Serve, Kapo Schatz! | Nazi Coup D’Etat in Puerto Rico of July 2019 | Who is Thomas Rivera Schatz? Apparently, he is the well known, shameless, and rabid Nazi HOMOPHOBE! Is this the situation, when one Nazi Pig Trump appoints another ?Nazi? ?Pig? and HOMOPHOBE Thomas Rivera Schatz as his Viceroy and his HENCHMAN for Puerto Rico?! | ME ALZO ZINKZ THAT THEY, the so called “Puerto Rican Investigative Journalists” ARE FULL OF SHIT! They were bought! Investigate them, with the prison terms on the horizon.
Serve, Kapo Schatz!
Nazi Coup D’Etat in Puerto Rico of July 2019
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5:25 AM 7/30/2019
Who is Rivera Schatz?
Trump intends to appoint him as his Viceroy for Puerto Rico.
So who is he? Apparently, the HOMOPHOBE!
I would be interested to learn more about his mother Cristina Schatz, “a German woman” as the Wikipedia described her.
May 12, 2012 – 4. EL VOCERO / domingo, 13 de mayo de 2012. SÍ, LOS POLITÍCOS TAMBIÉN TIENEN MADRE. Rivera Schatz y su mamá, dos gotas de agua.
Why did she immigrate from Germany and what was her family and the political background?
Was she from the Nazi or Abwehr family?
Is this the situation, when one Nazi Pig Trump appoints another ?Nazi? ?Pig? and HOMOPHOBE Thomas Rivera Schatz as his Viceroy and his HENCHMAN for Puerto Rico?!
He looks like it too, like the NAZI KAPO or “Kaiser“, and in his case the looks might not be deceiving.
From now on he will be called The Nazi Kapo Schatz!
Do you want this little Trump’s Kapo on the “Puerto Rican Throne”?
German Nazi Kapo Schatz will turn Puerto Rico into one huge, nice, German concentration camp. Jibaros will sing “Deutschland Uber Alles” every morning, marching to their gas chambers, on Trumps orders, which Kapo Schatz will obey with his German punctuality and subservience.
Serve, Kapo Schatz!
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MEZINKZ THAT THEY ARE FULL OF SHIT! – M.N. – 2:43 PM 7/29/20
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Human rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano denounced today that Senator President Thomas Rivera Schatz “took his homophobia out again” after calling “Mr. Matosantos” Ana Matosantos, a member of the Fiscal Control Board in a radio interview.
“Rivera Schatz’s shameless homophobia has no place in public service, much less in our life as a people. It is not the first time that the senatorial president has launched homophobic insults. In the past, he called LGBTT families’ crooked ‘, he called a victim of a hate crime’ criminal ‘, he called senators’ maripositas, he told me’ mentally ill ‘and he insulted us with epithets like’ ducks’ and ‘quack, quack’. How long do we have to tolerate these disrespects, these ethical violations and this behavior that incites hatred and violence against LGBTT people? ”, Said Serrano.
The Puerto Rican spokesman for Tod @ s clarified that “I reject the Board as much as homophobia, but one thing does not take away the other. Homophobia has to be rejected as much as the imposition of a meeting. I hope that Governor Ricardo Rosselló, resident commissioner Jenniffer González and President Cameral will denounce the recurring homophobia of Rivera Schatz. Otherwise, they are complicit in their hatred. ”
“It is well known that all these expressions used by Rivera Schatz are derogatory, homophobic and degrading. In public discourse there is no place for such expressions that threaten the dignity of human beings. There is no place to hint at anyone’s sexual orientation to try to belittle their dignity. People, and in this case public officials, are not measured by their sexual orientation; They are measured by their integrity, their verticality, their work and their respect for other people. In this case, the senatorial president fails badly in all the previous ones, ”concluded Serrano.
