There are critical elections taking place on Tuesday throughout the country that parents, education advocates, and others who care about preserving and strengthening our public schools need to take notice of and cast their ballot appropriately. Out-of-state money from billionaires and astroturf groups like Students First are flowing into state races, like this one in Tennessee and local school board elections, like these in New Orleans and New Jersey, to push damaging policies to privatize and digitize our public schools.
There are also referendums and initiatives on the ballot in many states and cities that will affect the future of our public schools for years to come. In each case, there is tremendous private money being used to facilitate the expansion of charters and vouchers, promote budget cuts, and impose mayoral control, and against allowing elected school boards to protect and support their local public schools. The hedge funders, billionaires, for-profit charter operators, and right-wingers are using their vast resources to impose their political will, and in most cases are dramatically outspending the good government organizations, education advocates, teachers, and other concerned citizens, who would rather save and strengthen our public schools rather than dismantle them.
For example, there are two statewide referendums on charter schools that people need to vote AGAINST. The individuals and groups who are pushing them are outspending the opposition in Georgia twenty to one and in the state of Washington, more than twelve to one. If the privateers win out, it will show how the influence of big money can buy elections in the face of local sentiment and good public policy.
1. In Washington State, parents should vote NO on Initiative 1240, which would authorize charter schools to be established in the state for the first time. Charter schools have already been voted down by the State Legislature six times, including as recently as 2012, and three times by Washington voters. Yet Bill Gates and his cronies remain determined to overturn the popular will, and have contributed nearly $11 MILLION to achieve this end. Gates himself has given more than $3 million to the campaign, Alice Walton of Walmart fame has kicked in another $1.7 million, and Gates’ buddies Paul Allen of Microsoft and the Bezos family at Amazon.com have donated millions more. 91 percent of the funding for the massive campaign of this initiative has come from just ten people, all of them billionaires.
Meanwhile, those opposing the initiative include the Washington State PTA, the State Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, the state Association of School Administrators, the state’s principals, the state teachers union, the Seattle NAACP, El Centro do la Raza, the Seattle Public Schools superintendent and countless school boards. They point out how this initiative would further drain resources from the public schools, which have already been found to be constitutionally underfunded by the courts, and would take accountability out of public hands. The measure would also allow the privatization of any public school as long as 51 percent of parents voted for it, in an even more radical permutation of the so-called Parent Trigger. In the latest poll, the pro-charter supporters are ahead by nearly 20 points because of the “very lopsided advertising campaign” financed by these ten billionaires; don’t let this Initiative pass! For more on 1240, visit the No on 1240 website.
2. In Georgia, parents should vote NO on Amendment 1, which would create an appointed commission with the power to authorize charter schools over the opposition of democratically-elected local school boards and the state Board of Education. This constitutional amendment is opposed by the state PTA, the state School Superintendent, the Georgia School Boards Association, and many civil rights groups, who explain how this measure would divert hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the public schools, and into the hands of for-profit corporations, many of them with a lousy record of the schools they currently run, like K12 Inc. According to one report, these new charter schools would also be eligible to receive more state money per pupil than regular public schools. The vast majority of the contributions financing the amendment are coming from outside the state, mainly from charter operators, Michelle Rhee’s Students First, Alice Walton, the Koch brothers, and other individuals intent on weakening and privatizing public schools. Don’t be fooled: here is an explanation of how the amendment has been misleadingly phrased to trick voters, which has already triggered a lawsuit. For more on why you should vote no on this damaging amendment, see Vote Smart Georgia.
3. In Idaho, parents should vote NO on Propositions 1, 2, and 3: Proposition One would limit the rights of teachers to collectively bargain over working conditions like class size, would effectively eliminate their job security and base their evaluation largely on test scores. Proposition Two would implement damaging and wasteful merit pay. Proposition Three would spend yet more funding on requiring online learning for students, which was passed into law after substantial contributions from for-profit virtual learning companies to the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna. Many of the same companies, including K12 Inc., have given funds to push this proposition, along with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who contributed $200,000. Their involvement was only disclosed after a court order demanding that the shadowy group pushing these propositions reveal its donors.
4. In California, parents should vote YES on both Propositions 30 and 38, to enable the state to raise revenue to prevent hugely damaging budget cuts to public schools, which are already critically underfunded. More on this from the group Educate the State. Parents and other concerned citizens should also vote NO on Proposition 32, which would prohibit unions from spending money for political purposes, while exempting Super PACs, hedge-funders, billionaires and thousands of big businesses. The League of Women Voters, among many other good government groups, urges a No vote, as do we.
