they worked. >> that's my plan. >> books read, and the universities get a full picture of what the kid's life is like, and as you said, they love home schooled kids and they generally do very well in college. john: people say they don't know how to socialize. they are home alone. >> uh, a double team now. okay, you want to go first? >> i'll go first. >> okay. >> that's a myth. that's a big myth in hme schooling. in fact, the reason my husband and i decided to home school was we knew a family with kids, and they were amazing socially, and that'sst that was the first thing i noticedded was how well they fit in no matter where they were. john: how? >> they live in the world. you know, in nowhere in the world are you segregated by age except in school. john: every three months you send a report to the state? >> the parents, uh-huh. john: the parents, to say what? we're here? he can multiply? >> yeah, basically to tell them what we do. with unschoolers, it's free form more than following a curriculum. for myself, i keep kind of a daily journal of what we do, and then i put that into a report that i know will satisfy the state regulations. john troy, what's five time nine? >> 45. john john that's right. many say it's a religious thing. many home schoolers are a devout christian. >> i'm not religious at all, and i hope i donned offend anybody, but i'm not religious. i think it's another myth as when you say it's not social. it's not strictly religious. john: started that way, but less so over time. amy, the last word. >> okay. john: this sounds weird to people. >> i know it does, but it's natural if you think about it. we're all self-directed leaners at birth. nobody teaches us how to walk with curriculum, nobody teaches us speaking. kids grow up in bilingual households have no problem with two languages, but at five, we decide everything has to be forced on kids, learni has to be a forced situation. somehow imagineically they'll stop learning on their own. that's not the case. john: thank you amy and jude, good luck to you both. >> thank you. john: my president says the way to improve education is for government to offer more school earlier. after all, everyone loves head start. >> head start has been such an extraordinary success over all these years. john: i thought so, but that's not true. the truth when we come back. ♪ this is america. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day afr day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] e pill eachmorning. 24 hours. zero heartbur >> tonight, i propose working with states to make high quality preschool available to every single child in america. john: free preschool for every child. why not? makes sense. start them early. who doesn't want more education for kids? my president says when states offer preschool -- >> like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job. we know it works. let's do what works. john: well, yes, but what does work? steven barnett says the president's right and universal preschool is a good thing, but darcy found, well, what did you find? >> it doesn't work. john: it mu. you start them early. they must get something out of it. >> it's more fairy tale than fact, and when you look at the head start program, all of the research done,ing inning looking at the students in oklahoma and georgia, you find they might have a few gains in first grade, by by second or third, they look no different than students who have not been to preschool at all, and, n., some children have -- and, in fact, some children come away with worse issues. john: steven, this is what weirded me out when i read about this. it's just intuitive that preschool and programs like head start should help, and you say they do, but the president's own education department found, whop whoops, no lasting benefit. >> smaller than expected from head start, but head start doesn't have all the things of a high quality program. john: so they have great success in oklahoma and georgia? >> well, oklahoma has pretty good success. georgia has some success, and it turns out compared to what they spend on it, probably enough to generate a positive benefit cost ratio. steve: this is what i don't get. you say "success," from i read, georgia started the program 20 years ago. you'd think they'd lead the nation now in the goals. they are not. no gains by 4 #th grade, raised graduation rates, 4th grade reading schools, close the minority achievement gap. none of the states have done that. steven, i know your group at rutgers gets money from the education department, but i assume you are objective about this, see failure after failure, the country's going broke, but you want to spend more money on this? >> well, the country can't afford not to spend money on this. the reason we are going broke is the high cost of things that are avoidable and can be prevented by quality education. john: steven, isn't it true that we do well in 4th grade, in reading fall behind by 8th grade, and 12th grate, we're way behind. >> well, by 12th grade, they are not the same kids. we have to wait for the 4th and 8th graders to get to 12th grade and see how they do then. john: darcy, your turn. >> well, i just think the whole thing is really ridiculous, and i think what parents out there really need to know is that preschool is not going to get your child into harvard, and it's not going to keep your child out of jail. many america, when children interkindergarten, the department of education's own data, they have all the qualities that teachers say are important, they are enthusiastic, eager to learn, good health, know their abc's and numbers because parents know best, using now a variety of ways to teach their children. some at home, some in programs, some in church day care facilities. parents know what the individual children need, and they are doing a great job getting them ready for school. it's in the later years we have the problems, and that's where we need to focus school reform. i just want parents out there to know that preschool is not a silver bullet, and if you, you know, for a preschool to be beneficial to your child, it has to be better than the setting that they are currently in so if that preschool is better than what you're doing at home or better than the situation you've got your kids in, take advantage of it, but if not, keep doing what you are doing. john: a bigger question how should taxpayers pay for all of this? thank you, darcy and steven. coming up, the teaer's union said, give us a chance to run a school, we can do better, and they got their chance. what happened? we'll tell you next. ♪ shame on you! shame on you! john: when union teachers shamed outside my office to yell at me, they said teachers need more money. need more money. if teachers were valued in paid like lawyers or executives then it would be better. many people believe that, but it is a mess. america has been more, much more. we have triple spending for students. since i was in college, the blue line on the chart triple. student achievement and math, reading, and science, they did not improve and all. so what happened to all the money? we don't know. the government monopoly squanders money in los angeles where they spend half a billion dollars to build the school, the most expensive one in america. they planted palm trees, did elegant landscaping, but in this beautiful swimming pool, even something called the cocoanut grove modeled after a night club. a very nice, but education, not so nice. the school graduates just 56 percent of its students. schools in oakland, they aren't as fancy, but the students do better. they get top test scores. so they move to shed his schools down. teachers protesting me for my stupid in america show said, union teachers are as -- are the soluti. when i complained about stupid union rules they said, no. our rules are good and necessary if cities with less strain, let us train and evaluate teachers, we would do a great job. we have the expertise, the intelligence, the experience to be able to do what works for children. now, although the union does not like charter schools, they say if you have charters the union could create a school where every parent would want to send their children. so, they were given a shot, the united federation of teachers a charter school of their own. we welcomed the chance to show them what this union can do,

Transcripts For FBC Stossel 20130308

rich. >> and close corporate loopholes. neil: close corporate loopholes. when's the last time you offered to cut something? >> that constitutes a cut, closing loopholes constitutes a cut, okay? democrats have to hold the line -- neil: i would so fail your class. we're not making progress, bottom line; right? >> we're not. the whole conversation in washington is disingenuous, a 2% cut here that won't make a difference, but why do it? it's a step in the right direction. neil: the professor says this is a bad step. >> it's not close to big enough. >> we have to take steps. the government eventually has to rain in the balance sheets. this is a step in the right direction. nobody likes it, it's a difficult conversation. neil: the professor won't let us have the conversation. >> not with this medicare advantage program. neil: wish we had more time, blessedly we don't. be profitable, be well, we'll get through these ills. >> sthaim on stossel? the teacher's union doesn't like my reporting. i'm the problem. there's a solution. they don't like charter schools. >> the doorway of our public schools, take your pound of flesh. >> they don't like a school chancellor with reform. >> so, does he? >> we know it works. let's do what works. >> he wants more money for preschools, but -- >> it doesn't work. >> we know this school works. >> you firedded teacher after one day? >> she was incompetent. >> why does the establishment want to close a successful school? >> as a mom, i beg of you. >> this kills me. >> why it's hard to fight the education block. that's our show, tonight. >> and now, john stossel. john: schools are lousy. what would you do part of the government's monopoly? one school chancellor fired under performing teachers. that made teachers mad. >> she's misled, misguided, and doing that to other people. >> she's not trained, doesn't know what real teaching is. john: what a terrible choice to lead schools and called the hatchet lady. "time" made her look like a witch. who is this awful person? let's ask her. michelle rhe, joins us from california. you made people mad. >> yes, i did. >> you fired 36 principals, 200 some teachers, closed school, and eventually pushed out in washington, d.c.. >> yeah. well, remember, that when i took over the district, it was the lowest performing and most distucksal district in the entire country. what i did were things i thought were obvious, close low performing failing schools failing children for decades. i'm going to fire ineffective employees, pay the effective ones more money, cut a central office bureaucracy out of control in half. those were the things i knew needed to get done if we were going to fix the system, and that's when i started getting called all kinds of names, you know, but that was the, you know, this terrible person, but, you know, in my mind, it was just trying to bring common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system. stossel: you heard the phrase "education blob," do you think that's fair? >> there is an absolute inertia around a bureaucracy that is, that exists to serve iftsz, the need of adults, and contracts and jobs opposed kids. the system did not become the way it was by accident. people benefited from the dysfunction allowed to keep jobs, contracts, keep their programs going even though they didn't produce results for kids because there was no accountability. when you brought accountability into the system, and when you pushed it, you got reactions. >> you have a dmu book called "radical," and i don't think you are radical enough based on the standards of this program, but you were tood radical for washington, d.c., and you were unusual as a democratic, you supported, opposed vouchers, but now you've changed your mind. >> yeah. you know, i'm a lifelong democrat, and when i was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the mothers who wanted nothing more than what i wanted for my kids, which was to get a high quality education, i knew i didn't have spots in a high quality dc school for their kids to attend so i thought, you know what? i'm not going to stop this person from taking a $7500 voucher, by the way, less than what we were spending per kid in the district so that they could go to a cat lick or parochial school and get a great education. i was not willing to say to those parents, i'm sorry, you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while i try to fix the system. john: what you spent in the district is astounding. dc claims it's 19,000 per pupil, and cato says it's 29,000. that's 700,000 per classroom. where's the money go? >> well, this is one of the things that i found was that, you know, and you hear this a lot in the debates about education reform, you hear people all the time saying what we need in order to fix the system is more money, more money, but the reality is that over the last two to three decades in the country, we have more than doubled and almost tripled money spent on public education per child, and results are stagnant. until we fix the foundational, the fundamental problems that ail the system, then more money and investment will not produce better results. we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run and whether or not we're putting kids interests before adults' interest, and only after we fix those laws and policies will then an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids. john: fixes it means competition. your group got laws passed in that direction lifting the charter cap in mieshz. bliewk to you. thank you, michelle rhee. >> thank you. john: one who says she has evil is joe del grosso. at the top of the show, he was in a meeting attacking charter schools and also doesn't like for-profit competition. >> market driven education belongs on wall street, not broad street. john: you got a lot of applause for that, joe, thank you for joining us. >> yes. john: bob bowdon, made a movie calmed "the cartel," saying you're a cartel like a conspiracy of people trying to keep prices up, competition out. >> no. you're wrong about that. why keep competition away? >> you said it on the clip saying if it's market driven, it's bad. >> no, i said that i don't like for-profit education. that has nothing to do with competition. if school a wants to compete with school b, there's nothing wrong with than. non-profit charters are okay and private schools are okay for a voucher according to you? non-profit is okay? >> i'm not for religious institutions involved in public education. now, if you want something different for your child like my mother did for me, find another job, and get it for your child. i went to parochial school. >> if you have money, there's options to pay for private schools, hire tutors or move. >> that's correct. >> if you don't have money, the view is there should be no other options apart from newark public schools? >> correct. >> if you want out, too bad. >> why would you -- >> if you don't have the money, you have to stay. >> if you were a responsible parent, you'd make sure that that school in that community works. >> how would you do that if you go to the school board and they ignore you? >> that's management. you say we need more unions. i agree. that's a good thing. >> i don't remember saying that. if the parent wants to go october other school because this school fails my kid -- >> no problem. >> or a specialty school, i want to take that tuition money and go elsewhere, you say? >> as long as you can afford it, do anything you like. john: why because the 17 # ,000 spent to send kids to your newark schools, why isn't 15,000 attached -- >> john, i've never called the police in my life. can i get my money back? i never called the fire department. could i get my money back? john: just stuck with the schools you got? >> if newark, a number of murders every day, if i had enough money, could i say to the mayor, i don't want to use the police force, give me the money, and i'll hire my own. >> there's no reasonable ways to pick your own police force. there are reasonable ways to pick the schools and have the money follow the kid. you don't want it to happen because schools are not unionized. >> no, that has nothing to do with it. >> really? >> we have charter schools that use my union hall because we have a resource center free. i don't care whether they join the union or not. that's nothing to do with it. i prefer not having charting schools. >> you support the expansion of charter schools in newark? >> ones that work. what i can't support is the fact that we have charter schools that are not working, and we don't hold them accountable. >> if the charter doesn't work, then, and there's competition, if it's a bad one, why would parents pick it? it would go out of business. that's the market working. >> that's not the way it works. john: it could work that way if you didn't have controls. >> if it worked that way, that would be fine, but, unfortunately, it doesn't. john: you stop is it from working not allowing for-profit competition. >> why should education be a profit? what good is if you gain the world, but lose your soul? john: i don't lose my soul -- >> making money is a great thing to me, but,nyway, public education is the last bash ton of democracy. with you work into the door of a good school, there's no religion, you don't hear about the democrats, the republicans, the libertarians, the -- the -- you're there to get the american dream. an education that is supposed to talk about american values and deliver equality education. that's what i'm for. much of the rhetoric is that him and i talk at each other when really we should be speaking together about how do you improve student performance. >> one thing quick. here's the secret. he wants it to seem like the real issue here is corporatizing privatizers against public schools. corporate people are not the problem. it's the increasing numbers, hundreds of thousands more every year of mostly black and hispanic parents who want out of his schools, they want out, sign up for charter schools and want voucher. john: a brief break from the complicated discussion to bob's movie called "the cartel," and you may agree. a principal says you judge the district by the number of fancy cars in the administration's parking lot. >> the number of mercedes benz out there, the worst the district is. ♪ john: bob, what's the point? >> the fact is we're told there's not enough money in public education, and, that, in fact, in places like newark, it's over 20,000 per student. john: 400,000 a classroom, what do you do with it? >> i'd like to know. put it this way, john, it goes to me, boy, oh, boy, if it went to me, that would be great. john: just disappears in the government monopoly. >> worse than that when you think about it. it's a school district whose budget is the same as running a city, a billion dollars. now, where that money goes is certainly not in the pockets of teachers or the custodians or anyone. there's no get rich scheme for a teacher, but, unfortunately, if i -- you know, if i have to look at it and say the truth, there is a lot of waste that goes on and it's taxpayer money, and that's a shame. john: we're out of time, and we agree about that. joe del grosso, thank you, bob bowdon. i should say the problem of american schools, not just schools, but schools are often bad in states that don't have strong union. the problem is the government monopoly, the publishment that fights change and reformers call it "the blob." >> it's like a bloby job java hut thing that can't be judged. the blob is the unions, janitor's unions, the politicians, and if you try to make a change, the blob says -- >> we don't do that here reck cigs downtown. we have five people to sign off, and the deputy of curriculum has to say it's okay. it's crazy. john: it is, and now it looks like the blob is going to close the best schools in california. why would they do that? the best ones. that's next. ♪ how do traders using technical analysis streamline their process? at fidelity, we do it by merging two tools into one. combining your customized charts with leading-edge analysis tools from recognia so you can quickly spot key trends and possible entry anexit points. we like this idea so much that we've applied for a patent. i'm colin beck of fidelity investments. our integrated technical analysis is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. john: you heard about america's lousy schools, but there's some independent public schools that do really well. one chain of three schools? california takes kids from the poorest neighborhood and teaches them so well those kids prosper. the schools were created by a guy named ben chavez. here's what i say. >> give me the worst school in oakland, black, mexican, poke dot, give us the worse school anywhere in america, and we'll take it, and we'll out perform the other schools in five years. jowrn: ben created the model at the indian haven charter school in the heart of the a rough neighborhood. >> now, these are hard workers here. john: they have the highest test scores in california. you can do that on the same amount the state gives every school? >> well, yeah, less. we get less than every other school. >> the kids in american indian public charter schools are scoring so far above the average for