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Thomas Rivera Schatz (born June 10, 1966) is a Puerto Rican politician, legal advisor, attorney, and former prosecutor. Rivera Schatz is the fourteenth and sixteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (abbr. PNP in Spanish) and the mainland Republican Party. On 22 July 2019, Schatz announced that he will take over as chair of the PNP following the resignation of Ricardo Rosselló due to the Telegramgate scandal.[1]
ContentsEarly life and studies[edit]
Rivera Schatz was born on June 10, 1966 in the Bronx Borough of New York City. He is the son of José A. “Nía” Rivera, a past mayor of Trujillo Alto, and Christina Schatz, a German woman.[2][3] While in college, he worked full-time at the City of San Juan Public Works Department. He attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law, where he graduated in 1992. A year later, he passed the bar exam required to practice law in Puerto Rico.[4]
Rivera Schatz started his legal career as a legal advisor in the Senate and House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In 1996, Governor Pedro Rosselló appointed him as a prosecutor at the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. After finishing his service as a prosecutor, he returned to private practice, handling both criminal and civil cases.
Political career[edit]Electoral Commissioner and Secretary General: 2000-2007[edit]
In 2000, Rivera Schatz was named Electoral Commissioner for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party(PNP).
Two years later, Party President Pedro Rosselló named Rivera Schatz as Secretary General of the PNP in addition to his current position as Electoral Commissioner. He served both positions simultaneously until August 1, 2007, when he decided to run for Senator.
Senator: 2008-present[edit]
Rivera Schatz ran for Senator at the PNP primaries where he won a slot in the ballot, receiving the second-most votes. In the 2008 general elections, Rivera Schatz was elected Senator. His fellow Senators then elected him to be the 14th President of Puerto Rico’s Senate. As such, he selected the following persons for his team:
Rivera Schatz was sworn into his post on January 12, 2009.
Thomas Rivera Schatz was reelected in 2012 and elected for the third time as a member of the Senate majority in the 2016 election with 10.33% of the “at large” votes, placing him in second place after independent senatorial candidate Dr. José Vargas Vidot and followed by Juan Dalmau of the Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP).[5] Rivera Schatz was elected to a second term as President of the Senate of Puerto Rico starting January 2017.[6] He holds two records, first as the only reelected Senate President during the past 28 years and the only Senate President ever elected as such to non-consecutive terms.
PNP President[edit]
On July 22, 2019, Rivera Schatz announced he would succeed Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló as head of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP).[7] Rosselló announced his intention to resign due to the ongoing controversy surrounding Telegramgate.[8]
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Puerto Rico Journal: MeZinkz that they are full of shit! – M.N. – 2:43 PM 7/29/2019: CBS THIS MORNING PODCAST HOW PUERTO RICAN JOURNALISTS UNCOVERED POLITICAL CORRUPTION | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CBS THIS MORNING PODCAST HOW PUERTO RICAN JOURNALISTS UNCOVERED POLITICAL CORRUPTION | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Puerto Rico News: Puerto Rico News on Web and Twitter: Selected Posts: Jibaros, Go Home! Or The Big San Juan “Rossello Out!” Show: Puerto Rico demonstrations of July 2019 and their Counterintelligence aspects | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selected Posts: Jibaros, Go Home! Or The Big San Juan “Rossello Out!” Show: Puerto Rico demonstrations of July 2019 and their Counterintelligence aspects – 8:36 AM 7/26/2019 – 8:36 AM 7/26/2019The Big San Juan Show
In my humble opinion, these “investigative leaks” and the demonstrations were absolutely obviously: staged,
pre-orchestrated and pre-planned carefully and artfully filmed and photographed with the distinctive style reported in the arranged and well organised fashion. Does it give you a taste of things to come? Michael Novakhov 8:36 AM 7/26/2019 Puerto Rico demonstrations of July 2019 – Google Search
M.N.: Comments: Quite well fed demonstrators. They are “hungry for the truth and the politically correct (Pro-Trumpian?) vocabulary”. Does it sound credible enough to you?
