Woodland Preparatory School

Senator: While you and I could not disagree much more on what we need to do to help Alabama schools and educators, I have never questioned that you are a successful politician and businessman. You could have tremendous impact on education in this state–if you would listen to real educators and teachers instead of latching onto whatever shiny object comes along. Take the charter school law you sponsored in 2015, for instance. Soner Tarim of the Gulen Movement Even though charters have been around for more than 20 years and have a very dubious track record (there are no public schools in New Orleans, only charters, but no one holds up New Orleans as what they want their schools to be), we were told that Alabama had the best charter law in the country. But five years later, no way this is true. While we were promised a race car, we now see that we got a go-cart instead. The law is being ignored in certain cases and schools that have opened are not being held account...

It was Monday, September 30 and right there is front of me, only 25 feet away, stood Soner Tarim, the wizard  of charter schools, all the way from Houston, TX (even thought he said in the meeting he lives in Montgomery). It was the most recent meeting of the state charter school commission and Tarim was there to first tell the world how wonderful things are at LEAD Academy charter in Montgomery; and then give a progress report on the effort to put Woodland Prep in Washington County.  It was the first time I’d ever seen him in person. What Gulenists are taught at an early age in "Lighthouses"  (Dershanes)  They do not pray to Allah or Mohammed they pray to Gulen, Power & Money.  Gulen Cult  He dodged question after question for at least an hour, apparently suffering from some malady that prevents a person from giving a direct answer to even the most basic of questions.  For instance, when commission member Jamie Ison asked if he lived in Mo...