the state for public school children, there's not a word for it. john: here at american indian, they pay some kids to tutor other kids. >> we hire students and pay them. they are excited to make money. reporter: chavez is politically incorrect. >> what do you want to study? >> science. >> science! a mexican in science? yeah, good for you, honey, a rare bird. john: criticized for strict rules. >> you were in trouble, weren't you, boy? >> they want us to succeed. >> he had to do pushups. >> you try hard. >> the other school, we didn't have homework, just a page of homework, but here we have six subjects of homework, and the teachers were nicer than here, and here, they are meaner. john: meaner, and yet no student was expelled since the school began in 2000. no way! >> i love fools, the kids who get in trouble because you can take a kid who is acting like a fool or gets in trouble, and use them as an example. it's -- john: a 6th grade student acts out in class sits on the floor in app 8th grade class. >> yes, that's true. embarrassment keeps kids in line. whether we like it or not. >> at my old school, it was games. here, it's running for ten minutes or running around the block. john: you fire people at your schools. >> they should be. john: you fired a teacher after one day. >> she was incompetent. john: you could tell in one day? >> yes, she was incompetent. john: attitudes don't sit well with the blob, firing students, provocative racial comments and say he illegally profited from the schools. the blob doesn't like profit. the oakland school board may revoke american indian's charter. there was a hearing about it last week. >> the profit is blurring people in who have no interest in children. >> we can take it back under the public umbrella, keep it in tact and provide a real model for oakland going forward. john: our special correspondent, kennedy, was at the hearing, back under the public umbrella, sounds like the blobments to take over an independent school. >> yeah, the blobments control, and, really hates autonomy as well as teacher's unions. it's about money. they don't want charters to make a profit, but at the same time, if those kids go back into the oaklands unified school district, ohmland gets millions of dollars from the state and federal government. john: at the hearing those who liked the school spoke too. >> please, do not close this school. as a mom, i beg of you. [cheers and applause] >> we have such a great school. don't take that away from us. >> my kid was always suspended, out of class. my first year, i was always throwing desks, chairs, getting detention. this school fails me. my second year, i'm more mature, i don't get into trouble -- >> mr. president, his time expired. >> oh, come on! [applause] >> just go ahead and finish. [applause] john: they let him finished. he interviewedded parents and students who defend ben chavez. >> whether you're asian, white, mexican, no matter what, he thinks everyone can do it, and he will make you realize that you can do it, and at the end, you realize that you did it. you're like, okay, you were right. i can do it. >> i love the school. my daughter is doing great at the school. she'd spend the night if the school was a boarding school. >> what do you think about the controversy surrounding the school? >> i think it's a bunch of bs. oakland should really be ashamedded of themselves. this is one of the best schools and one of the best things that happened to oakland, and how is it they are wanting to close our school? john: they are not just capricious, but they are threatened, and chavez did things that might have broken the rules that he made money. >> yeah. there's a lot of accusations. ben may be a deeply flawed map, but the school's work, and that's what the parents are fighting for, and that's what we all want. we want the very best education for the kids, and that's what gets lost in the argument. john: the kids went on to good colleges, berkeley? >> yes, three graduated from those schools in three years, from berkley. john: because of the training at american indian? >> yes, sir because of the emphasis on math and literature. spent so much time in the classes, and they finished their ap, their college level courses in high school. john: they do a good job. kennedy concludes a reason they want to close the school is they just don't like ben. this man helps run chavez's school, and, yet, he says things like this about him. >> he's like a monster, all right? no one likes him. why they want to close the school is about him. he's a curse. he was a blessing in establishing the school, but a curse here. i hate to say it, but it's the truth. john: a curse? the monster when we return, we'll meet the curse. he's here. ♪ with the spark miles card from capital one, bjorn earns unlimited rewas for his small business take theseags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjors small busiss earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve limited reward here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? [ male announcer ] when you wear dentures you may not know it, but your mouth is under attack. food particles infiltrate and bacteria proliferate. ♪ protect your mouth, with fixodent. thadhesive helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it. let's see what you got. rv -- covered. why would you pay for a hotel? i never do. motoycles -- check. atv. i ride those. do you? no. boat. house. hello, dear. hello. hello. oh! check it- [ loud r&b on car radio ] i'm going on break! the more you bundle, the more you save. now, that's progressive. john john we just told you about the founder of three california charter schools that succeed, teaching kids people said could not be taught. despite the success of the schools, despite the best test scores in california, the oakland school board may shut the schools down. ben, basically, this is because people don't like you. >> yes, they hate me. john: saying you did illegal profit making thing. >> can you believe that in america? you shouldn't make a profit or educate kids. john: troy flint speaks for the board. ben is here with me. the school should be closed because of him? >> this school should not be closed because of ben. the school should be closed because there's an egregious conflict of interest that's resulting in almost $4 million being stolen from oakland taxpayers. john: what do you mean "stolen"? >> it's been misappropriated for personal use, funneled through contracts into businesses in which they have an ownership interest. if american indians implement proper reforms and deals with the conflict of interest, we're happy to see the school kept open under a responsible, fiscal management entity. john: haven't they done what you want? he's off the board. >> he's off the board, but he's inserted figure heads. we need a third party entity to come in and apply generally accepted accounting principles and stop the history of fraud. john: a history of fraud, ben, you commit fraud. some of the specifics. you charged rent to the school because you own the property. the rent's too high. your company did construction jobs and was paid. true? >> sure did. i own the building. i charged $1.09 a square foot. some schools in the city pay $2 a square foot. john: you paid your wife. >> i sure did. she's the accountant. $150 ,000 a year for her company and she did other charter schools. the next bid was for $300,000. i saved the school $150,000. now they don't use her anymore, but pay a quarter million dollars a year. who is ripping off the taxpayer? john: incurred charges on your personal card, credit card, paid for by the school? >> listen, what happened is the school's credit card was -- it was over extended. couldn't use it, and the secretary on several occasions used to my credit card. charges were made, i turned it in, the school paid the charges, $20 # 45 exactly. i reimbursed the school. they didn't tell that part of the story. he used a word like "stolen," i have not stolen a dime, mr. flint. it's rhetoric. as a matter of fact, mr. flint, give me -- john: him him the chance to respond. go ahead, troy. >> anyone with interest in viewing the facts can go to the oakland unifieded school district site and review the report. the appendix has text and snapshots of the financial accounting that's clear. it's not just the oakland school board saying this but the county superintendent of schools, the california department of education that found the violations. these are three distinct entities. it seems very coi understand den -- coincidental people are are not involved with schools on a day-to-day basis have the same conclusion. john: part of the education blob. i wonder is maybe he's an awful person and maybe he made a profit that he shouldn't have made, but the kids did really good -- >> it's not about the profit with all do republic, it's about breaking the law in the pursuit of profit. that's a sharp distinction. john: why talk about closing the school when for less money per student, they do well? u.s. news and world report ranked them number one in oakland. you got your district which is millions of dollars in debt. i would think american indian is are the good guys, and you're the bad guys. >> the students at american indian, the teachers, and the families are the good guys. the people above them in the administration who are taking advantage of their desire to have a good education to enrich themselves in violation of the law are the bad guys. you have to separate the two. john: thank you, troy flint. ben, you don't deny that you have 5 really big ego, you're a monster, and a curse? >> oh, yeah, all of those. i know how to educate kids. ousd does not, ripped off the taxpayer, but i understand they hate competition. i don't work at the school. what they try to do is using me to close the school. john: thank you, ben chavez. the school board decides in a couple weeks. coming up, universal preschool. doesn't that sound warm and fuzzy? next, do kids even need school? this 14-year-old doesn't go to school. we talk to him next. ♪ ♪ john: some don't fight the blob, but escape it and home school. home schooling was once unusual, but as more people realize how bad the government monopoly is, more used it. one and a half million americans are home schooled, most go to college, most do better than the other kids in college. how does home schooling work? well, some parents act like teachers in a classroom. it's structured, but some have no rules letting the kids learn almost entirely op their own calledded unschooling, and it's getting more attention. 14-year-old jude steffers-wilson's unschooled, and jamie unschools her. amy milstein, why do you unschool? what's it mean? >> learning without a curriculum, learning through your life, things that motivate you internally, things you are interested in. john jon i would have just watched tv all day. >> well, you know, maybe you would have watched tv all day for awhile, but my kids know that i trust them. they know that they can pursue their interests, and they make good decisions about what they do in the day. john: your son is playing mine craft? >> that's the big thing now is mine craft, a video program where you can build things. you learn about building materials and how to set up systems and circuits and, you know, you create this whole internal world. john: what if they relaxed out? >> they can if they want. generally speaking, you know, they do sometimes, of course, but, you know, that gets old after awhile. john: jude, what do you do? >> i basically do what normal kids do, but not really. i do it on my own. john: don't you worry you boant learn stuff you need to learn to succeed? >> no. i mean, what do you think i need to learn to succeed? john: math? english, reading. >> i learn math, english. john: how? >> i read, i write. as i said, mr. stossel, yeah, but -- john: why? if i -- when i was your age, i think, i mean, i hated school. i would have done nothing. >> so did i. i never fit in. it was never me. it was never me. school just never fit into me. i could not do anything. john: left school at age 12? >> yes, sir. john: there were discipline problems? >> yes. john: people on your father's side of the family say, what about the sat's? >> yeah. it's just -- i don't like that. i mean, why -- john: what about them? >> what about the sates? why does -- why do i have to be tested to go to college. i may not go to college when i'm 18, maybe it's 25, 40 #, 50. i don't know. >> there's a lot of colleges that have specific admissions processes for home schooled kids. some of them don't require the sat's, others do, but it's just a small part of what they look at. kids put together portfolios showing the projects they've done, places they worked. >> that's my plan. >> books read, and the universities get a full picture of what the kid's life is like, and as you said, they love home schooled kids and they generally do very well in college. john: people say they don't know how to socialize. they are home alone. >> uh, a double team now. okay, you want to go first? >> i'll go first. >> okay. >> that's a myth. that's a big myth in home schooling. in fact, the reason my husband and i decided to home school was we knew a family with kids, and they were amazing socially, and that'sst that was the first thing i noticedded was how well they fit in no matter where they were. john: how? >> they live in the world. you know, in nowhere in the world are you segregated by age except in school. john: every three months you send a report to the state? >> the parents, uh-huh. john: the parents, to say what? we're here? he can multiply? >> yeah, basically to tell them what we do. with unschoolers, it's free form more than following a curriculum. for myself, i keep kind of a daily journal of what we do, and then i put that into a report that i know will satisfy the state regulations. john troy, what's five time nine? >> 45. john john that's right. many say it's a religious thing. many home schoolers are a devout christian. >> i'm not religious at all, and i hope i donned offend anybody, but i'm not religious. i think it's another myth as when you say it's not social. it's not strictly religious. john: started that way, but less so over time. amy, the last word. >> okay. john: this sounds weird to people. >> i know it does, but it's natural if you think about it. we're all self-directed learners at birth. nobody teaches us how to walk with curriculum, nobody teaches us speaking. kids grow up in bilingual households have no problem with two languages, but at five, we decide everything has to be forced on kids, learning has to be a forced situation. somehow imagineically they'll stop learning on their own. that's not the case. john: thank you amy and jude, good luck to you both. >> thank you. john: my president says the way to improve education is for government to offer more school earlier. after all, everyone loves head start. >> head start has been such an extraordinary success over all these years. john: i thought so, but that's not true. the truth when we come back. ♪ dad, i put that down. ah. 4g, huh? verizon 4g lte. 700 megahertz spectrum, end-to-end, pure lte build. the most consistent speeds indoors or out. and, obviously, astonishing throughput. obviously... you know how fast our home wifi is? yeah. this is basically just asast. oh. and verizon's got more fast lte coverage than all other networks combined. it's better. yes. oh, why didn't you just say that? huh-- what is he doing? [ male announcer ] from the way the bristles move to the way they clean, once you try an oral-b deep sweep power brush, you'll never go back to a regular manual brush. its three cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles reach between teeth with more brush movements to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. and even 76% more plaque th sonicare flexcare in hard to reach areas. oral-b deep sweep 5000 power brush. life opens up when you do. >> tonight, i propose working with states to make high quality preschool available to every single child in america. john: free preschool for every child. why not? makes sense. start them early. who doesn't want more education for kids? my president says when states offer preschool -- >> like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job. we know it works. let's do what works. john: well, yes, but what does work? steven barnett says the president's right and universal preschool is a good thing, but darcy found, well, what did you find? >> it doesn't work. john: it must. you start them early. they must get something out of it. >> it's more fairy tale than fact, and when you look at the head start program, all of the research done,ing inning looking at the students in oklahoma and georgia, you find they might have a few gains in first grade, by by second or third, they look no different than students who have not been to preschool at all, and, n., some children have -- and, in fact, some children come away with worse issues. john: steven, this is what weirded me out when i read about this. it's just intuitive that preschool and programs like head start should help, and you say they do, but the president's own education department found, whop whoops, no lasting benefit. >> smaller than expected from head start, but head start doesn't have all the things of a high quality program. john: so they have great success in oklahoma and georgia? >> well, oklahoma has pretty good success. georgia has some success, and it turns out compared to what they spend on it, probably enough to generate a positive benefit cost ratio. steve: this is what i don't get. you say "success," from i read, georgia started the program 20 years ago. you'd think they'd lead the nation now in the goals. they are not. no gains by 4 #th grade, raised graduation rates, 4th grade reading schools, close the minority achievement gap. none of the states have done that. steven, i know your group at rutgers gets money from the education department, but i assume you are objective about this, see failure after failure, the country's going broke, but you want to spend more money on this? >> well, the country can't afford not to spend money on this. the reason we are going broke is the high cost of things that are avoidable and can be prevented by quality education. john: steven, isn't it true that we do well in 4th grade, in reading fall behind by 8th grade, and 12th grate, we're way behind. >> well, by 12th grade, they are not the same kids. we have to wait for the 4th and 8th graders to get to 12th grade and see how they do then. john: darcy, your turn. >> well, i just think the whole thing is really ridiculous, and i think what parents out there really need to know is that preschool is not going to get your child into harvard, and it's not going to keep your child out of jail. many america, when children interkindergarten, the department of education's own data, they have all the qualities that teachers say are important, they are enthusiastic, eager to learn, good health, know their abc's and numbers because parents know best, using now a variety of ways to teach their children. some at home, some in programs, some in church day care facilities. parents know what the individual children need, and they are doing a great job getting them ready for school. it's in the later years we have the problems, and that's where we need to focus school reform. i just want parents out there to know that preschool is not a silver bullet, and if you, you know, for a preschool to be beneficial to your child, it has to be better than the setting that they are currently in so if that preschool is better than what you're doing at home or better than the situation you've got your kids in, take advantage of it, but if not, keep doing what you are doing. john: a bigger question how should taxpayers pay for all of this? thank you, darcy and steven. coming up, the teacher's union said, give us a chance to run a school, we can do better, and they got their chance. what happened? we'll tell you next. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your imptant legal matters in just minutes. protect youramily... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. ♪ shame on you! shame on you! john: when union teachers shamed outside my office to yell at me, they said teachers need more money. need more money. if teachers were valued in paid like lawyers or executives then it would be better. many people believe that, but it is a mess. america has been more, much more. we have triple spending for students. since i was in college, the blue line on the chart triple. student achievement and math, reading, and science, they did not improve and all. so what happened to all the money? we don't know. the government monopoly squanders money in los angeles where they spend half a billion dollars to build the school, the most expensive one in america. they planted palm trees, did elegant landscaping, but in this beautiful swimming pool, even something called the cocoanut grove modeled after a night club. a very nice, but education, not so nice. the school graduates just 56 percent of its students. schools in oakland, they aren't as fancy, but the students do better. they get top test scores. so they move to shed his schools down. teachers protesting me for my stupid in america show said, union teachers are as -- are the solution. when i complained about stupid union rules they said, no. our rules are good and necessary if cities with less strain, let us train and evaluate teachers, we would do a great job. we have the expertise, the intelligence, the experience to be able to do what works for children. now, although the union does not like charter schools, they say if you have charters the union could create a school where every parent would want to send their children. so, they were given a shot, the united federation of teachers a charter school of their own. we welcomed the chance to show them what this union can do,