5. In Arizona, parents should vote YES on Proposition 204, which would make permanent a temporary one percent sales tax, with most of the proceeds going to public schools. Arizona already has seen the most drastic budget cuts to schools in the nation in recent years, resulting in some of the highest class sizes, and its children cannot afford any more cuts to school funding. Supporters of Proposition 204 include the Arizona State PTA, Voices for Education and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council; opponents include the state Chamber of Commerce. For more on this Proposition, see the Quality Education and Jobs website.
6. Finally, voters in Bridgeport CT should Vote NO on changing the city charter to eliminate their elected school board, which would allow their mayor to wield unilateral control through an appointed school board. Earlier last year, the hedge-fund backed, pro-charter lobby group ConnCAN conspired with Teach for America and the mayor of Bridgeport, along with the state’s Governor, to oust Bridgeport’s elected school board in what was essentially an illegal coup. Their actions were later overturned by the courts. So now, the pro-privatization lobby is spending a record amount to impose mayoral control through a referendum, with Michelle Rhee’s Student First contributing $97,000 and Mayor Bloomberg another $20,000.
As Diane Ravitch has pointed out, mayoral control has a lousy record; our analysis shows that two cities under mayoral control, Cleveland and NYC, have made the least progress in raising student achievement since 2003 of any the large urban districts on the national assessments called the NAEPs. Here in NYC, after ten years, mayoral control is hugely unpopular, for we have seen how Bloomberg has ignored the priorities of parents in cutting school budgets, increasing class size, closing neighborhood schools, expanding charters and putting them in existing school buildings where they have squeezed out our public school children. In a poll conducted earlier this year, only 13 percent of New Yorkers said the mayor should retain sole control of the public schools. In Chicago, where mayoral control has existed for 17 years, polls show that the system is equally unpopular: 77 percent of Chicago voters oppose continued mayoral control. In fact, on Tuesday in Chicago, there is an advisory referendum on the ballot, urging the state legislature to allow the city to return to an elected school board.
Kevin Johnson, a former NBA basketball player, who used to run charter schools and who is now mayor of Sacramento and is married to Michelle Rhee, came to Connecticut to campaign for the mayoral control referendum. John Bagley, also a former professional basketball player who is now an elected member of Bridgeport’s school board wrote a great letter to Johnson a week ago, which concluded this way:
“Maybe “KJ” and his `reformers’ can explain why the city of New Haven, which has an appointed board, has more failing schools than Bridgeport. This is true, despite the presence on their appointed Board of Education of the former director of CONNCAN, the Connecticut leader of takeover policies. I have only one final piece of advice for `KJ’, don’t come into my house and mess with my right to vote!”
This is a message we should all take to heart.
Use your vote, Bridgeport residents and all others throughout the nation who care about public education, while you still have it! Do not give up your democratic rights and allow the billionaires who send their own children to private schools to buy these elections so they can dismantle, plunder and privatize your public schools.
Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
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Hi Diane,
I am in California. I completely agree on your suggested No vote on Prop 32- I believe if challenged it would be found unconstituional as it would practically prvent lbor unions from having a poltical voice while corporations with non-unionized employees will have a voice.
As to Prop 30- I am in complete disagreement. Jerry brown is a personal friend of Eli Broad. You often depict the privatization agenda as a GOP agenda. It is not. Both GOP and Democrats are part of this horrific agenda. Jerry brown tried to take over the Oakland schools- he is part of the problem not part of the solution. I risked my job because I saw laws being violated right and left as a government attorney. I read prop 30 several times- it will hurt traditional public education and give a blank check to the privatizers, many of whom are already in place as elected school board members and un-elected community college board of governors. I know the players, I care about saving public education and I say NO WAY to Prop 30!!! FYI: Eli Broad is a Democrat, so is Kevin Johnson. I am also a Democrat. I have talked to many teachers both Republican and Democrat- those who care about saving public education. This is NOT merely a GOP agenda. I know you know this as you have frequently been critical of Race to the Top. But I have also seen your comments that privatization is a GOP agenda. It is a greed agenda – and both parties are guilty of abusing their power for the almighty buck!
I strongly disagree with this comment. California’s schools are about to fall off the fiscal cliff. They have suffered endless cuts. Props 30 and 38 are all we have to stop the cuts from continuing. To vote against Prop 30 is to vote to cute $450 per student from public schools. Prop 30 is also essential to prevent cuts and tuition hikes at community colleges and four-year universities. It’s all about funding, and has nothing to do with education reform of any type.