Rossello and regime change in Venezuela
Oct 9, 2018 – Aggression- Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello is hosting Venezuelancounterrevolutionaries for a regime change summit …
It would be an error of omission, I think, not to consider the counterintelligence aspect of this affair, and namely the issues around the “regime change” whatever it is, in Venezuela:
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» mikenov on Twitter: Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google Search google.com/search?q=Julia…
29/07/19 12:46 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google Search google.com/search?q=Julia… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 4:46pm mikenov on Twitter
» Google Alert – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest: Puerto Rican Protesters Force Another Gubernatorial Resignation
29/07/19 11:56 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) Hernández replaced former education secretary Julia Keleher , who resigned after her arrest on federal corruption. That would mean that Hernández … Google Alert – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest
» mikenov on Twitter: U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption – workers.org – 11:33 AM 7/29/2019 | The Puerto Rico Times pr-times.com/2019/07/29/u-s…
29/07/19 11:39 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption – <a href=”http://workers.org” rel=”nofollow”>workers.org</a> – 11:33 AM 7/29/2019 | The Puerto Rico Times pr-times.com/2019/07/29/u-s… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 3:39pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption – workers.org – 11:33 AM 7/29/2019 pr-times.com/2019/07/29/u-s…
29/07/19 11:39 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption – <a href=”http://workers.org” rel=”nofollow”>workers.org</a> – 11:33 AM 7/29/2019 pr-times.com/2019/07/29/u-s… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 3:39pm mikenov on Twitter
» Google Alert – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest: Who Will Be Puerto Rico’s Next Governor?
29/07/19 11:33 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) He took the position from Julia Keleher . … Ángela Ávila-Marrero, were arrested and charged in connection with a federal corruption investigation. Google Alert – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest
» mikenov on Twitter: Keleher’s arrest, combined with Rosselló’s texting scandal, appeared to be the breaking point. How a former Delaware educator’s arrest played role in protests in Puerto Rico delawareonline.com/story/news/201… via @delawareonline
29/07/19 10:40 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) Keleher’s arrest, combined with Rosselló’s texting scandal, appeared to be the breaking point. How a former Delaware educator’s arrest played role in protests in Puerto Rico delawareonline.com/story/news/201… via @delawareonline Posted b…
» mikenov on Twitter: U.S.-appointed #education overseer arrested for #corruption workers.org/2019/07/18/u-s… via @workersworld
29/07/19 10:34 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) U.S.-appointed #education overseer arrested for #corruption workers.org/2019/07/18/u-s… via @workersworld Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 2:34pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google Search google.com/search?q=Julia…
29/07/19 10:31 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google Search google.com/search?q=Julia… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 2:31pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: The wire fraud statutes are well known to be interpreted over-broadly by the investigators and the prosecutors. – Google Search google.com/search?q=The+w…
29/07/19 10:24 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) The wire fraud statutes are well known to be interpreted over-broadly by the investigators and the prosecutors. – Google Search google.com/search?q=The+w… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 2:24pm mikenov on Twitter
» Puerto Rico Report: History Shows Crisis Precedes Statehood
29/07/19 09:24 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) By Howard Hills Of all the truisms that can be stated about Puerto Rico, the most-true of all is that Puerto Rico’s future political status will be statehood or nationhood. That is inevitable because of the next to the most-true of all …
» Google Alert – puerto rico: Puerto Rico’s next in line for governor doesn’t want the job
29/07/19 08:59 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) With ongoing economic issues, hurricane recovery and a struggle with corruption, the next governor of Puerto Rico will be tasked with solving a lot of … Google Alert – puerto rico
» mikenov on Twitter: U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption workers.org/2019/07/18/u-s…
29/07/19 08:37 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption workers.org/2019/07/18/u-s… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 12:37pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption workers.org/2019/07/18/u-s… via @workersworld