Transcripts For FBC MONEY With Melissa Francis 20130308

rich. >> and close corporate loopholes. neil: close corporate loopholes. when's the last time you offered to cut something? >> that constitutes a cut, closing loopholes constitutes a cut, okay? democrats have to hold the line -- neil: i would so fail your class. we're not making progress, bottom line; right? >> we're not. the whole conversation in washington is disingenuous, a 2% cut here that won't make a difference, but why do it? it's a step in the right direction. neil: the professor says this is a bad step. >> it's not close to big enough. >> we have to take steps. the government eventually has to rain in the balance sheets. this is a step in the right direction. nobody likes it, it's a difficult conversation. neil: the professor won't let us have the conversation. >> not with this medicare advantage program. neil: wish we had more time, blessedly we don't. be profitable, be well, we'llth. sthaim on stossel? the teacher's union doesn't like my reporting. i'm the probm. there's a solution. they don't like charter schools. >> the doorway of our public schools, take your pound of flesh. >> they don't like a school chancellor with reform. >> so, does he? >> we know it works. let's do what works. >> he wants more money for preschools, but -- >> it doesn't work. >> we know this school works. >> you firedded teacher after one day? >> she was incompetent. >> why does the establishment want to close a successful school? >> as a mom, i beg of you. >> this kills me. >> why it's hard to fight the education block. that's our show, tonight. >> and now, john stossel. john: schools are lousy. what would you do part of the government's monopoly? one school chancellor fired under performing teachers. that made teachers mad. >> she's misled, misguided, and doing that to other people. >> she's not trained, doesn't know what real teaching is. john: what a terrible choice to lead schools and called the hatchet lady. "time" made her look like a witch. who is this awful person? let's ask her. michelle rhe, joins us from california. you made people mad. >> yes, i did. >> you fired 36 principals, 200 some teachers, closed school, and eventually pushed out in washington, d.c.. >> yeah. well, remember, that when i took over the district, it was the lowest performing and most distucksal district in the entire country. what i did were things i thought were obvious, close low performing failing schools failing children for decades. i'm going to fire ineffective employees, pay the effective ones more money, cut a central office bureaucracy out of control in half. those were the things i knew needed to get done if we were going to fix the system, and that's when i started getting called all kinds of names, you know, but that was the, you know, this terrible person, but, you know, in my mind, it was just trying to bring common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system. stossel: you heard the phrase "education blob," do you think that's fair? >> there is an absolute inertia around a bureaucracy that is, that exists to serve iftsz, the need of adults, and contracts and jobs opposed kids. the system did not become the way itas by accident. people benefited from the dysfunction allowed to keep jobs, contracts, keep their programs going even though they didn't produce results for kids because there was no accountability. when you brought accountability into the system, and when you pushed it, you got reactions. >> you have a dmu book called "radical," and n't think you are radical enough based on the standards of this program, but you were tood radical for washington, d.c., and you were unusual as a democratic, you supported, opposed vouchers, but now you've changed your mind. >> yeah. you know, i'm a lifelong democrat, and when i was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the mothers who wanted nothing re than what i wanted for my kids, which was to get a high quality education, i knew i didn't have spots in a high quality dc school for their kids to attend so i thought, you know what? i'm not going to stop this person from taking a $7500 voucher, by the way, less than what we were spending per kid in the district so that they could go to a cat lick or parochial school and get a great education. i was not willing to say to those parents, i'm sorry, you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while i try to fix the system. john: what you spent in the district is astounding. dc claims it's 19,000 per pupil, and cato says it's 29,000. that's 700,000 per classroom. where's the money go? >> well, this is one of the things that i found was that, you know, and you hear this a lot in the debates about education reform, you hear people all the time saying what we need in order to fix the system is more money, more money, but the reality is that over the last two to three decades in the country, we have more than doubled and almost tripled money spent on public education per child, and results are stagnant. until we fix the foundational, the fundamental problems that ail the system, then more money and investment will not produce better results. we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run and whether or not we're putting kids interests before adults' interest, and only after we fix those laws and policies will then an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids. john: fixes it means competition. your group got laws passed in that direction lifting the charter cap in mieshz. bliewk to you. thank you, michelle rhee. >> thank you. john: one who says she has evil is joe del grosso. at the top of the show, he was in a meeting attacking charter schools and also doesn't like for-profit competition. >> market driven education belos on wall street, not broad street. john: you got a lot of applause for that, joe, thank you for joining us. >> yes. john: bob bowdon, made a movie calmed "the cartel," saying you're a cartel like a conspiracy of people trying to keep prices up, competition out. >> no. you're wrong about that. why keep competition away? >> you said it on the clip saying if it's market driven, it's bad. >> no, i said that i don't like for-profit education. that has nothing to do with competition. if school a wants to compete with school b, there's nothing wrong with than. non-profit charters are okay and private schools are okay for a voucher according to you? non-profit is okay? >> i'm not for religious institutions involved in public education. now, if you want something different for your child like my mother did for me, find another job, and get it for your child. i went to parochial school. >> if you have money, there's options to pay for private schools, hire tutors or move. >> that's correct. >> if you don't have money, the view is there should be no other options apart from newark public schools? >> correct. >> if you want out, too bad. >> why would you -- >> if you don't have the money, you have to stay. >> if you were a responsible parent, you'd make sure that that school in that community works. >> how would you do that if you go to the school board and they ignore you? >> that's management. you say we need more unions. i agree. that's a good thing. >> i don't remember saying that. if the parenwants to go october other school because this school fails my kid -- >> no problem. >> or a specialty school, i want to take that tuition money and go elsewhere, you say? >> as long as you can afford it, do anything you like. john: why because the 17 # ,000 spent to send kids to your newark schools, why isn't 15,000 attached -- >> john, i've never called the police in my life. can i get my money back? i never called the fire department. could i get my money back? john: just stuck with the schools you got? >> if newark, a number of murders every day, if i had enough money, could i say to the mayor, i don't want to use the police force, give me the money, and i'll hire my own. >> there's no reasonable ways to pick your own police force. there are reasonable ways to pick the schools and have the money follow the kid. you don't want it to happen because schools are not unionized. >> no, that has nothing to do with it. >> really? >> we have charter schools that use my union hall because we have a resource center free. i don't care whether they join the union or not. that's nothing to do wth it. i prefer not having charting schools. >> you support the expansion of charter schools in newark? >> ones that work. what i can't support is the fact that we have charter schools that are not working, and we don't hold them accountable. >> if the charter doesn't work, then, and there's competition, if it's a bad one, why would parents pick it? it would go out of business. that's the market working. >> that's not the way it works. john: it could work that way if you didn't have controls. >> if it worked that way, that would be fine, but, unfortunately, it doesn't. john: you stop is it from working not allowing for-profit competition. >> why should education be a profit? what good is if you gain the world, but lose your soul? john: don't lose my soul -- >> making money is a great thing to me, but,nyway, public education is the last bash ton of democracy. with you work into the door of a good school, there's no religion, you don't hear about the democrats, the republicans, the libertarians, the -- the -- you're there to get the american dream. an education that is supposed to talk about american alues and deliver equality education. that's what i'm for. much of the rhetoric is that him and i talk at each other when really we should be speaking together about how do you improve student performance. >> one thing quick. here's the secret. he wants it to seem like the real issue here is corporatizing privatizers against public schools. corporate people are not the problem. it's the increasing numbers, hundreds of thousands more every year of mostly black and hispanic parents who want out of his schools, they want out, sign up for charter schools and want voucher. john: a brief break from the complicated discussion to bob's movie called "the cartel," and you may agree. a principal says you judge the district by the number of fancy cars in the administration's parking lot. >> the number of mercedes benz out there, the worst the district is. ♪ john: bob, what's the point? >> the fact is we're told there's not enough money in public education, and, that, in fact, in places like newark, it's over 20,000 per student. john: 400,000 a classroom, what do you do with it? >> i'd like to kno. put it this way, john, it goes to me, boy, oh, boy, if it went to me, that would be great. john: just disappears in the government monopoly. >> worse thanthat when you think about it. it's a school district whose budget is the same as running a city, a billion dollars. now, where that money goes is certainly not in the pockets of teachers or the custodians or anyone. there's no get rich scheme for a teacher, but, unfortunately, if i -- you know, if i have to look at it and say the truth, there is a lot of waste that goes on and it's taxpayer money, and that's a shame. john: we're out of time, and we agree about that. joe del grosso, thank you, bob bowdon. i should say the problem of american schools, not just schools, but schools are often bad in states that don't have strong union. the problem is the government monopoly, the publishment that fights change and reformers call it "the blob." >> it's like a bloby job java hut thing that can't be judged. the blob is the unions, janitor's unions, the politicians, and if you try to make a change, the blob says -- >> we don't do that here reck cigs downtown. we have five people to sign off, and the deputy of curriculum has to say it's okay. it's crazy. john: it is, and now it looks like the blob is going to close the best schools in california. why would they do that? the be ones. that's next. ♪ john: you heard about america's lousy schools, but there's some independent public schools that do really well. one chain of three schools? california takes kids from the poorest neighborhood and teaches them so well those kids prosper. the schools were created by a guy named ben chavez. here's what i say. >> give me the worst school in oakland, black, mexican, poke dot, give us the worse school anywhere in america, and we'll take it, and we'll out erform the other schools in five years. jowrn: ben created the model at the indian haven charter school in the heart of the a rough neighborhood. >> now, these are hard workers here. john: they have the highest test scores in california. you can do that on the same amount the state gives every school? >> well, yeah, less. we get less than every other school. >> the kids in american indian public charter schools are scoring so far above the average for the state for public school children, there's not a word for it. john: here at american indian, they pay some kids to tutor other kids. >> we hire students and pay them. they are excited to make money. reporter: chavez is politically incorrect. >> what do you want to study? >> science. >> science! a mexican in science? yeah, good for you, honey, a rare bird. john: criticized for strict rules. >> you ere in trouble, weren't you, boy? >> they want us to succeed. >> he had to do pushups. >> you try hard. >> the other school, we didn't have homework, just a page of homework, but here we have six subjects of homework, and the teachers were nicer than here, and here, they are meaner. john: meaner, and yet no student was expelled since the school began in 2000. no way! >> i love fools, the kids who get in trouble because you can take a kid who is acting like a fool or gets in trouble, and use them as an example. it's -- john: a 6th grade student acts out in class sits on the floor in app 8th grade class. >> yes, that's true. embarrassment keeps kids in line. whetr we like it or not. >> at my old school, it was games. here, it's running for ten minutes or running around the block. john: you fire people at your schools. >> they should be. john: you fired a teacher after one day. >> she was incompetent. john: you could tell in one day? >> yes, she was incompetent. john: attitudes don't sit well with the blob, firing students, provocative racial comments and say he illegally profited from the schools. the blob doesn't like profit. the oakland school board may revoke american indian's charter. there was a hearing about it last week. >> the profit is blurring people in who have no interest in children. >> we can take it back under the public umbrella, keep it in tact and provide a real model for oakland going forward. john: our special correspondent, kennedy, was at the hearing, back under the public umbrella, sounds like the blobments to take over an independent school. >> yeah, the blobments control, and, really hates autonomy as well as teacher's unions. it's about money. they don't want charters to make a profit, but at the same time, if those kids go back into the oaklands unified school district, ohmland gets millions of dollars from the state and federal government. john: at the hearing those who liked the school spoke too. >> please, do not close this school. as a mom, i beg of you. [cheers and applause] >> we have such a great school. don't take that away from us. >> my kid was always suspended, out of class. my first year, i was always throwing desks, chairs, getting detention. this school fails me. my second year, i'm more mature, i don't get into trouble -- >> mr. president, his time expired. >> oh, come on! [applause] >> just go ahead and finish. [applause] john: they let him finished. he interviewedded parents and students who defend ben chavez. >> whether you're asian, white, mexican, no matter what, he thinks everyone can do it, and he will make you realize that you can do it, and at the end, you realize that you did it. you're like, okay, you were right. i can do it. >> i love the school. my daughter is doing great at the school. she'd spend the night if the school was a boarding school. >> what do you think about the controversy surrounding the school? >> i think it's a bunch of bs. oakland should really be ashamedded of themselves. this is one of the best schools and one of the best things that happened to oakland, and how is it they are wanting to close our school? john: they are not just capricious, but they are threatened, and chavez did things that might have broken the rules that he made money. >> yeah. there's a lot of accusations. ben may be a deeply flawed map, but the school's work, and that's what the parents are fighting for, and that's what we all want. we want the very best education for the kids, and that's what gets lost in the argument. john: the kids went on to good colleges, berkeley? >> yes, three graduated from those schools in three years, from berkley. john: because of the training at american indian? >> yes, sir cause of the emphasis on math and literature. spent so much time in the classes, and they finished their ap, their college level courses in high school. john: they do a good job. kennedy concludes a reason they want to close the school is they just don't like ben. this man helps run chavez's school, and, yet, he says things like this about him. >> he's like a monster, all right? no one likes him. why they want to close the school is about him. he's a curse. he was a blessing in establishing the school, but a curse here. i hate to say it, but it's the truth. john: a curse? the monster when we return, we'll meet the curse. he's here. ♪ john john we just told you about the founder of three california charter schools that succeed, teaching kids people said could not be taught. despite the success of the schools, despite the best test scores in california, the oakland school board may shut the schools down. ben, basically, this is because people don't like you. >> yes, they hate me. john: saying you did ilegal profit making thing. >> can you believe that in america? u shouldn't make a profit or educate kids. john: troy flint speaks for the board. ben is here with me. the school should be closed because of him? >> this school should not be closed because of ben. the school should be closed because there's an egregious conflict of interest that's resulting in almost $4 million being stolen from oakland taxpayers. john: what do you mean "stolen"? >> it's been misappropriated for personal use funneled through contracts into businesses in which they have an ownership interest. if american indians implement proper reforms and deals with the conflict of interest, we're happy to see the school kept open under a responsible, fiscal management entity. john: haven't they done what you want? he's off the board. >> he's off the board, but he's inserted figure heads. we need athird party entity to come in and apply generally accepted accounting principles and stop the history of fraud. john: a history of fraud, ben, you commit fraud. some of the specifics. you charged rent to the school because you own the property. the rent's too high. your company did construction jobs and was paid. true? >> sure did. i own the building. i charged $1.09 a square foot. some schools in the city pay $2 a square foot. john: you paid your wife. >> i sure did. she's the accountant. $150 ,000 a year for her company and she did other charter schools. the next bid was for $300,000. i saved the school $150,000. now they don't use her anymore, but pay a qurter million dollars a year. who is ripping off the taxpayer? john: incurred charges on your personal card, credit card, paid for by the school? >> listen, what happened is the school's credit card was -- it was over extended. couldn't use it, and the secretary on several occasions used to my credit card. charges were made, i turned it in, the school paid the charges, $20 # 45 exactly. i reimbursed the school. they didn't tell that part of the story. he used a word like "stolen," i have not stolen a dime, mr. flint. it's rhetoric. as a matter of fact, mr. flint, give me -- john: him him the chance to respond. go ahead, troy. >> anyone with interest in viewing the facts can go to the oakland unifieded school district site and review the report. the appendix has text and snapshots of the financial accounting that's clear. it's not just the oakland school board saying this but the county superintendent of schools, the california department of education that found the violations. these are three distinct entities. it seems very coi understand den -- coincidental people are are not involved with schools on a day-to-day basis have the same conclusion. john: part of the education blob. i wonder is maybe he's an awful person and maybe he made a profit that he shouldn't have made, but the kids did really good -- >> it's not about the profit with all do republic, it's about breaking the law in the pursuit of profit. that's a sharp distinction. john: why talk about closing the school when for less money per student, they do well? u.s. news and world report ranked them number one in oakland. you got your district which is millions of dollars in debt. i would think american indian is are the good guys, and you're the bad guys. >> the students at american indian, the teachers, and the families are the good guys. the people above them in the administration who are taking advantage of their desire to have a good education to enrich themselves in violation of the law are the bad guys. you have to separate the two. john: thank you, troy flint. ben, you don't deny that you have 5 really big ego, you're a monster, and a curse? >> oh, yeah, all of those. i know how to educate kids. ousd does not, ripped off the taxpayer, but i understand they hate competition. i don't work at the school. what they try to do is using me to close the school. john: thank you, ben chavez. the school board decides in a couple weeks. coming up, universal preschool. doesn't that sound warm and fuzzy? next, do kids even need school? this 14-year-old doesn't go to school. we talk to him next. ♪ ♪ john: some don't fight the blob, but escape it and home school. home schooling was once unusual, but as more people realize how bad the government monopoly is, more used it. one and a half million americans are home schooled, most go to college, most do better than the other kids in college. how does home schooling work? well, some parents act like teachers in a classroom. it's structured, but some have no rules letting the kids learn almost entirely op their own calledded unschooling, and it's getting more attention. 