You are the first person I’ve come across to say that Prop 30 creates any privatization of California public schools, and I’ve been paying close attention all along.
If Prop 30 fails, schools lose $457 per student in the current school year and for the foreseeable future. We already get only 79.3% of the money that we should be guaranteed, and on top of that, the state is only sending 60% of what they have budgeted for us in cash in this fiscal year – the rest is in IOUs. General fund money is incredibly tight already, and most districts are at or near the end of their reserves. Even if there is money for textbooks in the budget, for example, it’s not being spent to ensure there’s enough cash flow to cover payroll through June.
The Legislature has gallantly matched the proposed cut with a relaxation of regulation – schools have already been allowed to drop to 175 days from 180; if the cuts go into effect, they’ll be able to drop to 160 days.
The money is essential to public schools, and the damage that will be done if prop 30 fails will be long lasting, both to K-12 and to community colleges and CSU and UC.
Vote yes on Prop 30 in California.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/01/charter-school-embezzler-gets-2-years.html
Another example of charter corruption going on EVERYWHERE in states that have charter schools. Privatization leads to using school funds as personal “piggy banks”. Please tell everyone you know to vote against charter expansion or you will see your tax money exploited for personal gain.
What do you imagine government employees do with their tax-generated salaries? Stuff pillows with currency for orphans in Malawi? Their pay goes into their personal piggy banks.
Government employees and private-sector employees alike are public citizens and private individuals. Unions, even “public sector” unions like the NEA, AFT, and AFSCME are private 501-c(5) corporations. Students in the (Catholic) Academy of the Sacred Heart are just as much “the public” as are students in W.E.B. DuBois High School.
It is unfortunate that Arizona, like my home state, is using the more regressive sales tax to fund public education. rather than an income tax.
I did not see a link to the GA tricky ballot language lawsuit, so here are a couple of links for further reading:
http://bit.ly/UaEP8t
http://bit.ly/SpEemH
Let’s all hope the suit will be moot by Wednesday morning — if the amendment gores down to defeat, which I hope and pray it does. But if not, attorney Gerry Weber has a good case on his hands– surely at some point courts will decide that indeed words have meaning, that language in fact means something, and that skullduggery like this in a ballot process is just antithetical to a democratic process. There have been reports of legions of early voters being hoodwinked by this language–
http://bit.ly/XaVheV
so people have taken it on themselves to place ads like this around the state:
http://bit.ly/SGqRO4
The Pro’s have the out of state big money, the deceptive ballot, the astroturfers and their relentless and glossy ad campaign– us No-sayers have the parents, teachers, our courageous State School Superintendent, Republican John Barge, the editorial boards of the state and the local school boards who have pointed out the real “choice” in all this. We shall see how it plays out– I am hopeful.
“Maybe “KJ” and his `reformers’ can explain why the city of New Haven, which has an appointed board, has more failing schools than Bridgeport. This is true, despite the presence on their appointed Board of Education of the former director of CONNCAN, the Connecticut leader of takeover policies. I have only one final piece of advice for `KJ’, don’t come into my house and mess with my right to vote!”
What an outstanding, awesome and stunning rebuke to Mr and Ms Rhee. This couple and many of their fellow companions/travelers seem to have a strong anti-democratic/constitutional bias. (They would have been dressed in red during the Revolutionary era and the 1940’s and 50’s.) Even more disturbing is Kevin “Sweet 16” Johnson’s empty record at St. Hope, the lack of traction in getting an appointed school board in Sacramento and sadly, the jam-packed records that the Phoenix and Sacramento police departments have.
here is what I submitted several hours ago– the GA election is Tuesday:
Bertis Downs Your comment is awaiting moderation. November 4, 2012 at 2:34 pm I did not see a link to the GA tricky ballot language lawsuit, so here are a couple of links for further reading:
http://bit.ly/UaEP8t
http://bit.ly/SpEemH
Lets all hope the suit will be moot by Wednesday morning if the amendment gores down to defeat, which I hope and pray it does. But if not, attorney Gerry Weber has a good case on his hands surely at some point courts will decide that indeed words have meaning, that language in fact means something, and that skullduggery like this in a ballot process is just antithetical to a democratic process. There have been reports of legions of early voters being hoodwinked by this language
http://bit.ly/XaVheV
so people have taken it on themselves to place ads like this around the state:
http://bit.ly/SGqRO4
The Pros have the out of state big money, the deceptive ballot, the astroturfers and their relentless and glossy ad campaign us No-sayers have the parents, teachers, our courageous State School Superintendent, Republican John Barge, the editorial boards of the state and the local school boards who have pointed out the real choice in all this. We shall see how it plays out I am hopeful.