29/07/19 08:36 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption workers.org/2019/07/18/u-s… via @workersworld Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 12:36pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: 8:16 AM 7/29/2019 – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Web Review: Did Betsy DeVos’s School Choice Program Enable Puerto Rico’s Corruption Scandal? pr-us.org/2019/07/29/816…
29/07/19 08:19 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) 8:16 AM 7/29/2019 – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Web Review: Did Betsy DeVos’s School Choice Program Enable Puerto Rico’s Corruption Scandal? pr-us.org/2019/07/29/816… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 12:19pm mik…
» mikenov on Twitter: Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google Search google.com/search?q=Julia…
29/07/19 07:36 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google Search google.com/search?q=Julia… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 11:36am mikenov on Twitter
» Google Alert – puerto rico: Scandals throw line of succession for Puerto Rico governor into chaos
29/07/19 07:15 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) The mood in Puerto Rico is shifting from celebration to uncertainty over who will replace the island’s scandal-plagued governor Ricardo Rosselló who … Google Alert – puerto rico
» mikenov on Twitter: How a former Delaware educator’s arrest played role in protests in Puerto Rico delawareonline.com/story/news/201… via @delawareonline
29/07/19 07:07 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) How a former Delaware educator’s arrest played role in protests in Puerto Rico delawareonline.com/story/news/201… via @delawareonline Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 11:07am mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: #OpenLetter to Mr. #Trump: #Investigate this #indepth! – 5:23 AM 7/29/2019 trumpandtrumpism.com/2019/07/29/inv…
29/07/19 06:11 from Puerto Rico News on Twitter and Google from Michael_Novakhov (13 sites) #OpenLetter to Mr. #Trump: #Investigate this #indepth! – 5:23 AM 7/29/2019 trumpandtrumpism.com/2019/07/29/inv… Posted by mikenov on Monday, July 29th, 2019 10:11am mikenov on Twitter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption – workers.org – 11:33 AM 7/29/2019 | The Puerto Rico Times | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Puerto Rico Journal: 8:56 AM 7/29/2019 – This case should be watched very closely! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8:56 AM 7/29/2019 – This case should be watched very closely!
It seems to me that the criminal charges against Julia Keleher are politically motivated by the intense hate for her and her reforms on the part of the Leftist PR Teachers Union, representing the profession, that in local patriarchal conditions became retrograde, selfish, petty, vindictive, poorly educated, unwilling to work well but feeling quite entitled.
“However, this alleged fraud actually has more to do with policies of reducing public school funding in favor of private and charter schools, a shift made popular by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.”
The case against her appears to be manufactured, at least in part; and I would like to know HOW, BY WHOM, and WHY, for what purposes. The wire fraud statutes are well known to be interpreted over-broadly by the investigators and the prosecutors, and they might simply serve as the pretexts.
It is a big question if this case will stand in the Court of Law, and if it can and should be tried in Puerto Rico due to the obvious prejudicial political bias, and also if the jury selection will be adequate.
This case should and will be watched very closely!
Michael Novakhov 8:56 AM 7/29/2019 Links 8:56 AM 7/29/2019 – This case should be watched very closely! ____________________________________________________ “However, this alleged fraud actually has more to do with policies of reducing public school funding in favor of private and charter schools, a shift made popular by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.”8:16 AM 7/29/2019 – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google SearchDid Betsy DeVos’s School Choice Program Enable Puerto Rico’s Corruption Scandal?
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U.S.-appointed education overseer arrested for corruption – Workers World | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the fall of 2018 a people’s wanted poster surfaced in Philadelphia, describing city native Julia Keleher as a “ruthless mercenary hired to kill public education; proven to be completely ignorant about the Puerto Rican values, culture, history, literature and language of the children under her mandate.” Keleher had been appointed Puerto Rico’s Education Secretary in January 2017 under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA).
The wanted poster was prophetic. On July 10, Keleher and five others — including Angela Ávila-Marrero, the former head of Puerto Rico’s Health Insurance Administration (ASES); and Fernando Scherrer-Caillet, managing partner of the prominent accounting firm BDO — were arrested for conspiring to channel more than $15 million in federal funds to organizations with which they had personal ties.