14-year-old jude steffers-wilson's unschooled, and jamie unschools her. amy milstein, why do you unschool? what's it mean? >> learning without a curriculum, learning through your life, things that motivate you internally, things you are interested in. john jon i would have just watched tv all day. >> well, you know, maybe you would have watched tv all day for awhile, but my kids know that i trust them. they know that they can pursue their interests, and they make good decisions about what they do in the day. john: your son is playing mine craft? >> that's the big thing now is mine craft, a video program where you can build things. you learn about building materials and how to set up systems and circuits and, you know, you create this whole internal world. john: what if they elaxed out? >> they can if they want. generally speaking, you know, they do sometimes, of course, but, you know, that gets old after awhile. john: jude, what do you do? >> i basically do what normal kids do, but notreally. i do it on my own. john: don't you worry you boant learn stuff you need to learn to succeed? >> no. i mean, what do you think i need to learn to succeed? john: math? english, reading. >> i learn math, english. john: how? >> i read, i write. as i said, mr. stossel, yeah, but -- john: why? if i -- when i was your age, think, i mean, i hated school. i would have done nothing. >> so did i. i never fit in. it was never me. it was never me. school just never fit into me. i could not do anything. john: left school at age 12? >> yes, sir. john: there were discipline problems? >> yes. john: people on your fther's side of the family say, what about the sat's? >> yeah. it's just -- i don't like that. i mean, why -- john: what about them? >> what about the sates? why does -- why do i have to be tested to go to college. i may not go to college when i'm 18, maybe it's 25, 40 #, 50. i don't know. >> there's a lot of colleges that have specific admissions processes for home schooled kids. some of them don't require the sat's, others do, but it's just a small part of what they look at. kids put together portfolios showing the projects they've done, places they worked. >> that's my plan. >> books read, and the universities get a full cture of what the kid's life is like, and as you said, they love home schooled kids and they generally do very well in college. john: people say they don't know how to socialize. they are home alone. >> uh, a double team now. okay, you want to go first? >> i'll go first. >> okay. >> that's a myth. that's a big myth in home schooling. in fact, the reason my husband and i decided to home school was we knew a family with kids,and they were amazing socially, and that'sst that was the first thing i noticedded was how well they fit in no matter where they were. john: how? >> they live in the world. you know, in nowhere in the world are you segregated by age except in school. john: every three months you send a report to the state? >> the parents, uh-huh. john: the parents, to say what? we're here? he can multiply? >> yeah, basically to tell them what we do. with unschoolers, it's free form more than following a curriculum. for myself, i keep kind of a daily journal of what we do, and then i put that into a report that i know will satisfy the state regulations. john troy, what's five time nine? >> 45. john john that's right. many say it's a religious thing. many home schoolers are a devout christian. >> i'm not religious at all, and i hope i donned offend anybody, but i'm not religious. i think it's another myth as when you say it's not social. it's not strictly religious. john: started that way, but less so over time. amy, the last word. >> okay. john: this sounds weird to people. >> i know it does, but it's natural if you think about it. we're all self-directed learners at birth. nobody teaches us how to walk with curriculum, nobody teaches us speaking. kids grow up in bilingual households have no problem with two languages, but at five, we decide everything has to be forced on kids, learning has to be a forced situation. somehow imagineically they'll stop learning on their own. that's not the case. john: thank you amy and jude, good luck to you both. >> thank you. john: my president says the way to improve education is for government to offer more school earlier. after all, everyone loves head start. >> head start has been such an extraordinary success over all these years. john: i thought so, but that's not true. the truth when we come back. ♪ ♪ music body language can tell you all sorts of things. like someone is having a stroke. know the sudden signs. learn f.a.s.t. face drooping arm weakness speech difficulty time to call 911 and get them to a hospital immediately. learn the body language and spot a stroke f.a.s.t. >> tonight, i propose working with states to make high quality preschool available to every single child in america. john: free preschool for every child. why not? makes sense. start them early. who doesn't want more education for kids? my president says when states offer preschool -- >> like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job. we know it works. let's do what works. john: well, ys, but what does work? steven barnett says the president's right and universal preschool is a good thing, but darcy found, well, what did you find? >> it doesn't work. john: it must. you start them early. they must get something out of it. >> it's more fairy tale than fact, and when you look at the head start program, all of the research done,ing inning loong at the students in oklahoma and georgia, you find they might have a few gains in first grade, by by second or third, they look no different than students who have not been to preschool at all, and, n., some children have -- and, in fact, some children come away with worse issues. john: steven, this is what weirded me out when i read about this. it's just intuitive that preschool and programs like head start should help, and you say they do, but the president's own education department found, whop whoops, no lasting benefit. >> smaller than expected from head start, but head start doesn't have all the things of a high quality program. john: so they have great success in oklahoma and georgia? >> well, oklahoma has pretty good success. georgia has some success, and it turns out compared to what they spend on it, probably enough to generate a positive benefit cost ratio. steve: this is what i don't get. you say "success," from i read, georgia started the program 20 years ago. you'd think they'd lead the nation now in the goals. they are not. no gains by 4 #th grade, raised graduation rates, 4th grade reading schools, close the minority achievement gap. none of the states have done that. steven, i know your group at rutgers gets money from the education department, but i assume you are objective about this, see failure after failure, the country's going broke, but you want to spend more money on this? >> well, the country can't afford not to spend money on this. the reason we are going broke is the high cost of things that are avoidable and can be prevented by quality education. john: steven, isn't it true that we do well in 4th grade, in reading fall behind by 8th grade, and 12th grate, we're way behind. >> well, by 12th grade, they are not the same kids. we have to wait for the 4th and 8th graders to get to 12th grade and see how they do then. john: darcy, your turn. >> well, i just think the whole thing is really ridiculous, and i think what parents out there really need to know is that preschool is not going to get your child into harvard, and it's not going to keep your ild out of jail. many america, when children interkindergarten, the department of education's own data, they have all the qualities that teachers say are important, they are enthusiastic, eager to learn, good heah, know their abc's and numbers because parents know best, using now a variety of ways to teach their children. some at home, some in programs, some in church day care facilities. parents know what the individual children need, and they are doing a great job getting them ready for school. it's in the later years we have the problems, and that's where we need to focus school reform. i just want parents out there to know that preschool is not a silver bullet, and if you, you know, for a preschool to be beneficial to your child, it has to be better than the setting that they are currently in so if that preschool is better than what you're doing at home or better than t situation you've got your kids in, take advantage of it, but if not, keep doing what you are doing. john: a bigger question how should taxpayers pay for all of this? thank you, darcy and steven. coming up, the teacher's union said, give us a chance to run a school, we can do better, and they got their chance. what happened? we'll tell you next. ♪ shame on you! shame on you! john: when union teachers shamed outside my office to yell at me, they said teachers need more money. need more money. if teachers were valued in paid like lawyers or executives then it would be better. many people believe that, but it is a mess. america has been more, much more. we have triple spending for students. since i was in college, the blue line on the chart triple. student achievement and math, reading, and science, they did not improve and all. so what happened to all the money? we don't know. the government monopoly squanders money in los angeles where they spend half a billion dollars to build the school, the most expensive one in america. they planted palm trees, did elegant landscaping, but in this beautiful swimming pool, even something called the cocoanut grove modeled after a night club. a very nice, but education, not so nice. the school graduates just 56 percent of its students. schools in oakland, they aren't as fancy, but the students do better. they get top test scores. so they move to shed his schools down. teachers protesting me for my stupid in america show said, union teachers are as -- are the solution. when i complained about stupid union rules they said, no. our rules are good and necessary if cities with less strain, let us train and evaluate teachers, we would do a great job. we have the expertise, the intelligence, the experience to be able to do what works for children. now, although the union does not like charter schools, they say if you have charters the union could create a school where every parent would want to send their children. so, they were given a shot, the united federation of teachers a charter school of their own. we welcomed the chance to show them what this union can do,

Transcripts For FBC Stossel 20130310

reversed himself also and is now creating this front group that's going to raise a lot of money -- lou: you're talking about the organization for action. >> exactly. to accomplish his agenda, yes. lou: for what? >> to accomplish his agenda. that's exactly what he's doing. lou: yeah. of so, basically, what we've got to do then in this sort of view of democracy is we've got to get a bunch of billionaires to contest the principles, the issues that will determine the destiny of the nation, and as long as we've got countervailing billionaires, we have a political system that works, is that right? [laughter] >> right. lou: thank you very much. >> it didn't work too well last time. >> it didn't work too long last time. lou: ed rollins, matt patrick, thank you. >> thank you, lou. lou: poor matt patrick. that's it for us tonight. thank you for being with us. coming up next week, haley par bear joins us, andrea tantaros, and thank you for being with us tonight. have a great weend. good night from new york. ♪through these ills. >> sthaim on stossel? the teacher's union doesn't like my reporting. i'm the problem. there's a solution. they don't like charter schools. >> the doorway of our public schools, take your pound of flesh. >> they don't like a school chancellor with reform. >> so, does he? >> we know it works. let's do what works. >> he wants more money for preschools, but -- >> it doesn't work. >> we know this school works. >> you firedded teacher after one day? >> she was incompetent. >> why does the establishment want to close a successful school? >> as a mom, i beg of you. >> this kis me. >> why it's hard to fight the education block. that's our show, tonight. >> and now, john stossel. john: schools are lousy. what would you do part of the government's monopoly? one school chancellor fired under performing teachers. that made teachers mad. >> she's misled, misguided, and doing that to other people. >> she's not trained, doesn't know what real teaching is. john: what a terrible choice to lead schools and called the hatchet lady. "time" made her look like a witch. who is this awful person? let's ask her. michelle rhe, joins us from california. you made people mad. >> yes, i did. >> you fired 36 principals, 200 some teachers, closed school, and eventually pushed out in washington, d.c.. >> yeah. well, remember, that when i took over the district, it was the lowest performing and most distucksal district in the entire country. what i did were things i thought were obvious, close low performing failing schools failing children for decades. i'm going to fire ineffective employees, pay the effective ones more money, cut a central office bureaucracy out of control in half. those were the things i knew needed to get done if we were going to fix the system, and that's when i started getting called all kinds of names, you know, but that was the, you know, this terrible person, but, you know, in my mind, it was just trying to bring common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system. stossel: you heard the phrase "education blob," do you think that's fair? >> there is an absolute inertia around a bureaucracy that is, that exists to serve iftsz, the need of adults, and contracts and jobs opposed kids. the system did not become the way it was by accident. people benefited from the dysfunction allowed to keep jobs, contracts, keep their programs going even though they didn't produce results for kids because there was no accountability. when you brought accountability into the system, and when you pushed it, you got reactions. >> you have a dmu book called "radical," and i don't think you are radical enough based on the standards of this program, but you were tood radical for washington, d.c., and you were unusual as a democratic, you supported, opposed vouchers, but now you've changed your mind. >> yeah. you know, i'm a lifelong democrat, and when i was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the mothers who wanted nothing more than what i wanted for my kids, which was to get a high quality education, i knew i didn't have spots in a high quality dc school for their kids to attend so i thought, you know what? i'm not going to stop this person from taking a $7500 voucher, by the way, less than what we were spending per kid in the district so that they could go to a cat lick or parochial school and get a great education. i was not willing to say to those parents, i'm sorry, you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while i try to fix the system. john: what you spent in the district is astounding. dc claims it's 19,000 per pupil, and cato says it's 29,000. that's 700,000 per classroom. where's the money go? >> wl, this is one of the things that i found was that, you know, and you hear this a lot in the debates about education reform, you hear people all the time saying what we need in order to fix the system is more money, more money, but the reality is that over the last two to three decades in the country, we have more than doubled and almost tripled money spent on public education per child, and results are stagnant. until we fix the foundational, the fundamental problems that ail the system, then more money and investment will not produce better results. we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run and whether or not we're putting kids interests before adults' interest, and only after we fix those laws and policies will then an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids. john: fixes it means competition. your group got laws passed in that direction lifting the charter cap in mieshz. bliewk to you. thank you, michelle rhee. >> thank you. john: one who says she has evil is joe del grosso. at the top of the show, he was in a meeting attacking charter schools and also doesn't like for-profit competition. >> market driven education belongs on wall street, not broad street. john: you got a lot of applause for that, joe, thank you for joining us. >> yes. john: bob bowdon, made a movie calmed "the cartel," saying you're a cartel like a conspiracy of people trying to keep prices up, competition out. >> no. you're wrong about that. why keep competition away? >> you said it on the clip saying if it's market driven, it's bad. >> no, i said that i don't like for-profit education. that has nothing to do with competition. if school a wants to compete with school b, there's nothing wrong with than. non-profit charters are okay and private schools are okay for a voucher according to you? non-profit is okay? >> i'm not for religious institutions involved in public education. now, if you want something different for your child like my mother did for me, find another job, and get it for your child. i went to parochial school. >> if you have money, there's options to pay for private schools, hire tutors or move. >> that's correct. >> if you don't have money, the view is there should be no other options apart from newark public schools? >> correct. >> if you want out, too bad. >> why would you -- >> if you don't have the money, you have to stay. >> if you were a responsible parent, you'd make sure that that school in that community works. >> how would you do that if you go to the school board and they ignore you? >> that's management. you say we need more unions. i agree. that's a good thing. >> i don't remember saying that. if the parent wants to go october other school because this school fails my kid -- >> no problem. >> or a specialty school, i want to take that tuition money and go elsewhere, you say? >> as long as you can afford it, do anything you like. john: why because the 17 # ,000 spent to send kids to your newark schools, why isn't 15,000 attached -- >> john, i'v never called the police in my life. can i get my money back? i never called the fire department. could i get my money back? john: just stuck with the schools you got? >> if newark, a number of murders every day, if i had enough money, could i say to the mayor, i don't want to use the police force, give me the money, and i'll hire my own. >> there's no reasonable ways to pick your own police force. there are reasonable ways to pick the schools and have the money follow the kid. you don't want it to happen because schools are not unionized. >> no, that has nothing to do with it. >> really? >> we have charter schools that use my union hall because we have a resource center free. i don't care whether they join the union or not. that's nothing to do with it. i prefer not having charting schools. >> you support the expansion of charter schools in newark? >> ones that work. what i can't support is the fact that we have charter schools that are not working, and we don't hold them accountable. >> if the charter doesn't work, then, and there's competition, if it's a bad one, why would parents pick it? it would go out of business. that's the market working. >> that's not the way it works. john: it could work that way if you didn't have controls. >> if it worked that way, that would be fine, but, unfortunately, it doesn't. john: you stop is it from working not allowing for-profit competition. >> why should education be a profit? what good is if you gain the world, but lose your soul? john: i don't lose my soul -- >> making money is a great thing to me, but,nyway, public education is the last bash ton of democracy. with you work into the door of a good school, there's no religion, you don't hear about the democrats, the republicans, the libertarians, the -- the -- you're there to get the american dream. an education that is supposed to talk about american values and deliver equality education. that's what i'm for. much of the rhetoric is that him and i talk at each other when really we should be speaking together about how do you improve student performance. >> one thing quick. here's the secret. he wants it to seem like the real issue here is corporatizing privatizers against public schools. corporate people are not the problem. it's the increasing numbers, hundreds of thousands more every year of mostly black and hispanic parents who want out of his schools, they want out, sign up for charter schools and want voucher. john: a brief break from the complicated discussion to bob's movie called "the cartel," and you may agree. a principal says you judge the district by the number of fancy cars in the administration's parking lot. >> the number of mercedes benz out there, the worst the district is. ♪ john: bob,what's the point? >> the fact is we're told there's not enough money in public education, and, that, in fact, in places like newark, it's over 20,000 per student. john: 400,000 a classroom, what do you do with it? >> i'd like to know. put it this way, john, it goes to me, boy, oh, boy, if it went to me, that would be great. john: just disappears in the government monopoly. >> worse than that when you think about it. it's a school district whose budget is the same as running a city, a billion dollars. now, where that money goes is certainly not in the pockets of teachers or the custodians or anyone. there's no get rich scheme for a teacher, but, unfortunately, if i -- you know, if i have to look at it and say the truth, there is a lot of waste that goes on and it's taxpayer money, and that's a shame. john: we're out of time, and we agree about that. joe del grosso, thank you, bob bowdon. i should say the problem of american schools, not just schools, but schools are often bad in states that don't have strong union. the problem is the government monopoly, the publishment that fights change and reformers call it "the blob." >> it's like a bloby job java hut thing that can't be judged. the blob is the unions, janitor's unions, the politicians, and if you try to make a change, the blob says -- >> we don't do that here reck cigs downtown. we have five people to sign off, and the deputy of curriculum has to say it's ok. it's crazy. john: it is, and now it looks like the blob is going to close the best schools in california. why would they do that? the best ones. that's next. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] how could a luminous protein in jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. now over to you charles???? sir charles' single miles card left him blacked out. he's coming to us from home. that's gotta be traveling. now instead of covering the final four, he's stuck covering fourth graders. brick! bobby is 1 for 36. mikey? he keeps taking these low-percentage shots. and julio? i don't know what julio's doing. next time get the capital one venture card and fly any airline any time. what'sn your wallet? can you get me mr. baldwin's autograph? get lost, kid. girl: don't look at me. second girl: your hair's a bit frizzy today. aw! ha ha! you should pick that up. announcer: every day, kids witness bullying. poor you. ha ha! they want to help but don't know how. teach your kids how to be more than a bystander. visit stopbullying.gov. john: you heard about america's lousy schools, but there's some independent public schools that do really well. one chain of three schools? california takes kids from the poorest neighborhood and teaches them so well those kids prosper. the schools were created by a guy named ben chavez. here's what i say. >> give me the worst school in oakland, black, mexican, poke dot, give us the worse school anywhere in america, and we'll take it, and we'll out perform the other schools in five years. jowrn: ben created the model at the indian haven charter school in the heart of the a rough neighborhood. >> now, these are hard workers here. john: they have the highest test scores in california. you can do that on the same amount the state gives every school? >> well, yeah, less. we get less than every other school. >> the kids in american indian public charter schools are scoring so far above the average for the state for public school children, there's not a word for it. john: here at american indian, they pay some kids to tutor other kids. >> we hire students and pay them. they are excited to make money. reporter: chavez is politically incorrect. >> what do you want to study? >> science. >> science! a mexican in science? yeah, good for you, honey, a rare bird. john: criticized for strict rules. >> you were in trouble, weren't you, boy? >> they want us to succeed. >> he had to do pushups. >> you try hard. >> the other school, we didn't have homework, just a page of homework, but here we have six subjects of homework, and the teachers were nicer than here, and here, they are meaner. john: meaner, and yet no student was expelled since the school began in 2000. no way! >> i love fools, the kids who get in trouble because you can take a kid who is acting like a fool or gets in trouble, and use them as an example. it's -- john: a 6th grade student acts out in class sits on the floor in app 8th grade class. >> yes, that's true. embarrassment keeps kids in line. whether we like it or not. >> at my old school, it was games. here, it's running for ten minutes or running around the block. john: you fire people at your schools. >> they should be. john: you fired a teacher after one day. >> she was incompetent. john: you could tell in one day? >> yes, she was incompetent. john: attitudes don't sit well with the blob, firing students, provocative racial comments and say he illegally profited from the schools. the blob doesn't like profit. the oakland school board may revoke american indian's charter. there was a hearing about it last week. >> the profit is blurring people in who have no interest in children. >> we can take it back under the public umbrella, keep it in tact and provide a real model for oakland going forward. john: our special correspondent, kennedy, was at the hearing, back under the public umbrella, sounds like the blobments to take over an independent school. >> yeah, the blobments control, and, really hates autonomy as well as teacher's unions. it's about money. they don't want charters to make a profit, but at the same time, if those kids go back into the oaklands unified school district, ohmland gets millions of dollars from the state and federal government. john: at the hearing those who liked the school spoke too. >> please, do not close this school. as a mom, i beg of you. [cheers and applause] >> we have such a great school. don't take that away from us. >> my kid was always suspended, out of class. my first year, i was always throwing desks, chairs, getting detention. this school fails me. my second year, i'm more mature, i don't get into trouble -- >> mr. president, his time expired. >> oh, come on! [applause] >> just go ahead and finish. [applause] john: they let him finished. he interviewedded parents and students who defend ben chavez. >> whether you're asian, white, mexican, no matter what, he thinks everyone can do it, and he will make you realize that you can do it, and at the end, you realize that you did it. you're like, okay, you were right. i can do it. >> i love the school. my daughter is doing great at the school. she'd spend the night if the school was a boarding school. >> what do you think about the controversy surrounding the school? >> i think it's a bunch of bs. oakland should really be ashamedded of themselves. this is one of the best schools and one of the best things that happened to oakland, and how is it they are wanting to close our school? john: they are not just capricious, but they are threatened, and chavez did things that might have broken the rules that he made money. >> yeah. there's a lot of accusations. ben may be a deeply flawed map, but the school's work, and that's what the parents are fighting for, and that's what we all want. we want the very best education for the kids, and that's what gets lost in the argument. john: the kids went on to good colleges, berkeley? >> yes, three graduated from those schools in three years, from berkley. john: because of the training at american indian? >> yes, sir because of the emphasis on math and literature. spent so much time in the classes, and they finished their ap, their college level courses in high school. john: they do a good job. kennedy concludes a reason they want to close the school is they just don't like ben. this man helps run chavez's school, and, yet, he says things like this about him. >> he's like a monster, all right? no one likes him. why they want to close the school is about him. he's a curse. he was a blessing in establishing the school, but a curse here. i hate to say it, but it's the truth. john: a curse? the monster when we return, we'll meet the curse. he's here. ♪ dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. that's why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. ah. 4g, huh? verizon 4g lte. 700 megahertz spectrum, end-to-end, pure lte build. the most consistent speeds indoors or out. and, obviously, astonishing throughput. obviously... you know how fast our home wifi is? yeah. this is basically just asast. oh. and verizon's got more fast lte coverage than all other networks combined. it's better. yes. oh, why didn't you just say that? huh-- what is he doing? hey, buddy? oh, hey, flo. you want to see something cool? snapshot, from progressive. my insurance company told me not to talk to people like you. you always do what they tell you? no... try it, and see what your good driving can save you. you don't even have to switch. unless you're scared. i'm not scared, it's... you know we can still see you. no, you can't. pretty sure we can... try snapshot today -- no pressure. john john we just told you about the founder of three california charter schools that succeed, teaching kids people said could not be taught. despite the success of the schools, despite the best test scores in california, the oakland school board may shut the schools down. ben, basically, this is because people don't like you. >> yes, they hate me. john: saying you did illegal profit making thing. >> can you believe that in america? you shouldn't make a profit or educate kids. john: troy flint speaks for the board. ben is here with me. the school should be closed because of him? >> this school should not be closed because of ben. the school should be closed because there's an egregious conflict of interest that's resulting in almost $4 million being stolen from oakland taxpayers. john: what do you mean "stolen"? >> it's been misappropriated for personal use, funneled through contracts into businesses in which they have an ownership interest. if american indians implement proper reforms and deals with the conflict of interest, we're happy to see the school kept open under a responsible, fiscal management entity. john: haven't they done what you want? he's off the board. >> he's off the board, but he's inserted figure heads. we need a third party entity to come in and apply generally accepted accounting principles and stop the history of fraud. john: a history of fraud, ben, you commit fraud. some of the specifics. you charged rent to the school because you own the property. the rent's too high. your company did construction jobs and was paid. true? >> sure did. i own the building. i charged $1.09 a square foot. some schools in the city pay $2 a square foot. john: you paid your wife. >> i sure did. she's the accountant. $150 ,000 a year for her company and she did other charter schools. the next bid was for $300,000. i saved the school $150,000. now they don't use her anymore, but pay a quarter million dollars a year. who is ripping off the taxpayer? john: incurred charges on your personal card, credit card, paid for by the school? >> listen, what happened isthe school's credit card was -- it was over extended. couldn't use it, and the secretary on several occasions used to my credit card. charges were made, i turned it in, the school paid the charges, $20 # 45 exactly. i reimbursed the school. they didn't tell that part of the story. he used a word like "stolen," i have not stolen a dime, mr. flint. it's rhetoric. as a matter of fact, mr. flint, give me -- john: him him the chance to respond. go ahead, troy. >> anyone with interest in viewing the facts can go to the oakland unifieded school district site and review the report. the appendix has text and snapshots of the financial accounting that's clear. it's not just the oakland school board saying this but the county superintendent of schools, the california department of education that found the violations. these are three distinct entities. it seems very coi understand den -- coincidental people are are not involved with schools on a day-to-day basis have the same conclusion. john: part of the education blob. i wonder is maybe he's an awful person and maybe he made a profit that he shouldn't have made, but the kids did really good -- >> it's not about the profit with all do republic, it's about breaking the law in the pursuit of profit. that's a sharp distinction. john: why talk about closing the school when for less money per student, they do well? u.s. news and world report ranked them number one in oakland. you got your district which is millions of dollars in debt. i would think american indian is are the good guys, and you're the bad guys. >> the students at american indian, the teachers, and the families are the good guys. the people above them in the administration who are taking advantage of their desire to have a good education to enrich themselves in violation of the law are the bad guys. you have to separate the two. john: thank you, troy flint. ben, you don't deny that you have 5 really big ego, you're a monster, and a curse? >> oh, yeah, all of those. i know how to educate kids. ousd does not, ripped off the taxpayer, but i understand they hate competition. i don't work at the school. what they try to do is using me to close the school. john: thank you, ben chavez. the school board decides in a couple weeks. coming up, universal preschool. doesn't that sound warm and fuzzy? next, do kids even need school? this 14-year-old doesn't go to school. we talk to him next. ♪ ♪ john: some don't fight the blob, but escape it and home school. home schooling was once unusual, but as more people realize how bad the government monopoly is, more used it. one and a half million americans are home schooled, most go to college, most do better than the other kids in college. how does home schooling work? well, some parents act like teachers in a classroom. it's structured, but some have no rules letting the kids learn almost entirely op their own calledded unschooling, and it's getting more attention. 14-year-old jude steffers-wilson's unschooled, and jamie unschools her. amy milstein, why do you unschool? what's it mean? >> learning without a curriculum, learning throu your life, things that motivate you internally, things you are interested in. john jon i would have just watched tv all day. >> well, you know, maybe you would have watched tv all day for awhile, but my kids know that i trust them. they know that they can pursue their interests, and they make good decisions about what they do in the day. john: your son is playing mine craft? >> that's the big thing now is mine craft, a video program where you can build things. you learn about building materials and how to set up systems and circuits and, you know, you create this whole internal world. john: what if they relaxed out? >> they can if they want. generally speaking, you know, they do sometimes, of course, but, you know, that gets old after awhile. john: jude, what do you do? >> i basically do what normal kids do, but not really. i do it on my own. john: don't you worry you boant learn stuff you need to learn to succeed? >> no. i mean, what do you think i need to learn to succeed? john: math? english, reading. >> i learn math, english. john: how? >> i read, i write. as i said, mr. stossel, yeah, t -- john: why? if i -- when i was your age, i think, i mean, i hated school. i would have done nothing. >> so did i. i never fit in. it was never me. it was never me. school just never fit into me. i could not do anything. john: left school at age 12? >> yes, sir. john: there were discipline problems? >> yes. john: people on your father's side of the family say, what about the sat's? >> yeah. it's just -- i don't like that. i mean, why -- john: what about them? >> what about the sates? why does -- why do i have to be tested to go to college. i may not go to college when i'm 18, maybe it's 25, 40 #, 50. i don't know. >> there's a lot of colleges that have specific admissions processes for home schooled kids. some of them don't require the sat's, oers do, but it's just a small part of what they look at. kids put together portfolios showing the projects they've done, places they worked. >> that's my plan. >> books read, and the universities get a full picture of what the kid's life is like, and as you said, they love home schooled kids and they generally do very well in college. john: people say they don't know how to socialize. they are home alone. >> uh, a double team now. okay, you want to go first? >> i'll go firs >> okay. >> that's a myth. that's a big myth in home schooling. in fact, the reason my husband and i decided to home school was we knew a family with kids, and they were amazing socially, and that'sst that was the first thing i noticedded was how well they fit in no matter where they were. john: how? >> they live in the world. you know, in nowhere in the world are you segregated by age except in school. john: every three months you send a report to the state? >> the parents, uh-huh. john: the parents, to say what? we're here? he can multiply? >> yeah, basically to tell them what we do. with unschoolers, it's free form more than following a curriculum. for myself, i keep kind of a daily journal of what we do, and then i put that into a report that i know will satisfy the state regulations. john troy, what's five time nine? >> 45. john john that's right. many say it's a religious thing. many home schoolers are a devout christian. >> i'm not religious at all, and i hope i donned offend anybody, but i'm not religious. i think it's another myth as when you say it's not social. it's not strictly religious. john: started that way, but less so over time. amy, the last word. >> okay. john: this sounds weird to people. >> i know it does, but it's natural if you think about it. we're all self-directed learners at birth. nobody teaches us how to walk with curriculum, nobody teaches us speaking. kids grow up in bilingual households have no problem with two languages, but at five, we decide everything has to be forced on kids, learning has to be a forced situation. somehow imagineically they'll stop learning on their own. that's not the case. john: thank you amy and jude, good luck to you both. >> thank you. john: my president says the way to improve education is for government to offer more school earlier. after all, everyone loves head start. >> head start has been such an extraordinary success over all these years. john: i thought so, but that's not true. the truth when we come back. ♪ with fidelity's neoptions platform, we've completely integrated every step of the process, making it easier to try filters and strategies... to get a list of equity option.. evaluate them with our p&l calculator... and execute faster with our more intuitive trade ticket. i'm greg stevens and i helped create fidelity's options platform. it's one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. >> tonight, i propose working with states to make high quality preschool available to every single child in america. john: free preschool for every child. why not? makes sense. starthem early. who doesn't want more education for kids? my president says when states offer preschool -- >> like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a j. we know it works. let's do what works. john: well, yes, but what does work? steven barnett says the president's right and universal preschool is a good thing, but darcy found, well, what did you find? >> it doesn't work. john: it must. you start them early. they must get something out of it. >> it's more fairy tale than fact, and wn you look at the head start program, all of the research done,ing inning looking at the students in oklahoma and georgia, you find they might have a few gains in first grade, by by second or third, they look no different than students who have not been to preschool at all, and, n., some children have -- and, in fact, some children come away with worse issues. john: steven, this is what weirded me out when i read about this. it's just intuitive that preschool and programs like head start should help, and you say they do, but the president's own education department found, whop whoops, no lasting benefit. >> smaller than expected from head start, but head start doesn't have all the things of a high quality program. john: so they have great success in oklahoma and georgia? >> well, oklahoma has pretty good success. georgia has some success, and it turns out compared to what they spend on it, probably enough to generate a positive benefit cost ratio. steve: this is what i don't get. you say "success," from i read, georgia started the program 20 years ago. you'd think they'd lead the nation now in the goals. they are not. no gains by 4 #th grade, raised graduation rates, 4th grade reading schools, close the minority achievement gap. none of the states have done that. steven, i know your group at rutgers gets money from the education department, but i assume you are objective about this, see failure after failure, the country's going broke, but you want to spend more money on this? >> well, the country can't afford not to spend money on this. the reason we are going broke is the high cost of things that are avoidable and can be prevented by quality education. john: steven, isn't it true that we do well in 4th grade, in reading fall behind by 8th grade, and 12th grate, we're way behind. >> well, by 12th grade, they are not the same kids. we have to wait for the 4th and 8th graders to get to 12th grade and see how they do then. john: darcy, your turn. >> well, i just think the whole thing is really ridiculous, and i think what parents out there really need to know is that preschool is not going to get your child into harvard, and it's not going to keep your child out of jail. many america, when children interkindergarten, the department of education's own data, they have all the qualities that teachers say are important, they are enthusiastic, eager to learn, good health, know their abc's and numbers because parents know best, using now a variety of ways to teach their children. some at home, some in programs, some in church day care facilities. parents know what the individual children need, and they are doing a great job getting them ready for school. it's in the later years we have the problems, and that's where we need to focus school reform. i just want parents out there to know that preschool is not a silver bullet, and if you, you know, for a preschool to be beneficial to your child, it has to be better than the setting that they are currently in so if that preschool is better than what you're doing at home or better than the situation you've got your kids in, take advantage of it, but if not, keep doing what you are doing. john: a bigger question how should taxpayers pay for all of this? thank you, darcy and steven. coming up, the teacher's union said, give us a chance to run a school, we can do better, and they got their chance. what happened? we'll tell you next. the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone but her likes 50% more cash, but i have an idea. do you want a princess dress? yes. cupcakes? yes. do you want an etch-a-sketch? yes! do you want 50% more cash? no. you got talent. