It sounds like an academic question. "Class, today we're going to discuss whether or not charter schools are public schools." You say "public school," I say "publicly funded school." Potato, po-tah-to. But recent decisions by the National Labor Relations Board move the question into the realm of federal law. In two cases, the NLRB decided charter schools aren't public schools. They're private corporations.

In its recent decisions, both issued Aug. 24, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Hyde Leadership Charter School in Brooklyn and the Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School are — like other government contractors — private corporations that receive taxpayer dollars.

The Democrats on the NLRB supported the ruling, and the only Republican dissented, but it's not clear who will benefit from the wider implications of the decisions. Charters like to call themselves public schools when they want taxpayer funding, so being considered private corporations could put their funding in jeopardy, but they also like being able to act like private entities when it comes to financial and organizational transparency, so the ruling could help them maintain their privacy fire walls.

Hi, I'm Gabriel!

I'm a 3 year old cutie and I need a new home! I really love to play and I would do great in a home with another dog that also has a high energy level!

I hope that when the weather cools down my family will take me for runs, jogs and maybe even hikes! I'm an active dog and am looking for a home that can mirror that lifestyle!

If you think I would be a good fit for your home contact HSSA Main Campus at 520-327-6088 ext. 173 to check on my availability and exact location!

Lots of love,
Gabriel (829277)


Youtube: Be entered to win a $25 Amazon.com gift card by subscribing to our channel! Once we hit 1,000 subscribers two lucky followers will be announced!

Click here for a cute video of PUPPIES.

ITT Tech, one of the for-profit college companies which have come under well-deserved scrutiny for their predatory recruiting tactics, dependence on government funds to pay student tuition and the questionable quality of their course offerings, is shutting down nationwide. That includes one campus in Tucson and three in the Phoenix area. Nationally, it has about 35,000 students and 8,000 employees.

ITT Tech blames the Feds for the closure, which is partly true. Last week the U.S. Department of Education said the colleges could no longer enroll new students who needed federal financial aid to attend, which pretty much meant no new students. However, the company's shoddy tactics and performance were the reasons the Department of Ed cut off the funds.

ITT Tech follows the Corinthian Colleges closure in 2015 for similar reasons. And the Phoenix-based Apollo Education Group, which is the parent company for the University of Phoenix, has fallen on hard times because of increased government scrutiny. The last time I wrote about Apollo a year or so ago, the company's stock had plummeted from its 2012 high of 56.64 to 12.45. The stock is currently trading at 8.91.

The future doesn't look bright for the very profitable for-profit schools which prey on their students who often end up with poor educations and high student loans. That's good for the students and could be a boon for community colleges, which often compete for the same students, charge lower tuition and give the students a higher quality education.

The Department of Education is working to help students who are currently enrolled, including possibly forgiving their student loans.

Hey, kids! Stay in school! Say no to drugs! Get involved in your community!
Seriously—we hope you do all those things.

But if you’re a young person reading this particular blurb in this particular alternative newspaper, you’re probably pretty precocious, so you already do them. Since this is the Chow section, you’re probably interested in food, and since this is a progressive paper, you’re probably cool with conservation. And since you took the initiative to read this, maybe you’re a take-action kind of person. (If you’re a parent of such a person, read on—pretend we’re addressing your kid[s].)

So let’s switch tactics and ask some questions:

Are you between the ages of 12 and 18? Self-driven? Outdoorsy? Passionate about food, health, sustainability, adventure and other wholesome-but-exciting stuff like that?

In that case, we have a great opportunity for you: Join Tucson Village Farm’s award-winning 4-H Healthy Living Ambassadors program, which promotes healthy living, leadership, sustainability, outdoor adventures and more. You can get in on projects revolving around nutrition, cooking, local food production—even beekeeping.

Not only will your participation in this program look amazing on your college application—you’ll also have fun, since it involves meeting new people, traveling and getting trained in new skill s… for free.

Tucson Village Farm is a “seed-to-table” urban farm that helps connect young people (you!) to a healthy food system, and teaches them (you!) how to grow and prepare your own food. It’s an empowerment thing. Who doesn’t want to be thusly empowered? (Hint: The adult writing this column does … and she wishes this program were around when she was 12–18.) Don’t waste this chance!

Apply by Saturday, Sept. 24. 

Mel Gibson is a fucking asshole, but he can act with the best of them.

As Link, an ex con with a tattoo parlor in his trailer and a missing daughter (Erin Moriarty), he’s a stunning, grizzly marvel elevating mediocre material into something completely watchable. When the missing daughter gets herself into some major trouble, she comes back on the grid by giving Link a call. Having never really known his daughter, Link is determined to be the dad he never was thanks to a seven year prison stint, and he goes into super protective mode. The two wind up on the run from a drug cartel, and that leads to sights like Gibson on a motorcycle blowing people away with a shotgun.

This is a tour de farce for Gibson, whose ranting inside Link’s trailer as it is being shot to shreds just might be the best piece of acting he’s ever put forth.