Floridans, don’t forget to Vote “NO” on Amendment 8 (and, really on ALL of the Amendments). The so called “Religious Freedom” Act will only hurt public schools (and it really isn’t all that great for religion as a whole, either).
For such an educated woman, you are either ignorant, or willfully indifferent to the realities. I guess I’ll assume you simply don’t care, and assume “you” know what’s best for the “masses” just like the fascist Obama claims he knows what’s best for everyone, including you, and he’d drop you right into the misery, as soon as it suits him. I’ve spent a half hour reading over your propaganda, and can only say you’re part of the problem, part of the reason the state of education has for so long been in the toilet. You think Bill Gates is just uninformed, that it’s all the fault of his staff? Bill Gates deliberately arranged for an HIV vaccine trial in several countries in Africa, that he knew would actually increase the spread of HIV AIDS. Bill Gates doesn’t donate his own money, he gets the taxpayers to do the heavy lifting and he uses his “Foundation” (translates to a smokescreen wherein he hides his personal wealth from the taxman) to buy special stock options he hopes will increase his wealth, from when the suckers buy up regular stock, thinking they’re investing in something profitable, because Bill Gates is investing. Gates meanwhile, cuts and runs, leaving said suckers holding the bag. Bill Gates has never invented or innovated anything, he stole one idea, and then sought to control whatever he could in the computer industry. He’s sought to deprive real inventors and innovators from having a career, through his destruction of the technical profession in the US, by displacing US citizens via outsourcing and the exploitation of our visa program. Bill Gates, through his crony Barack Obama, has funneled US tax dollars to pay for Gates to expand Microsoft into Sri Lanka in other countries. I’ve got news for you, Ms. Ravitch, your legacy is ignorance & indolence. You’re a sick joke
And she tolerates objectionable comments; even those that might be deemed disturbed and unhinged. You got to love her and her belief in tolerating all viewpoints. Now, I would love to find out more about Gates, your charges of tax avoidance, and his plan to infect people with AIDS. Evidence please! I eagerly await your response.
Criticizing Bill Gates is orthidoxy on this blog, but this is certainly a novel approach.
This is an appeal to Americans who believe that every child should have access to high quality public education. Our public education system is being threatened to turn into a market -driven system. Lobbying organizations, such as ALEC, are writing legislation that affects your community. ALEC does not represent your interests or those of the children in your community. ALEC is big business. Their legislation supports their corporate members. Their legislation will affect you and the public school in your community.
ALEC is writing legislation and pressuring lawmakers to spend your money on private schools. Under the guise of “choice” public education they are seeking to dismantle public schools through funding cuts and punitive measures.
I encourage you to become informed. Understand the legislation that affects our public school system and write to your Congressman. Don’t let public education be sold to the highest bidder. Big business should not be making decisions in your community about the education of your children. If we fail to become involved, this may happen.
Note that Florida has 12 amendments put on the ballot by the state legislature. They are all boondoggles, each in their unique way, but Amendment 8 is anti-public education disguised as an equal right amendment, supposedly to remove anti-Catholic language from the Constitution but the real purpose behind this amendment is to allow the legislature to divert state public education funds to conservation private religious schools. Definitely NO on all twelve.
Incredible. – “The mailings attack Karen Castor Dentel, an elementary school teacher in Maitland, Florida, and the Democratic challenger for the 30th District State House of Representatives seat. One one side of the mailing is a picture of convicted serial child molester Jerry Sandusky.”
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/11/04/1135351/disgusting-a-jerry-sandusky-teache/
Reblogged this on Class[room]-Conscious.
Diane, I came across Kipling’s poem today that rings so true to your work:
Thank you for your steady voice in this crazy time.
Steve Cifka in Olympia
IF…
by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you.
but make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
and yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
and treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
and stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
and lose, and start again at your beginnings
and never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
to serve your turn long after they are gone,
and so hold on when there is nothing in you
except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it…
This one for Indiana:
Dear Hoosiers,
Over forty articles on my website attest to current state superintendent Tony Bennett’s systematic destruction of one of the finest, democratic institutions in Indiana – Public Education. With only today, November 5, 2012, before election, this one brief piece sums them up concisely.