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. what's in your wallet? i usually say that. thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz: for proving there's nowhere we can't go. but, at some point... giant leaps gave way to baby steps... and with all due respect, you're history. if you taught us anything, it's that you can't cling to the past... if you want to create the future. that's why, instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. pushing u.s. aviation to new heights. all 80 thousand of us. busy investing billions in the industry's boldest moves. it's biggest advances in technology. bringing our passengers the be, the most spacious fleet in the sky. and earning more awards than any other airline... to show for it. so rather than simply sating history... we're out there making it. ♪ shame on you! shame on you! john: when union teachers shamed outside my office to yell at me, they said teachers need more money. need more money. if teachers were valued in paid like lawyers or executives then it would be better. many people believe that, but it is a mess. america has been more, much more. we have triple spending for students. since i was in college, the blue line on the chart triple. student achievement and math, reading, and science, they did not improve and all. so what happened to all the money? we don't know. the government monopoly squanders money in los angeles where they spend half a billion dollars to build the school, the most expensive one in america. they planted palm trees, did elegant landscaping, but in this beautiful swimming pool, even something called the cocoanut grove modeled after a night club. a very nice, but education, not so nice. the school graduates just 56 percent of its students. schools in oakland, they aren't as fancy, but the students do better. they get top test scores. so they move to shed his schools down. teachers protesting me for my stupid in america show said, union teachers are as -- are the solution. when i complained about stupid union rules they said, no. our rules are good and necessary if cities with less strain, let us train and evaluate teachers, we would do a great job. we have the expertise, the intelligence, the experience to be able to do what works for children. now, although the union does not like charter schools, they say if you have charters the union could create a school where every parent would want to send their children. so, they were given a shot, the united federation of teachers a charter school of their own. we welcomed the chance to show them what this union can

Transcripts For FBC Stossel 20130310

gerri: we love hearing from you. send me an e-mail to gerri@foxbusiness.com. you know what? i believe this country's on with pot smoking is out of control. the city of san diego considering medical marijuana vending machines. right. people will be able to swipe a card with their id and prescription on it and scan their fingerprint, then the pot is dispensed. those are going to be broken into so fast it'll make your head spin. i mean, seriously, do we really need to make it easier for people to get marijuana? and why do i think those nearby snack vending machines will have a hard time keeping cheetos in stock? that's my two cents more. that's it for tonight's willis report. thanks for joining us. have a great night and a great weekend. stay safe. ♪through these ills. >> sthaim on stossel? the teacher's union doesn't like my reporting. i'm the problem. there's a solution. they don't like charter schools. >> the doorway of our public schools, take your pound of flesh. >> they don't like a school chancellor with reform. >> so, does he? >> we know it works. let's do what works. >> he wants more money for preschools, but -- >> it doesn't work. >> we know this school works. >> you firedded teacher fter one day? >> she was incompetent. >> why does the estabshment want to close a successful school? >> as a mom, i beg of you. >> this kills me. >> why it's hard to fight the education block. that's our show, tonight. >> and now, john stossel. john: schools are lousy. what would you do part of the government's monopoly? one school chancellor fired under performing teachers. that made teachers mad. >> she's misled, misguided, and doing that to other people. >> she's not trained, doesn't know what real teaching is. john: what a terrle choice to lead schools and called the hatchet lady. "time" made her look like a witch. who is this awful person? let's ask her. michelle rhe, joins us from california. you made people mad. >> yes, i did. >> you fired 36 principals, 200 some teachers, closed school, and eventually pushed out in washington, d.c.. >> yeah. well, remember, that when i took over the district, it was the lowest performing and most distucksal district in the entire country. what i did were things i thought were obvious, close low performing failing schools failing children for decades. i'm going to fire ineffective employees, pay the effective ones more money, cut a central office bureaucracy out of control in half. those were the things i knew needed to get done if we were going to fix the system, and that's when i started getting called all kinds of names, you know, but that was the, you know, this terrible person, but, you know, in my mind, it was just trying to bring common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system. stossel: you heard the phrase "ecation blob," do you think that's fair? >> there is an absolute inertia around a bureaucracy that is, that exists to serve iftsz, the need of adults, and contracts and jobs opposed kids. the system did not become the way it was by accident. people benefited from the dysfunction allowed to keep jobs, contracts, keep their programs going even though they didn't produce results for kids because there was no accountability. when you brought accountability into the system, and when you pushed it, you got reactions. >> you have a dmu book called "radical," and i don't think you are radical enough based on the standards of this program, but you were tood radical for washington, d.c., and you were unusual as a democratic, you supported, opposed vouchers, but now you've changed your mind. >> yeah. you know, i'm a lifelong democrat, and when i was looking eyeball-to-eyeball with the mothers who wanted nothing more than what i wanted for my kids, which was to get a high quality education, i knew i didn't have spots in a high quality dc school for their kids to attend so i thought, you know what? i'm not going to stop this person from taking a $7500 voucher, by the way, less than what we were spending per kid in the district so that they could go to a cat lick or parochial school and get a great education. i was not willing to say to those parents, i'm sorry, you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while i try to fix the system. john: what you spent in the district is astounding. dc claims it's 19,000 per pupil, and cato says it's 29,000. that's 700,000 per classroom. where's the money go? >> well, this is one of the things that i found was that, you know, and you hear this a lot in the debates about education reform, you hear people all the time saying what we need in order to fix the system is more money, more money, but the eality is that over the last two to three decades in the country, we have more than doubled and almost tripled money spent on public education per child, and results are stagnant. until we fix the foundational, the fundamental problems that ail the system, then more money and investment will not produce better results. we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run and whether or not we're putting kids interests before adults' interest, and only after we fix those laws and policies will then an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids. john: fixes it means competition. your group got laws passed in that direction lifting the charter cap in mieshz. bliewk to you. thank you, michelle rhee. >> thank you. john: one who says she has evil is joe del grosso. at the top of the show, he was in a meeting attacking charter schools and also doesn't like for-profit competition. >> market driven education belongs on wall street, not broad street. john: you got a lot of applause for that, joe, thank you for joining us. >> yes. john: bob bowdon, made a movie calmed "the cartel," saying you're a cartel like a conspiracy of people trying to keep prices up, competition out. >> no. you're wrong about that. why keep competition away? >> you said it on the clip saying if it's market driven, it's bad. >> no, i said that i don't like for-profit education. that has nothing to do with competition. if school a wants to compete with school b, there's nothing wrong with than. non-profit charters are okay and private schools are okay for a voucher according to you? non-profit is okay? >> i'm not for religious institutions involved in public education. now, if you want something different for your child like my mother did for me, find another job, and get it for your child. i went to parochial school. >> if you have money, there's options to pay for private schools, hire tutors or move. >> that's correct. >> if you don't have money, the view is there should be no other options apart from newark public schools? >> correct. >> if you want out, too bad. >> why would you -- >> if you don't have the money, you have to stay. >> if you were a responsible parent, you'd make sure that that school in that community works. >> how would you do that if you go to the school board and they ignore you? >> that's management. you say we need more unions. i agree. that's a good thing. >> i don't remember saying that. if the parent wants to go october other school because this school fails my kid -- >> no problem. >> or a specialty school, i want to take that tuition money and go elsewhere, you say? >> as long as you can afford it, do anything you like. john: why because the 17 # ,000 spent to send kids to your newark schools, why isn't 15,000 attached -- >> john, i've never called the police in my life. can i get my money back? i never called the fire department. could i get my money back? john: just stuck with the schools you got? >> if newark, a number of murders every day, if i had enough money, could i say to the mayor, i don't want to use the police force, give me the money, and i'll hire my own. >> there's no reasonable ways to pick your own police force. there are reasonable ways to pick the schools and have the money follow the kid. you don't want it to happen because schools are not unionized. >> no, that has nothing to do with it. >> really? >> we have charter schools that use my union hall because we have a resource center free. i don't care whether they join the union or not. that's nothing to do with it. i prefer not having charting schools. >> you support the expansion of charter schools in newark? >> ones that work. what i can't support is the fact that we have charter schools that are not working, and we don't hold them accountable. >> if the charter doesn't work, then, and there's competition, if it's a bad one, why would parents pick it? it would go out of business. that's the market working. >> that's not the way it works. john: it could work that way if you didn't have controls. >> if it worked that way, that would be fine, but, unfortunately, it doesn't. john: you stop is it from working not allowing for-profit competition. >> why should education be a profit? what good is if you gain the world, but lose your soul? john: i don't lose my soul -- >> making money is a great thing to me, but,nyway, public education is the last bash ton of democracy. with you work into the door of a good school, there's no religion, you don't hear about the democrats, the republicans, the libertarians, the -- the -- you're there to get the american dream. an education that is supposed to talk about american values and deliver equality education. that's what i'm for. much of the rhetoric is that him and i talk at each other when really we should be speaking together about how do you improve student performance. >> one thing quick. here's the secret. he wants it to seem like the real issue here is corporatizing privatizers against public schools. corporate people are not the problem. it's the increasing numbers, hundreds of thousands more every ar of mostly black and hispanic parents who want out of his schools, they want out, sign up for charter schools and want voucher. john: a brief break from the complicated discussion to bob's movie called "the cartel," and you may agree. a principal says you judge the district by the number of fancy cars in the administration's parking lot. >> the number of mercedes benz out there, the worst the district is. ♪ john: bob, what's the point? >> the fact is we're told there's not enough money in public education, and, that, in fact, in places like newark, it's over 20,000 per student. john: 400,000 a classroom, what do you do with it? >> i'd like to know. put it this way, john, it goes to me, boy, oh, boy, if it went to me, that would be great. john: just disappears in the government monopoly. >> worse than that when you think about it. it's a school district whose budget is the same as running a city, a billion dollars. now, where that money goes is certainly not in the pockets of teachers or the custodians or anyone. there's no get rich scheme for a teacher, but, unfortunately, if i -- you know, if i have to look at it and say the truth, there is a lot of waste that goes on and it's taxpayer money, and that's a shame. john: we're out of time, and we agree about that. joe del grosso, thank you, bob bowdon. i should say the problem of american schools, not just schools, but schools are often bad in states that don't have strong union. the problem is the government monopoly, the publishment that fights change and reformers call it "the blob." >> it's like a bloby job java hut thing that can't be judged. the blob is the unions, janitor's unions, the politicians, and if you try to make a change, the blob says -- >> we don't do that here reck cigs downtown. we have five people to sign off, and the deputy of curriculum has to say it's okay. it's crazy. john: it is, and now it looks like the blob is going to close the best schools in california. why would they do that? the best ones. that's next. ♪ friday night, buddy. you are gonna need a wingman. and with my cash back, you are money. forget him. my airline miles will take your game worldwide. what i'm really looking for is -- i got two words for you -- re-wards. ♪ there's got to be better cards than this. [ male announcer ] there's a better way with creditcards.com. compare hundreds of cards from all the major banks to find the one that's right for you. it's simple. search, compare, and apply at creditcards.com. first round's on me. john: you heard about america's lousy schools, but there's some independent public schools that do really well. one chain of three schools? california takes kids from the poorest neighborhood and teaches them so well those kids prosper. the schools were created by a guy named ben chavez. here's what i say. >> give me the worst school in oakland, black, mexican, poke dot, give us the worse school anywhere in america, and we'll take it, and we'll out perform the other schools in five years. jowrn: ben created the model at the indian haven charter school in the heart of the a rough neighborhood. >> now, these are hard workers here. john: they have the highest test scores in california. you can do that on the same amount the state gives every school? >> well, yeah, less. we get less than every other school. >> the kids in american indian public charter schools are scoring so far above the average for the state for public school children, there's not a word for it. john: here at american indian, they pay some kids to tutor other kids. >> we hire students and pay them. they are excited to make money. reporter: chavez is politically incorrect. >> what do you want to study? >> science. >> science! a mexican in science? yeah, good for you, honey, a rare bird. john: criticized for strit rules. >> you were in trouble, weren't you, boy? >> they want us to succeed. >> he had to do pushups. >> you try hard. >> the other school, we didn't have homework, just a page of homework, but here we have six subjects of homework, and the teachers were nicer than here, and here, they are meaner. john: meaner, and yet no student was expelled since the school began in 2000. no way! >> i love fools, the kids who get in trouble because you can take a kid who is acting like a fool or gets in trouble, and use them as an example. it's -- john: a 6th grade student acts out in class sits on the floor in app 8th grade class. >> yes, that's true. embarrassment keeps kids in line. whether we like it or not. >> at my old school, it was games. here, it's running for ten minutes or running around the block. john: you fire people at your schools. >> they should be. john: you fired a teacher after one day. >> she was incompetent. john: you could tell in one day? >> yes, she was incompetent. john: attitudes don't sit well with the blob, firing students, provocative racial comments and say he illegally profited from the schools. the blob doesn't like profit. the oakland school board ay revoke american indian's charter. there was a hearing about it last week. >> the profit is blurring people in who have no interest in children. >> we can take it back under the public umbrella, keep it in tact and provide a real model for oakland going forward. john: our special correspondent, kennedy, was at the hearing, back under the public umbrella, sounds like the blobments to take over an independent school. >> yeah, the blobments control, and, really hates autonomy as well as teacher's unions. it's about money. they don't want charters to make a profit, but at the same time, if those kids go back into the oaklands unified school district, ohmland gets millions of dollars from the state and federal government. john: at the hearing those who liked the school spoke too. >> please, do not close this school. as a mom, i beg of you. [cheers and applause] >> we have such a great school. don't take that away from us. >> my kid was always suspended, out of class. my first year, i was always throwing desks, chairs, getting detention. this school fails me. my second year, i'm more mature, i don't get into trouble -- >> mr. president, his time expired. >> oh, come on! [applause] >> just go ahead and finish. [applause] john: they let him finished. he interviewedded parents and students who defend ben chavez. >> whether you're asian, white, mexican, no matter what, he thinks everyone can do it, and he will make you realize that you can do it, and at the end, you realize that you did it. you're like, okay, you were right. i can do it. >> i love the school. my daughter is doing great at the school. she'd spend the night if the school was a boarding school. >> what do you think about the controversy surrounding the school? >> i think it's a bunch of bs. oakland should really be ashamedded of themselves. this is one of the best schools and one of the best things that happened to oakland, and how is it they are wanting to close our school? john: they are not just capricious, but they are threatened, and chavez did things that might have broken the rules that he made money. >> yeah. there's a lot of accusations. ben may be a deeply flawed map, but the school's work, and that's what the parents are fighting for, and that's what we all want. we want the very best education for the kids, and that's what gets lost in the argument. john: the kids went on to good colleges, berkeley? >> yes, three graduated from those schools in three years, from berkley. john: because of the training at american indian? >> yes, sir because of the emphasis on math and literature. spent so much time in the classes, and they finished their ap, their college level courses in high school. john: they do a good job. kennedy concludes a reason they want to close the school is they just don't like ben. this man helps run chavez's school, and, yet, he says things like this about him. >> he's like a monster, all right? no one likes him. why they want to close the school is about him. he's a curse. he was a blessing in establishing the school, but a curse here. i hate to say it, but it's the truth. john: a curse? the monster when we return, we'll meet the curse. he's here. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. john john we just told you about the founder of three california charter schools that succeed, teaching kids people said could not be taught. despite the success of the schools, despite the best test scores in california, the oakland school board may shut the schools down. ben, basically, this is because people don't like you. >> yes, they hate me. john: saying you did illegal profit making thing. >> can you believe that in america? you shouldn't make a profit or educate kids. john: troy flint speaks for the board. ben is here with me. the school should be closed because of him? >> this school should not be closed because of ben. the school should be closed because there's an egregious conflict of interest that's resulting in almost $4 million being stolen from oakland taxpayers. john: what do you mean "stolen"? >> it's been misappropriated for personal use, funneled through contracts into businesses in which they have an ownership interest. if american indians implement oper reforms and deals with the conflict of interest, we're happy to see the school kept open under a responsible, fiscal management entity. john: haven't they done what you want? he's off the board. >> he's off the board, but he's inserted figure heads. we need a third party entity to come in and apply generally accepted accounting principles and stop the history of fraud. john: a history of fraud, ben, you commit fraud. some of the specifics. you charged rent to the school because you own the property. the rent's too high. your company did construction jobs and was paid. true? >> sure did. i own the building. i charged $1.09 a square foot. some schools in the city pay $2 a square foot. john: you paid your wife. >> i sure did. she's the accountant. $150 ,000 a year for her company and she did other charter schools. the next bid was for $300,000. i saved the school $150,000. now they don't use her anymore, but pay a quarter million dollars a year. who is ripping off the taxpayer? john: incurred charges on your personal card, credit card, paid for by the school? >> listen, what happened is the school's credit card was -- it was over extended. couldn't use it, and the secretary on several occasions used to my credit card. charges were made, i turned it in, the school paid the charges, $20 # 45 exactly. i reimbursed the school. they didn't tell that part of the story. he used a word like "stolen," i have not stolen a dime, mr. flint. it's rhetoric. as a matter of fact, mr. flint, give me -- john: him him the chance to respond. go ahead, troy. >> anyone with interest in viewing the facts can go to the oakland unifieded school district site and review the report. the appendix has text and snapshots of the financial accounting that's clear. it's not just the oakland school board saying this but the county superintendent of schools, the california department of education that found the violations. these are three distinct entities. it seems very coi understand den -- coincidental people are are not involved with schools on a day-to-day basis have the same conclusion. john: part of the education blob. i wonder is maybe he's an awful person and maybe he made a profit that he shouldn't have made, but the kids did really good -- >> it's not about the profit with all do republic, it's about breaking the law in the pursuit of profit. that's a sharp distinction. john: why talk about closing the school when for less money per student, they do well? u.s. news and world report ranked them number one in oakland. you got your district which is millions of dollars in debt. i would think american indian is are the good guys, and you're the bad guys. >> the students at american indian, the teachers, and the families are the good guys. the people above them in te administration who are taking advantage of their desire to have a good education to enrich themselves in violation of the law are the bad guys. you have to separate the two. john: thank you, troy flint. ben, you don't deny that you have 5 really big ego, you're a monster, and a curse? >> oh, yeah, all of those. i know how to educate kids. ousd does not, ripped off the taxpayer, but i understand they hate competition. i don't work at the school. what they try to do is using me to close the school. john: thank you, ben chavez. the school board decides in a couple weeks. coming up, universal preschool. doesn't that sound warm and fuzzy? next, do kids even need school? this 14-year-old doesn't go to school. we talk to him next. ♪ this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. ♪ john: some don't fight the blob, but escape it and home school. home schooling was once unusual, but as more people realize how bad the government monopoly is, more used it. one and a half million americans are home schooled, most go to college, most do better than the other kids in college. how does home schooling work? well, some parents act like teachers in a classroom. it's structured, but some have no rules letting the kids learn almost entirely op their own calledded unschooling, and it's getting more attention. 14-year-old jude steffers-wilson's unschooled, and jamie unschools her. amy milstein, why do you unschool? what's it mean? >> learning without a curriculum, learning through your life, things that motivate you internally, things you are interested in. john jon i would have just watched tv all day. >> well, you know, maybe you would have watched tv all day for awhile, but my kids know that i trust them. they know that they can pursue their interests, and they make good decisions about what they do in the day. john: your son is playing mine craft? >> that's the big thing now is mine craft, a video program where you can build things. you learn about building materials and how to set up systems and circuits and, you know, you create this whole internal world. john: what if they relaxed out? >> they can if they want. generally speaking, you know, they do sometimes, of course, but, you know, that gets old after awhile. john: jude, what do you do? >> i basically do what normal kids do, but not really. i do it on my own. john: don't you worry you boant learn stuff you need to learn to succeed? >> no. i mean, what do you think i need to learn to succeed? john: math? english, reading. >> i learn math, english. john: how? >> i read, i write. as i said, mr. stossel, yeah, but -- john: why? if i -- when i was your age, i think, i mean, i hated school. i would have done nothing. >> so did i. i never fit in. it was never me. it was never me. school just never fit into me. i could not do anything. john: left school at age 12? >> yes, sir. john: there were discipline problems? >> yes. john: people on your father's side of the family say, what about the sat's? >> yeah. it's just -- i don't like that. i mean, why -- john: what about them? >> what about the sates? why does -- why do i have to be tested to go to college. i may not go to college when i'm 18, maybe it's 25, 40 #, 50. i don't know. >> there's a lot of colleges that have specific admissions processes for home schooled kids. some of them don't require the sat's, others do, but it's just a small part of what they look at. kids put together portfolios showing the projects they've done, places they worked. >> that's my plan. >> books read, and the universities get a full picture of what the kid's life is like, and as you said, they love home schooled kids and they generally do very well in college. john: people say they don't know how to socialize. they are home alone. >> uh, a double team now. okay, you want to go first? >> i'll go first. >> okay. >> that's a myth. that's a big myth in home schooling. in fact, the reason my husband and i decided to home school was we knew a family with kids, and they were amazing socially, and that'sst that was the first thing i noticedded was how well they fit in no matter where they were. john: how? >> they live in the world. you know, in nowhere in the world are you segregated by age except in school. john: every three months you send a report to the state? >> the parents, uh-huh. john: the parents, to say what? we're here? he can multiply? >> yeah, basically to tell them what we do. with unschoolers, it's free form more than following a curriculum. for myself, i keep kind of a daily journal of what we do, and then i put that into a report that i know will satisfy the state regulations. john troy, what's five time nine? >> 45. john john that's right. many say it's a religious thing. many home schoolers are a devout christian. >> i'm not religious at all, and i hope i donned offend anybody, but i'm not religious. i think it's another myth as when you say it's not social. it's not strictly religious. john: started that way, but less so over time. amy, the last word. >> okay. john: this sounds weird to people. >> i know it does, but it's natural if you think about it. we're all self-directed learners at birth. nobody teaches us how to walk with curriculum, nobody teaches us speaking. kids grow up in bilingual households have no problem with two languages, but at five, we decide everything has to be forced on kids, learning has to be a forced situation. somehow imagineically they'll stop learning on their own. that's not the case. john: ank you amy and jude, good luck to you both. >> thank you. john: my president says the way to improve education is for government to offer more school earlier. after all, everyone loves head start. >> head start has been such an extraordinary success over all these years. john: i thought so, but that's not true. the truth when we come back. ♪ >> tonight, i propose working with states to make high quality preschool available to every single child in america. john: free preschool for every child. why not? makes sense. start them early. who doesn't want more education for kids? my president says when states offer preschool -- >> like georgia or oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job. we know it works. let's do what works. john: well, yes, but what does work? steven barnett says the president's right and universal preschool is a good thing, but darcy found, well, what did you find? >> it doesn't work. john: it must. you start them early. they must get something out of it. >> it's more fairy tale than fact, and when you look at the head start program, all of the research done,ing inning looking at the students in oklahoma and georgia, you find they might have a few gains in first grade, by by second or third, they look no different than students who have not been to preschool at all, and, n., some children have -- and, in fact, some children come away with worse issues. john: steven, this is what weirded me out when i read about this. it's just intuitive that preschool and programs like head start should help, and you say they do, but the president's own education department found, whop whoops, no lasting benefit. >> smaller than expected from head start, but head start doesn't have all the things of a high quality program. john: so they have great success in oklahoma and georgia? >> well, oklahoma has pretty good success. georgia has some success, and it turns out compared to what they spend on it, probably enough to generate a positive benefit cost ratio. steve: this is what i don't get. you say "success," from i read, georgia started the program 20 years ago. you'd think they'd lead the nation now in the goals. they are not. no gains by 4 #th grade, raised graduation rates, 4th grade reading schools, close the minority achievement gap. none of the states have done that. steven, i know your group at rutgers gets money from the education department, but i assume you are objective about this, see failure after failure, the country's going broke, but you want to spend more money on this? >> well, the country can't afford not to spend money on this. the reason we are going broke is the high cost of things that are avoidable and can be prevented by quality education. john: steven, isn't it true that we do well in 4th grade, in reading fall behind by 8th grade, and 12th grate, we're way behind. >> well, by 12th grade, they are not the same kids. we have to wait for the 4th and 8th graders to get to 12th grade and see how they do then. john: darcy, your turn. >> well, i just think the whole thing is really ridiculous, and i think what parents out there really need to know is that preschool is not going to get your child into harvard, and it's not going to keep your child out of jail. many america, when children interkindergarten, the department of education's own data, they have all the qualities that teachers say are important, they are enthusiastic, eager to learn, good health, know their abc's and numbers because parents know best, using now a variety of ways to teach their children. some at home, some in programs, some in church day care facilities. parents know what the individual children need, and they are doing a great job getting them ready for school. it's in the later years we have the problems, and that's where we need to focus school reform. i just want parents out there to know that preschool is not a silver bullet, and if you, you know, for a preschool to be beneficial to your child, it has to be better than the setti that they are currently in so if that preschool is better than what you're doing at home or better than the situation you've got your kids in, take advantage of it, but if not, keep doing what you are doing. john: a bigger question how should taxpayers pay for all of this? thank you, darcy and steven. coming up, the teacher's union said, give us a chance to run a school, we can do better, and they got their chance. what happened? we'll tell you next. kids will spend 8 minutes decorating their little brother. brushing for two minutes now, can save your child from severe tooth pain later. two minutes, twice a day. they have the time. ♪ shame on you! shame on you! john: when union teachers shamed outside my office to yell at me, they said teachers need more money. need more money. if teachers were valued in paid like lawyers or executives then it would be better. many people believe that, but it is a mess. america has been more, much more. we have triple spending for students. since i was in college, the blue line on the chart triple. student achievement and math, reading, and science, they did not improve and all. so what happened to all the money? we don't know. the government monopoly squanders money in los angeles where they spend half a billion dollars to build the school, the most expensive one in america. they planted palm trees, did elegant landscaping, but in this beautiful swimming pool, even something called the cocoanut grove modeled after a night club. a very nice, but education, not so nice. the school graduates just 56 percent of its students. schools in oakland, they aren't as fancy, but the students do better. they get top test scores. so they move to shed his schools down. teachers protesting me for my stupid in america show said, union teachers are as -- are the solution. when i complained about stupid union rules they said, no. our rules are good and necessary if cities with less strain, let us train and evaluate teachers, we would do a great job. we have the expertise, the intelligence, the experience to be able to do what works for children. now, although the union does not like charter schools, they say if you have charters the union could create a school where every parent would want to send their children. so, they were given a shot, the united federation of teachers a charter school of their own. we welcomed the chance to show them what this union can

Transcripts For KGO ABC World News With David Muir 20150930

good evening. and we begin tonight with those two storms. the tropical system getting stronger as we come on the air. the new track on that, in just a moment. but first, the storm already hitting and about to barrel up the coast. 20 million americans from north carolina all the way to maine. washington, d.c. getting hit late today, philadelphia, new york, boston, interior new england will be dealing with this over the next 24 hours. already, the commute has been a mess as it travels up the east coast. these images from outside high point, north carolina. that stairwell turned into a waterfall. flooded streets in ft. walton beach, florida. a dangerous night of driving ahead. we've got it all covered. the new storm tracks for both, and chief meteorologist ginger zee leading us off. >> reporter: plowing through the evening commute. >> this is the first time it's ever got up this bad. >> reporter: even submerging part of this campus. a wet and wild day at james madison university. >> oh, god. >> reporter: flash floods from virginia through north carolina. more than two inches of rain in just over an hour flooding parking lots in high point, north carolina. sweeping away a car, forcing a chaotic water rescue. >> this water tonight really surprised me, how fast it will carry you down the river. >> reporter: all that moisture surging north into virginia. consuming roads. stressing the drainage systems. and taking over backyards. it's that same tropical moisture that doused the panhandle of florida with a foot of rain monday. tonight, it meets the cold front, and the northeast is in the crosshairs. >> a mess ahead this evening. first, let's get right to the storm hitting now. where is it, ginger, and where is it headed? >> reporter: let's start with the flood watches, david. that's going to help us to line this out for tonight. north carolina to maine. it's a big stretch of the northeast and mid-atlantic. and the heaviest rain is falling right now in northern virginia, making its way into maryland. we've already seen pictures that you saw just moments ago and will see more. i want to take you through the early morning hours. wednesday, 4:00 a.m., that's when philadelphia to new york city still getting it. but it goes inland from there. i stopped it at 9:00 a.m., because boston is drenched at that time. a drive time. most of us clearing out through the afternoon and evening on your wednesday. >> all right, going to be a mess wednesday, we'll be driving safely. we're warned. in the meantime, the tropical storm that's gaining strength. >> reporter: right. and this is a completely separate system. so, we look at the satellite right now. that thing has hardly moved. it is moving west-southwest at about 5 miles per hour. the max sustained winds, 65 miles per hour now. it should become a hurricane within the next 24 hours. and look what happens. it hardly moves. the confidence is high through friday that it gets west and southwest. it becomes much lower as we see that cone of uncertainty still off the coast through late weekend. >> all right, tracking this straight through "gma" in the morning. ginger, thank you. now, to the other breaking headline involving a georgia mother on death row, scheduled to be executed within the hour. this evening, a plea from pope francis, asking that the prisoner's life be spared. her children pleading for her life. with that help from the pope, who sent a letter to georgia authorities, saying, i implore you. tonight, the holy father's plea apparently not enough. the board's decision is now in, and here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: even a plea from pope francis wasn't enough to spare the only woman on georgia's death row, set to be executed within the hour. kelly renee gissendaner, convicted in 1997 of conspiring with her lover to stab her husband to death. the lover, who actually wielded the knife, is not being put to death, because he confessed and struck a plea deal. gissendaner wasn't even present for the murder. she's been a model prisoner, studying theology on death row. her children pleaded for her life in videos such as this. >> every day, i feel like my world is just falling apart. >> reporter: pope francis asked the georgia parole board to commute the sentence to one that would better express both justice and mercy. >> every life is sacred. >> reporter: he opposes the death penalty in all cases, as he recently told congress. >> punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation. >> reporter: but the board declined clemency without explanation, clearing the way for tonight's lethal injection. she is the first woman to be put to death in georgia in 50 years. david wright, abc news, new york. >> david, thank you. now, to the race for 2016. and tonight, it is bill clinton versus donald trump. the former president is back, amid his wife's slumping poll numbers. we started to hear from him this weekend and tonight, he's