[conspire] Candor

[Rick Moen]

Christian Einfelt wrote:

> Hi Kim,
> 
> I am with a non-profit that puts Linux computers in low income shelter
> and schools. We could use these items. Problem is, I don't have a car, and
> don't get over to the east bay very often. Do you ever come over to SF?
> Thanks either way.

Christian is referring to Partimus, Inc.

Many years ago, I donated a bunch of time helping Partimus build a
computer lab, at what Partimus said was a San Francisco.public school.
Afterwards, detecting lack of candor, I found that said school is
actually a private school, specifically a "charter" school, owned and
independently operated by a corporation receiving property-tax school
money.

I politely confronted Christian about his misdescription.  And, well, his
several levels of fallback response were likewise economical with facts --
except at one point where he explained Partimus (then) working _only_
with private schools resulted from local public school districts having,
at the time, declined Partimus's help.

However, Christian and other Partimus, Inc. principals have continued to
refer to those private schuols as public schools.  Occasionally,
Christian uses his own coinage, "public charter school", an obfuscatory
contradiction in terms:  Any charter school, by simple definition, is
privately owned and operated -- in _contrast_ to public schools.
However, mostly Partimus's materials aren't even that forthcoming, e.g.,
http://www.partimus.org/projects.php continues to show:


  Past Projects in Bay Area Public Schools
                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

  KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy, San Francisco
  ASCEND Charter, Oakland
  Creative Arts Charter School, San Francisco
  Mission Beacon, San Francisco
  Precita Valley Community Center, San Francisco
  International Studies Academy, San Francisco
  Prescott School, Oakland
  Hayes Valley Learning Center (In conjuction with SFLUG)

International Studies Academy and Prescott School are public schools.
Hayes Valley Computer Learning Center is a publicly owned learning
facility inside public housing (but outside SFUSD), part of US Dept. of
Housing’s Campus of Learners program.  Mission Graduates Beacon Center 
is a youth outreach program of SFUSD.  Precita Valley Community Center
and Family Resource Center is a youth-outreach program of NGO Mission
Neighborhood Centers, Inc. (and not SFUSD).

The other schools listed, KIPP, ASCEND, and Creative Arts, are _private_
schools.  And that's a problem.

I have nothing against Partimus, Inc. collecting donations and
volunteers' time to help private schools (charter or otherwise).
I merely note Partimus's ongoing shortage of candor towards the Linux
community, and towards the broader public, as to the nature of many of
the schools to which it gives donated resources.

In consequence, I cannot recommend trusting or assisting, or donating
to, Partimus.  If nothing else, lack of candor about one thing makes one
worry about others.

It's sad.  I'd like to admire and help Partimus, Inc. (again).  But
their inadequate candor is a deal-breaker.