BDO consultant Alberto Velázques Piñol was indicted for receiving a 10 percent commission on contracts he secured for the firm. BDO has amassed over $63 million in government contracts since 2012, including $16 million linked to the Department of Education. (Latino Rebels, July 9)
Since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, Puerto Rico has been under the thumb of the U.S. neocolonial Fiscal Control Board — established by PROMESA on behalf of Wall Street bondholders — to restructure $120 billion in bankruptcy debt. Island activists have rejected the FCB, calling it the “Junta,” and holding many protests against it.
The six named in the grand jury indictment face 32 counts, including money laundering and wire fraud. Keleher and Ávila-Marrero are accused of using their government positions to fraudulently award contracts involving federal funds, while depriving Puerto Ricans of education and health service.
The indictments allege that Keleher and others schemed to direct $95,000 in education department funds through a contract to Colón & Ponce. The company was described by one education department official, who refused to okay the job, as “the only company not qualified for the contract, and the worst applicant.”
Keleher and two others were charged with conspiring to defraud more than $13 million in federal funds through education department contracts to BDO from January 2017 to April 2019. The indictment charges that BDO then subcontracted with other companies to perform the services, in violation of the contracts and also inflating the costs.
Ávila-Marrero is charged with using her post as administrator of the health insurance administration to channel more than $2.5 million to BDO. Under PROMESA, health care on the island is already facing over $1 billion in debt, and residents are denied access to vital drugs usually covered by Medicaid.
As news of the federal investigation began to surface in April, Keleher and Ávila-Marrero both resigned their posts. Keleher’s attempt, at the time, to portray herself as a “heroic fighter against the island’s anti-reform forces” was met with derision by opponents, who stormed her office and voiced opposition with the hashtag #JuliaGoHome.
‘Hired to break the system’
Despite her lack of education experience, Keleher was paid $250,000 annually to serve as Puerto Rico’s “Education Secretary.” Her monthly salary was 9 times that of the average teacher in Puerto Rico. She is in lock step with the destructive policies promoted by Trump-appointee Betsy DeVos, now U.S. Secretary of Education with a mission to privatize education.
In April 2018, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló responded to a question by a reporter from the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Gazette magazine asking why Keleher was hired: “Very bluntly, we asked her to break the system and rebuild it again.” (<a href=”http://thepenngazette.com” rel=”nofollow”>thepenngazette.com</a>, April 23, 2018)
During her tenure Keleher introduced an unpopular strategy of closing public schools. The local DoE budget was cut by half a billion dollars. In 2018 PROMESA demanded an additional $200 million in cuts, including $80 million from special education. Rosselló continues to champion Keleher and her push to devastate the island’s education system, leading to calls for his resignation.
When Hurricane Maria struck, Keleher used the disaster to push for more privatization and charter schools. She followed a pattern established in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans fired most teachers, closed almost all public schools and replaced them with charters.
Following Hurricane Maria, parents and teachers came together to repair schools and juggle classroom lineups as many families left for the mainland. Things were slowly moving back toward normal — until Keleher struck. Teachers were laid off, hundreds of schools were closed, and children, including those with special needs, were packed tightly into classrooms. When they protested these “reforms” in street demonstrations, teachers and students were brutally attacked by police.
Without ever visiting them, Keleher closed and consolidated nearly 300 schools, many of which were in good shape despite Maria. Several included classrooms to accommodate special needs students — over 40 percent of Puerto Rico’s student body.
One top public school was sold for $1 to a for-profit private Christian foundation.
Why now?
A key question remains about why the indictments, first rumored in April, were delayed until now.
The arrests appear to coincide with efforts by Puerto Rico to obtain more federal money for post-Hurricane Maria reconstruction. A congressional vote on an additional $12 billion in Medicaid funding over four years was originally scheduled for July 11 but has not taken place.
The Financial Control Board is also under a U.S. Appeals Court order from February 2019 to have its members reappointed or replaced after creditors challenged members’ appointments. When appointed by then President Barack Obama in 2016, the process did not require Senate confirmation. The appeals court’s order set a July 15 deadline for that process to be completed.
