Remember the scandal a couple of years ago when it was suggested that many administrators and teachers in Atlanta's school district, changed test results to make sure the district met standards that were required for state funding?

Well yesterday the jury convicted most of the defendants on RICO charges. RICO!!! They could get 20 years and were denied bail.

Link

(04-02-2015 09:18 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Remember the scandal a couple of years ago when it was suggested that many administrators and teachers in Atlanta's school district, changed test results to make sure the district met standards that were required for state funding?

Well yesterday the jury convicted most of the defendants on RICO charges. RICO!!! They could get 20 years and were denied bail.

Link

Should they go to jail - yep - IMO not for any 20 year stint. Give them a short jail stint and bar them from ever working in education again - that should be enough of a deterrent.

I just worry sometimes that the Fed uses the RICO law to go after general Joe public when the law was originally created to go after first the MOB, and then later the Drug Cartels.

I mean, there have been examples of RICO being used for small retail businesses that deposit cash in smaller amounts.

Wow had no idea they were being charged on RICO stuff. I think a few years is fair.

And already the "Usual Suspects" are screaming racism and threatening to tear things up, burn things down etc

Sad

I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

(04-02-2015 12:22 PM)No Bull Wrote:  I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

I live up 400 in "Occupied Milton County"

I just think they should be treated like Engineers who commit such transgressions: take their license/certification and ban them from practicing for life.

(04-02-2015 12:32 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:22 PM)No Bull Wrote:  I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

I live up 400 in "Occupied Milton County"

No crap, I did to and am moving back in a couple months

(04-02-2015 12:32 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:22 PM)No Bull Wrote:  I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

I live up 400 in "Occupied Milton County"

Wasn't "occupied" when Fulton bailed Milton out. Get in the complaint line with Campbell county.

(04-02-2015 03:08 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:32 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:22 PM)No Bull Wrote:  I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

I live up 400 in "Occupied Milton County"

Wasn't "occupied" when Fulton bailed Milton out.

Man, how old are you? Besides one thing Georgia doesn't need is more counties. We have about 80 too many.

(04-02-2015 03:12 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 03:08 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:32 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:22 PM)No Bull Wrote:  I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

I live up 400 in "Occupied Milton County"

Wasn't "occupied" when Fulton bailed Milton out.

Man, how old are you? Besides one thing Georgia doesn't need is more counties. We have about 80 too many.

Agreed. 159 is enough. Allows for 159 different 'Boss Hoggs'.

From what I've understood, this has RICO written all over it.

They got together behind closed doors to conspire to change grades and results. They got together and made the changes and discussed how best to cover their tracks. They then devised what they would need to do as far as results in order to max out their bonuses paid by the taxpayers, and who should receive them, with themselves up front. Probably shortchanging those good teachers getting results the right way, that pool of bonus money isn't limitless, someone had to lose.

So, yea. Locking up a bunch of middle-aged "dedicated public servants" may appear a bit unseemly on it's face, but what else would you call this?

It's organized crime, plain and simple. Not to even mention the kids that were cheated by not being educated yet being "promoted" and worse yet, those that did the work, put in the time and effort and had their hard work marginalized by others being inflated.

They're teachers, right? Presumably educated? They knew exactly what they were doing and did it with premeditation and for personal financial gain at the expense of the students and taxpayers.

The worst of the worst. I've got more sympathy for the guy down on his luck that robs a bank for a few thousand bucks to feed his family and keep the house.

Lock their assses up. Tough schit.

(04-02-2015 03:15 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 03:12 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 03:08 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:32 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  

(04-02-2015 12:22 PM)No Bull Wrote:  I left atalanta to get out of atalanta public schools...

I live up 400 in "Occupied Milton County"

Wasn't "occupied" when Fulton bailed Milton out.

Man, how old are you? Besides one thing Georgia doesn't need is more counties. We have about 80 too many.

Agreed. 159 is enough. Allows for 159 different 'Boss Hoggs'.

Funny, but its not nearly that bad.

Jail time for falsifying some test scores? That's ridiculous!

(04-04-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Jail time for falsifying some test scores? That's ridiculous!

They falsified the test scores so that they would receive bonuses and increased salaries. Fundamentally, that's no different than robbing a bank.

Their problem is that they were convicted under RICO and that has some severe and inflexible sentencing guidelines.

Still, I'd have to agree with you. I think losing their jobs and probation would be adequate. Certainly they should never be let inside a school again.

(04-04-2015 09:40 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(04-04-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Jail time for falsifying some test scores? That's ridiculous!

They falsified the test scores so that they would receive bonuses and increased salaries. Fundamentally, that's no different than robbing a bank.
Their problem is that they were convicted under RICO and that has some severe and inflexible sentencing guidelines.
Still, I'd have to agree with you. I think losing their jobs and probation would be adequate. Certainly they should never be let inside a school again.

Lock them up for life. I'm serious.

(04-04-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Jail time for falsifying some test scores? That's ridiculous!

White collar crime.

Surely you're not saying only the lower classes should go to prison.

On one hand I think it's a very harsh punishment. It doesn't fit the spirit of RICO.

On the other, they did organize to scam the taxpayer and had long term plans. So I think the punishment should go beyond just taking their license.

(04-04-2015 09:53 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(04-04-2015 09:40 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(04-04-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Jail time for falsifying some test scores? That's ridiculous!

They falsified the test scores so that they would receive bonuses and increased salaries. Fundamentally, that's no different than robbing a bank.
Their problem is that they were convicted under RICO and that has some severe and inflexible sentencing guidelines.
Still, I'd have to agree with you. I think losing their jobs and probation would be adequate. Certainly they should never be let inside a school again.

Lock them up for life. I'm serious.

Yeah just like those bankers who falsified loan documents. Complete BS.

(04-04-2015 10:44 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  

(04-04-2015 09:53 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(04-04-2015 09:40 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  

(04-04-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Jail time for falsifying some test scores? That's ridiculous!

They falsified the test scores so that they would receive bonuses and increased salaries. Fundamentally, that's no different than robbing a bank.
Their problem is that they were convicted under RICO and that has some severe and inflexible sentencing guidelines.
Still, I'd have to agree with you. I think losing their jobs and probation would be adequate. Certainly they should never be let inside a school again.

Lock them up for life. I'm serious.

Yeah just like those bankers who falsified loan documents. Complete BS.

It's a technicality, but it was generally not bankers who falsified the documents. It was store-front mortgage companies like Countrywide where the falsified mortgages were written. The banks bought the loans, they didn't initiate them. It's a very technical distinction, but one that needs to be made.

In some cases the banks have been sued, not because they did anything wrong, but because they are the successors in interest.