Director Jean-Francois Richet lucked out in casting Gibson as this character desperately in search of redemption. It suits Gibson very well at this time, and I can’t think of an actor who would’ve done a better job with this material. On paper, this script probably looked like a million movies that came before it, but Gibson embraces his chance to rock out and goes bonkers with it. William H. Macy is reliably good as Link’s sponsor, Moriarty holds her own against the insane Gibson and Michael Parks kills it as a former Link friend and true bastard.

If you should choose to watch it, I think you will be surprised.

Streaming on iTunes and Amazon.com during limited theatrical release.

Lookout Tucson, there is a new bakeshop in town and trust me, despite the name it's no mistake! 

WOOPS! (845 E. University Blvd.) originally comes from the busy streets of New York City, more specifically founded in 2012 with a small pop up shop in Bryant Park. Now, they have decided to take their dessert business southwest and chose Tucson as their prime location. The bakeshop opened its doors on University Blvd. near the UA campus just one week ago, and even in that short time, it is already stirring up a major buzz.

As the age of social media grows, WOOPS! bakery is capitalizing on two of social media's favorite things, food and decor. With twenty different flavors of macarons to chose from, it's any dessert lovers paradise. And, if that isn't enough to get you in the doors its aesthetically pleasing decor alone gives you enough reason just to stop in to take a peak. A sweet treat and a great photo, what could be better than that? 

Hi friends, I'm Chance!

I'm a fun 3-year-old boy and I need a new home. I really love to play and am getting along well with my kennel mate! I would love a new home where I can get ample exercise and play time.

I would benefit from a daily exercise and maybe even some doggy brain games!

If you're looking for a fun dog I might be the perfect fit for your home! Contact HSSA Main Campus at 520-327-6088 ext. 173 to check on my availability and exact location.

Lots of love,
Chance (829228)

Diane Douglas, Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction, ran as a Tea Party candidate. The banner headline on the first incarnation of her campaign website read, "Kill Common Core." Not "Stop Common Core." Not "End Common Core." "Kill Common Core." With an over-the-top opening line like that and her conservative educational track record as a school board member in Peoria, nothing awful she might have done when she was elected would have surprised me. The surprise for me has been, she's done a pretty good job so far. She's gotten into knock-down, drag-out cage match battles with the governor and the state Board of Education in an attempt to assert her authority, which have been a whole lot of fun to watch, but when it comes to the schools themselves, she's mainly taken a moderate, "First do no harm" approach. She has toured the state in a genuine effort to understand the needs of parents and teachers and has put forward thoughtful suggestions for improvement. I had a chance to talk with Douglas during her most recent Tucson event and was impressed by her sincerity and her commitment to serving the state's school-aged children. She wasn't my first choice for Ed Supe and still isn't, but I'll take her over the two previous superintendents, Tom Horne and John Huppenthal, as well as most any other Republican who might occupy the office. She's been a thoughtful, independent voice for education who has avoided ideologically-based stances and has stood up to the state's Republican establishment.

When Douglas put out a press release saying she's endorsing Donald Trump after attending his xenophobia-fueled immigration speech last Wednesday, I wasn't surprised. Trump's hair-on-fire rhetoric and simplistic, draconian "solutions" to complex problems are right in her Tea Party wheelhouse, so Douglas must feel right at home with the Republican presidential candidate.

What concerns me is the fact that she took a public stand on Trump at all. So far as I remember, she stayed out of the Prop 123 controversy, even though the fate of the proposition had a direct impact on the schools she oversees. Yet when it comes to Trump, she not only gave him her unqualified endorsement, but did it in her official capacity with a news release on the state email system, which may have been illegal.

Republican Sen. John McCain, facing a tough reelection challenge from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1), told voters last week that they should elect him to serve as a check against a Hillary Clinton administration. It appears that McCain is not anticipating a Trump triumph in November.

Over at Talking Points Memo, Lauren Fox notes that the strategy is a callback to 1996:

McCain's appeal is identical to the one Republican senators made in 1996 when their nominee Bob Dole was floundering and it was growing increasingly clear that linking their futures to him was more of a suicide pact than it was helpful.

"Ann Kirkpatrick won't oppose higher taxes, she won't oppose more federal spending and she won't impose increased debts that slow economic growth," McCain said. "I will."

"She won't exercise her right to advise and consent on presidential appointments to make sure we don't have the wrong people in important jobs or Supreme Court justices who will take the courts to liberal extremes," McCain said. "I will."

On the other hand, in the above interview flagged by Team Kirkpatrick, McCain says he can work better with Donald Trump than on Hillary Clinton when it comes to immigration, even though McCain doesn't think Trump's policy is at all realistic and McCain's own immigration stance actually mirrors Hillary Clinton's on the major points.

Recorded Wednesday, Aug. 31 at the Phoenix Convention Center just before the Donald Trump rally. Jan Brewer was appointed Governor of Arizona in 2010 to replace Janet Napolitano. She was elected for a full term later that year after signing SB1070, legislation which made it illegal to be an immigrant. This was a hugely controversial and horrible piece of law, remarkably similar to the proposals made by Donald Trump in his rally later in the evening.