Posted by Jack Chang to CapitolAlert - The latest on California politics and government from the SacBee
April 1, 2010 -- With Steve Poizner's memoir "Mount Pleasant" arriving in bookstores today, the GOP gubernatorial candidate is devoting much of his time to talking about his year volunteering at a San Jose high school -- an experience he details in his book -- and laying out his plans for fixing the state's education system.
Poizner will kick off his short book tour tonight at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in San Jose, where news reports indicate students at Mount Pleasant High School, where he taught, may show up to debate his depiction of the school. Some at the school feel the book depicted Mount Pleasant unfairly.
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UPDATE 4/2: Protest over 'Mount Pleasant' book: Poizner declines to apologize - Troy Wolverton @ mercurynews.com
Given a chance Thursday to apologize to or meet with those upset by his comments and statements about Mount Pleasant High School, the East Side San Jose school where he taught for a year, gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner declined, leaving to simmer a controversy stirred by the release of his new book.
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And, by the way, after hitting No. 2 on Amazon's bestseller list Tuesday, "Mount Pleasant" has fallen to No. 16 today, just ahead of the comic volume "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang."
When asked how such lists are calculated, Amazon spokeswoman Sarah Gelman provided this information in an e-mail: "The Amazon top-seller lists are updated hourly. We do not release information on unit sales." In other words, the speculation continues on how Poizner's book reached so high up on the list.
This afternoon, the Poizner campaign also announced the candidate's education platform, which includes much praise of charter schools. Poizner co-founded the California Charter Schools Association. The news release breaks down the education plan:
I. Create "Charter Districts"
Transfer Power And Responsibility To The District Level
Equalize And Simplify The Education Funding System
Ensure More Money Flows Directly To The Classroom
II. Hold Districts Accountable For Performance
Transform The Superintendent Of Public Instruction Into California's Chief Accountability Officer
Empower Parents With Enhanced Open Enrollment
III. Eliminate Barriers To Success In The State's Five Worst-Performing Districts
Liberate Districts From Collective Bargaining And Teacher Tenure Rules
Reward Good Schools And Good Teachers With Merit Pay
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