coming out swinging, defending his wife and going further. taking aim at donald trump, calling the business mogul, quote, fact-free. but that isn't all he said, and abc's tom llamas, covering every step of this campaign. >> reporter: tonight, former president bill clinton taking on donald trump. >> you shouldn't be able to insult your way to the white house. >> reporter: for months, trump's attacks on hillary, fast and furious. >> easily, she's the worst secretary of state in the history of our country. >> reporter: but now, hillary's husband is firing back, calling trump fact-free. >> the day after you take the oath of office -- you're not in an episode of "survivor." you are actually supposed to show up and run the show. >> reporter: and tonight, hillary clinton is using trump's words against him. >> and hillary, who has become very shrill. you know the world shrill? >> reporter: in a new fund-raising e-mail, the clinton campaign painting the remark as sexist, saying, "is the woman who asks for the raise she deserves shrill?" trump insists he wasn't being sexist. tonight, the gop front-runner, whose new tax plan was praised by some republicans, getting clobbered by a conservative tax group. the tax foundation saying trump's plan would add more than $10 trillion to the deficit, something trump denies. david, expect to see a lot more bill clinton on the campaign trail. he's about to hit the road in support of his wife, raising money. he says he wants to let people know what she can do. david? >> tom llamas with us again tonight. tom, thank you. and now to that showdown on capitol hill today. the head of planned parenthood, facing questions for hours. grilled by lawmakers after those undercover videos recorded by anti-abortion activists of planned parenthood employees. it's been a flash point in the race for president, carly fiorina describing a gruesome video she watched herself. so, tonight, how does planned parenthood explain those videos? and a reality check on the scene fiorina described. do we know where that video, where that audio is from? here's abc's jonathan karl now. >> reporter: the head of planned parenthood now target number one for republicans, and during a five-hour interrogation today on capitol hill. >> do you profit or make money on abortion services? >> there's potentially four federal crimes and all i'm asking is, has the justice department contacted you? >> reporter: republicans want to cut off all government funding of planned parenthood in the wake of a series of controversial undercover videos this summer from anti-abortion activists. those videos claim to show planned parenthood officials discussing the sale of aborted fetal tissue. today, planned parenthood president cecile richards called claims the group sells fetal tissue false. >> the outrageous accusations leveled against planned parenthood, based on heavily doctored videos, are offensive and categorically untrue. >> reporter: the republican campaign against planned parenthood hit an emotional high point with carly fiorina in the last republican debate. >> watch these tapes. watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating. its legs kicking. while someone says, we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. this is about the character of our nation. >> reporter: planned parenthood has accused fiorina of lying about the video. the anti-abortion group video does include a scene like fiorina described, although the audio is edited from a different event, and today, the group that made the video would not tell abc news whether the fetus shown was actually from a planned parenthood facility. as for planned parenthood's funding, it receives $528 million annually in government money. which supports services like cancer screenings, treatment of stds and birth control. the group also performs abortions, but by law, none of the federal money it receives can go to abortion. in a new pugh poll, voters by a two to one margin say they favored continued public funding of planned parenthood, but david, a strong majority of republican voters say they want to see the funding eliminated. >> all right, jonathan karl live on capitol hill. always great to have you, jon. we move on now to the u.n. tonight, and some rare moments. president obama shaking hands with iran's foreign minister when the two ran into each other. the white house says it was unplanned. the first handshake between a u.s. president and iran's top diplomat since 1979. president obama also making history with raul castro, sitting down with the cuban president. the first time a u.s. president has met with the cuban leader on u.s. soil in 60 years. and tonight, yet another meeting with russian president vladimir putin. after that moment we showed you here last night, putin, the only one smiling in this image. today, discussing how to combat isis in syria, of course, very complicated because putin supports syrian president assad. meanwhile, an eye-opening new number tonight when it comes to americans going overseas to join isis and other extremist groups. authorities say they know of at least 250 americans who have made the trip now. the concern, of course, their western passports that will allow them back. so, let's get right to abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz tonight, because martha, you pressed the chairman of the house intelligence committee on this very point. how do we keep our eye on those americans and let's listen to what we told you. >> reporter: are you confident that we can track all 250? >> no, i'm not. and this has long been the concern about fighters that go into iraq and syria, get trained and then have a western passport and get back either into europe or into the united states. >> reporter: and you believe they could get back into the united states? >> absolutely. >> so, martha, we heard it right there. he believes they can come back? >> reporter: he certainly does. and the 250 figure is more than double the number given last year, even though u.s. law enforcement has been making a major effort to track those being recruited by isis and others. there have been about 70 criminal cases brought in the u.s., but the report says americans are being radicalized at an unprecedented speed, and straining the abilities of law enforcement to monitor and intercept them. david? >> all right, martha raddatz, who has been tracking this for months. martha, thank you. and a major development here involving american war planes over afghanistan tonight. in the battle to retake a major city, just captured by the taliban. those planes launching an air strike today. heavy fighting reported. the afghan military sending in ground troops for a counterattack. this is the first key city to fall since the taliban, the u.s. invasion back in 2001. back here at home tonight, the close call for a passenger plane flying from new york to ireland. pilots forced to land moments after takeoff. the brakes bursting into flames on the runway. the cockpit reporting a problem in the air and abc's linsey davis on the investigation. >> reporter: takeoff may have been picture perfect, but the emergency lands of this aer lingus flight at new york's kennedy airport is under investigation tonight. the 757 took off just after 7:00 last night, from new york, bound for ireland with 115 people on board. but moments later, the pilot announces a major problem. >> we've lost our hydraulics system. >> reporter: 15 minutes after takeoff, the pilot turns the plane around. it touches down faster than normal, overheating the brakes and sparking a fire. one passenger said it looks like a sci-fi movie. >> it was a very bumpy landing. i was holding hands with my husband. >> reporter: after fire trucks doused the flames, passengers were all evacuated safely. the faa is currently investigating just what went wrong with the hydraulics. meanwhile, passengers are commending the pilot, who told them, until that moment, he'd only practiced something like this in a simulator. david? >> linsey davis tonight, thank you. now, to the american fugitive captured after almost 25 years on the run. he and his brother accused of kidnapping and torturing two young women in oregon. his brother already behind bars. tonight, john walsh helping authorities track him down in mexico. abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas talking with walsh today. >> reporter: the nightmare began in this room 24 years ago. young oregon women kidnapped off the streets and raped for days. >> i was sure that i was going to die. and i was chained and shackled at my ankles and my wrists. >> reporter: the horror only ending when one freed herself and dove through a window to escape. >> direct little across the hall from the bedroom where they kept me chained, and i knew that was, like, my only, only escape. >> reporter: since then, paul erven jackson, the man accused of these crimes, had been on the run after jumping bail. but tonight, jackson is behind bars in los angeles. tracked down in guadalajara, mexico, by the u.s. marshals. jackson was arrested with the help of a tv show, and a familiar face now synonymous with catching bad guys. john walsh. his show decided to feature the cold case, and a critical tip came in within 24 hours that led authorities to jackson. >> this low life is finally going to face justice and these women are going to get their day in court. another one down. a really bad low life down. >> reporter: jackson's brother, vance roberts, was on the run for 16 years before he turned himself in in 2006 for his role in those heinous crimes. he's now served more than 100 years in jail. jackson likely faces the same justice. david? >> pierre thomas live in our washington bureau tonight. pierre, thank you. now, to a new health headline out tonight about calcium and women. a new medical review finds that taking daily calcium supplements does little to strengthen bones in women under 80. however, they say, it does increase the risk of heart attacks, kidney stones and abdominal pain. only women over 80 and in nursing homes saw hip fractures decrease by 23%. we have more on our website tonight. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this tuesday. the iphone wars heating up. the new iphone for a dollar? coming up here, the battle to sell you the cheapest phones. how can you buy the phone for a dollar, for $5 in one place? we go down the list. also, look at this. the swarm of bees taking over an american highway tonight. where did they come from? and look at the scene inside this car. incredible. and then, the other car that caught our eye today. look at this. the google car that drives itself. so, we send our reporter in, he puts on a seat belt there. there is no steering wheel. do you trust this car on the highway? he's about to take it for a spin. so you're a small business expert from at&t? yeah, give me a problem and i've got the solution. well, we have 30 years of customer records. our cloud can keep them safe and accessible anywhere. my drivers don't have time to fill out forms. tablets. keep it all digital. we're looking to double our deliveries. our fleet apps will find the fastest route. oh, and your boysenberry apple scones smell about done. ahh, you're good. i like to bake. add new business services with at&t and get up to $500 in total savings. could protect you from diabetes? what if one sit-up could prevent heart disease? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. prevnar 13® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13® if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13® today. next tonight, we're going to take a closer look at the iphone wars heating up. apple setting a record, selling more than 13 million new iphones in just three days. tonight here, the wireless companies fighting to sign you up. abc's rebecca jarvis with the list of deals. >> reporter: tonight, the hottest selling phone of all time -- >> this is iphone 6s. >> reporter: igniting a price war. >> get the new iphone at t-mobile. >> reporter: wireless carriers like t-mobile, sprint, at&t and verizon competing for your business with a familiar approach. slashing prices on phones to lock you into their monthly plans. >> they want you to sign a deal with them because then you'll be there for a year, maybe more. and you'll just keep upgrading. >> reporter: if you buy this iphone 6s outright from apple today, it costs $649. at sprint, you can get the same iphone for $1 a month, as long as you have an iphone 6 to trade in. at t-mobile, it's a little higher. $5 a month. but their offer is available if you trade in an iphone 6 or the most current galaxy. but buyer beware. cancel that wireless service and you'll be facing a much bigger bill for the device itself. if you wanted to go to a new carrier, you'd have to pay off the phone. >> yeah, exactly. but then the phone belongs to you and you can take it wherever you want. >> competition usually helps us shoppers. in the meantime, rebecca, can you still trade in your old phone or sell it? >> reporter: you actually can sell it, david. you'll make about $300. this is an iphone 6. if you were to sell it right now, you could make about $300, but then, of course, you'd have to go out and buy the phone, that would be an additional $400. >> the remainder, $400. all right, rebecca, thank you so much. always great to have you. when we come back, the new list is out tonight. can you guess the richest person in america? and where does donald trump fall on the list? also, that swarm of bees we showed you. taking over the highway. and what a scene from inside one of those cars. and then, the baby panda, right here in america, and the one moment so many people are sharing with their friends on facebook and elsewhere. we'll be right back. when a moy turns romantic, why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use, is the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. insurance coverage has expanded nationally and you may now be covered. contact your health plan for the latest information. ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. because at&t and directv are now one! which means you can access your dvr at the dmv. change channels while he changes pants. you don't have to be a couch potato, you can be a train potato! and let them watch all the shows they love, inside the ride that you really kind of hate. introducing the all in one plan. only from directv and at&t. centrum brings us the biggest news... in multivitamin history. a moment when something so familiar... becomes something so...new. introducing new centrum vitamints. a multivitamin that contains a full spectrum of essential nutrients... you enjoy like a mint. new centrum vitamints. the coolest way yet... to get your multivitamins. you drop 40 grand on a new set of wheels, then... wham! a minivan t-bones you. guess what: your insurance company will only give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim. "how can my car depreciate before it's first oil change?" you ask. maybe the better question is, why do you have that insurance company? with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. you...and itchy eyes.more than sneezing... they also bring tough nasal congestion. so you need claritin-d. it starts to work... ...in just 30 minutes. in fact, nothing works faster. so blow away nasal congestion, fast, with claritin-d. to the index tonight. a bee invasion on a highway in oklahoma. a semitruck carrying honey bees, look at this, rolling over on interstate 35, unleashing a swarm. beekeepers on the scene. and look at the view from inside the windshield there, covered on that car. an estimated 1 million honey bees. the forbes list of richest americans out tonight. and at the top, bill gates, not quite a surprise there. warren buffett at number two. at number seven, facebook founder mark zuckerberg. donald trump, by the way, at 121. and the youngest, 25-year-old evan spiegel, founder of snapchat, at number 327 tonight. and so cute it hurts. bei bei, the month-old panda at the national zoo, wait for it. snuggling with mom. that was the sneeze. and the reason we bring this up, we were reminded of the other panda sneeze, bei bei, that was it, startling mom. the video, by the way, of that sneeze, watched by 218 million people tonight. 218 million? when we come back, our reporter about to take that google car for a test drive. no steering wheel. would you trust the car on the highway? when you're not confident your company's data is secure, the possibility of a breach can quickly become the only thing you think about. that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most. for adults with an advanced "squamous non-small cell", previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, it's not every day something this big comes along. a chance to live longer with... opdivo, nivolumab. opdivo is the first and only immunotherapy fda-approved based on a clinical trial demonstrating longer life... ...for these patients. in fact, opdivo significantly increased the chance of living longer versus chemotherapy. opdivo is different. it works with your immune system. opdivo can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body and affect how they work. this may happen any time during or after treatment has ended, and may become serious and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you experience new or worsening cough; chest pain; shortness of breath; diarrhea; severe stomach pain or tenderness; severe nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite;... ...swollen ankles; extreme fatigue; constipation; rash; or muscle or joint pain, as this may keep these problems from becoming more serious. these are not all the possible side effects of opdivo. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including immune system problems or if you've had an organ transplant, or lung, breathing or liver problems. a chance to live longer. ask your doctor if opdivo is right for you. bristol-myers squibb thanks the patients and physicians who participated in the opdivo clinical trial. when age-related macular have degeneration, amd we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression. and everywhere i look... i'm reminded to stick to my plan. including preservision areds 2. my doctor said preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula that the national eye institute recommends to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd... after 15 years of clinical studies. preservision areds 2. because my eyes are everything. finally tonight here, the car that drives itself. no steering wheel. abc's neal karlinsky, simply putting on the seat belt. so, how did it go? >> reporter: here it is. it just pulled up all by itself. at google's normally secret google x facility in silicon valley, the future is now. and it comes in the shape of this little round bubble of a car. google invited us to be among the first outsiders to ride in their prototype self-driving car. a ride like no other. we haven't gone very fast, although, i can't tell you how fast we have gone, because there's no speedometer in here. there's no controls at all. we were on a closed course for a four-minute ride, filled with obstacles meant to simulate the real world. this is what the car sees, through a series of cameras, radars and lasers. it identifies people, other cars, everything. apple, uber and tesla are said to also be working on next generation cars. no steering wheel, just two seats and the hum of the electric motor. feel free to text and drive, or take a nap, for that matter. not coming soon, exactly, but according to google, sooner than you think. neal karlinsky, abc news, mountain view, california. >> better neal than us. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow night. in the meantime, have a good evening. good night. tonight the school bus confrontation between a coach and one of the players. a brazen steps of a neighborhood cat from his own front yard. his owner makes a plea for go go's return. the taterred flag that flies over a post office. the complaint that has gone unanswered for months. legally, we can only show five seconds of this video, but you'll get the point. it shows a fight that broke out between a student and coach. a teacher and coach has been put on leave after that video surfaced of him in a violent altercation with a student. it happened in a bus after a football game. laura anthony is live with the story tonight. laura? >> reporter: hi, dan. well, the football team, the warriors are practicing behind me as we speak. thier without one coach, carlos anderson. he did defend his character. as for his actions, the district maintains that they were unacceptable. it's a video that looks like a heated discussion between a coach and player and then escalates. >> we're disappointed by the preliminary impression. >> reporter: according to the school district, the student is a senior. the adult, the jv football coach, carlos anderson. it happened on september 19th in crescent city. >> based on the visual evidence we have now, it appears the first physical contact was initiated by the adult. that is the area of concern. there was an opportunity to deescalate before the push occurred. >> reporter: troy flint told us there is an investigation underway and why it wasn't reported to the principal and

Teachers union and Gov. Newsom reach deal to settle fight over education funding under Prop 98

The proposed agreement protects education funding under Prop 98 and guarantees schools an additional $5.5 billion in coming years.

The details behind California teachers' compromise with Gov. Newsom over education funding – Monterey Herald