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When I became Puerto Rico’s education chief, I wasn’t prepared for the level of poverty I’d see. Now, I want others to pay attention. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shortly after assuming the responsibilities of Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Education in 2017, I was confronted with the harsh reality of how students and families on the island are affected by poverty.
During school visits in those early months, I met hundreds of smart, hardworking students who lacked notebooks, pencils, or other basic supplies. Many were missing parts of their uniforms, and others wore uniforms that were obviously too big or too small. Teachers and principals would identify students who, more days than not, showed up to school hungry and tired. One school found that over half of its entering first-graders had undiagnosed vision problems.
I remember asking myself, how did we get to a point where this level of need was the norm?
I’ll be honest: I was often taken aback, even after a career working in under-resourced schools and communities. And that was before Hurricane Maria, whose devastating impact was not first felt until September 2017.
When Hurricane Maria passed over the island, the most vulnerable segments of Puerto Rico were disproportionately impacted by the devastation. Today, the struggles of those families continue, lost in the swirl of other breaking news.
I resigned as secretary a few months ago. But I am committed to getting more people to realize our moral imperative to help Puerto Rico’s young people. I worry that, instead, there will be a collective failure to act.
Let me remind you of the stakes. A 2016 government report found that nearly 1.5 million Puerto Ricans were living beneath the federal poverty level. In 2017, the share of eighth-graders who demonstrated proficiency on the federal NAEP math assessment rounded to 0 percent.
Since the storm, schools and government agencies have worked to help families address their immediate needs, though a sizeable number of children still lack adequate food, clothing, and shelter. This leaves little opportunity for enrichment experiences that would enhance children’s well-being, personal development, and cognitive growth. And even if those opportunities could be provided, many children and their families struggle to recover psychologically from Hurricane Maria. Research continues to show high rates of post traumatic stress among the island’s school-age population.
Puerto Rican educators have long been working hard to educate children living in poverty. Teachers, principals, and administrators understand how students’ living conditions can compromise their growth, development, and readiness to learn.
In the face of the obvious lack of funding, I watched caring and committed teachers and principals go the extra mile. Schools organized donation drives, connected families to outside resources, and developed creative ways to compensate for a lack of material resources. Puerto Rico’s incredible cadre of school social workers are exceptionally skilled at helping families navigate crises. They work tirelessly in schools across the island, to deliver customized workshops that teach teachers, students, and families strategies for dealing with post-traumatic stress.
It was amazing to witness how these individuals, who had been impacted by Hurricane Maria themselves, dedicated their energies to ensuring school communities could become more resilient.
But their efforts could only go so far. During my tenure as secretary, we worked to improve the quality of educational programs and support services available to students. The truth is there were simply not enough resources available.
Every year, as we prepared the agency budget request, I found myself frustrated by funding limitations and government-wide fiscal constraints. With its current levels of funding, the Department of Education cannot meet the needs of its students.
I accepted the challenge of leading public education in Puerto Rico because I believed I could make a difference. I wish we would have been able to do much more to address the effects of poverty on students’ growth and development.
Now, I hope federal funding for desperately-needed health and nutrition assistance programs will grow. I hope future school budgets are sufficient to ensure no student goes without notebooks, pencils, a well-fitting uniform, and a counselor who can guide them as they make academic and career choices.
Poverty in Puerto Rico should concern all Americans — including those who advocate on the mainland for better schools and antipoverty programs. Puerto Rican children are American children, and they have every right to realize their dreams of becoming our next entrepreneurs, scientists, athletes, leaders, and stars.
Julia Keleher is the former Puerto Rico education secretary.
ABOUT OUR FIRST PERSON SERIES:
First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others trying to improve public education. Read our submission guidelines here.
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8:16 AM 7/29/2019 – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Web Review: Did Betsy DeVos’s School Choice Program Enable Puerto Rico’s Corruption Scandal? | The News and Times of Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8:16 AM 7/29/2019 – Julia keleher on reasons for her arrest – Google SearchDid Betsy DeVos’s School Choice Program Enable Puerto Rico’s Corruption Scandal?
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