Only two types of education “reform” actually exist. One is to provide incentives to educators, such as allowing academic freedom to teach in meaningful ways (not teaching to a test). The only other real reform is for Indiana to eliminate childhood poverty. Tony Bennett has never been a leading vocal advocate for impoverished children, if he has even advocated for them at all.
1. Tony Bennett has impeded teacher performance.
With purposely mislabeled policies, Bennett deceitfully claims he has provided incentives to teachers. However, while he was at the helm, morale among teachers sunk to an all-time low, college enrollment in the field of education plummeted, great teachers abandoned the profession, and early retirement rates increased. His leadership has not produced better teachers; it has demoralized an entire profession.
2. Tony Bennett has never advocated for the needs of children.
While Tony Bennett was in office, $300 million dollars was cut from the education budget. Not once did he ever attempt to reverse that trend. As a republican, I understand eliminating wasteful spending. Fellow Hoosiers, to eliminate $300 million dollars from education when the state claims to have a two billion dollar surplus, compounded by the fact nearly 25% of Indiana children live in poverty, should be simply unacceptable, regardless of party affiliation.
In fact, what Bennett has done to our most at-risk students is egregious. Tony Bennett has labeled children failures. Tony Bennett has shut down children’s neighborhood schools. Tony Bennett has sold children out to the highest corporate bidder.
One may argue, as Bennett does, that test scores and graduation rates are up in Indiana. This is all phony data. Data will always be used in the way that serves the faction controlling and manipulating it. Always. If you do not believe this, there is no point to read further.
What cannot be controlled and manipulated so easily though is genuine care for those you supposedly serve. Bennett has not genuinely cared or served educators. More tragically, he has not genuinely cared or served over one million Hoosier children for four unhealthy years. Bennett cannot pull this because he cannot serve two masters.
Glenda Ritz understands the situation, and will sever the connections with Tony Bennett’s true master; the corporations poisoning public education.
Fellow Hoosiers, please support public education at the polls tomorrow with a vote for Glenda Ritz.
Sincerely,
Ahuntingtonteacher
I live in Arizona and am an ex-educator who supports public schools. I voted against Proposition 204 because far too much money has been spent on charter schools. This deprives other “public” school of needed funds. This Proposition does not state what percentage of funds will be spent or for what. When taxpayers money stops supporting charter schools, then citizens should vote to increase funds as needed. This state has also spend millions of dollars on inferior, worthless tests. It has had merit pay for years using Madylin Hunter’s Essential Elements of Instruction that is based on Pavlov. One can expect to see a great attack, once again, on public school teachers, not only in Arizona but nation wide. We have more charter schools than any other state, enough said. My recommendation is vote no as on Proposition 204.
Thank you for trying to keep voters around the country informed regarding the influence of private money on measures such as the Washington State Initiative 1240 that would fundamentally undermine public control of public schools.
Billions of dollars are being spent to destroy our schools and local school boards i. e. representative government. The following is what I found on the internet today: Bill Gates and Warrren Buffett started an organization titled “The Giving Pledge”. The names of 40 wealthy citizens and their pledge letters are on the web. The purpose of this group is to pledge at least 1/2 of their total wealth to charity.
George Lucas is one of the group and so is Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City. George Lucas and his foundation along with Edutopia (that he started) intend to restructure education among other things. He supports “Project Learnig” and apparently money is going to the “International Society for Technology in Education” K-12 grades. Project Learning appears to be training for the global workforce. I have not had time to read all that is on the web about these groups, but read enought to know they have no business meddling in education.
Go on google and type in the above titles, and one may find some new information regarding these people and their objectives. Some may have noble objectives, but one must question the objectives of many when we observe what is happening to the people’s schools, children, teachers, citizens and representative government. Our schools belong to the citizens of this nation, not the extreme wealthy who can afford to set up foundations and tax free organizations. The average American citizen has no means of fighting this hugh amount of money that is selling clever “snake-oil” propaganda. Virtual learning research shows negative academic achievement, but owners of computer companies certainly stand to make mega dollars if it goes international.
Politicians like Michael Bloomberg who pledged to “The Giving Pledge” need to be investigated for conflict of interest along with stock holders and owners of computer companies like Bill Gates. All the foundations need another investigation by Congress as was done in 1953. (Known as the Reese Report).