Andrew Cuomo is proposing tax credit legislation that is generally considered a backdoor voucher. Corporations and wealthy people will get tax credits for supporting private and religious schools. The Legislature killed this proposal less than two months ago, but Cuomo is back with it on behalf of religious hroips that supported his election. (This is also ALEC legislation.)
No surprise that the Wall Street billionaire-funded group which is deceptively named”Families for Excellent Schools” is supporting Cuomo’s tax credit proposal and advocating lifting or eliminating the cap on charter schools. These families are not your average New York City families, though they pretend to be. this group spent $5 million in TV advertising last year to secure free rent for charters and to block Mayor De Blasio’s effort to regulate charters. These families have names like Walton and Paul Tudor Jones. It is doubtful that any of them ever attended a public school or sent their children to one. They are mad about charter schools because they are free-market fundamentalists.
This is their press release:
FAMILIES FOR EXCELLENT SCHOOLS URGES PASSAGE OF EDUCATION TAX CREDITS AND LIFTING OF CHARTER CAP
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** May 12, 2015
Contact: Khan@StuLoeser.com, 347 596 6389
FAMILIES FOR EXCELLENT SCHOOLS URGES PASSAGE OF EDUCATION TAX CREDITS AND LIFTING OF CHARTER CAP
#DontStealPossible DontStealPossible.Org
New York, NY – Families for Excellent Schools released this statement Tuesday afternoon following the introduction of the Governor Cuomo’s bill on education tax credits:
“Every parent should be able to choose a great school for their child. Passing the education tax credit and lifting the cap on charters expands choice immediately for families that need it most.
Today’s announcement is a bold step by Governor Cuomo to protect choice and ensure access to good schools in New York,” said Families for ExcellentSchools’ CEO Jeremiah Kittredge.
Families for Excellent Schools harnesses the power of families to advance policy and political changes that create and sustain excellent schools.
http://www.FamiliesForExcellentSchools.org
On Twitter at: @Fam4ExcSchools
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—
Khan Shoieb
Communications Strategist
Stu Loeser & Co.
54 West 40th St #1131
New York, NY 10018
@KShoieb
(Office)
(347) 596-6389 (Mobile)
http://www.stuloeser.com
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes because spreading the tax base over even more schools will definitely lead to better education for all.
How much more of our tax money needs to get burned on duplicative administrative and facilities costs even if you argue classroom costs are stable?
Choice has a cost attached to it, and to believe that creating “markets” where schools can fail doesn’t have an additive effect with each closure with the reinvestment to start a new school on top of the ongoing costs, is not a sustainable system for public education.
With the wholly subtractive formula used to fund charter schools and a corrupt governor with an itchy trigger finger eager to put schools into receivership status, the future of many public schools is in jeopardy in New York. If you add vouchers to mix, it is a recipe for disaster.
I predicted the ed reform focus would go back to charters/vouchers the moment the Common Core tests were solidly in place.
They’re really only interested in our kids during “testing season”.
It’s the same in Ohio. We had a brief period where public schools were fashionable in ed reform circles, but now that our kids have provided the data they’re back to expanding charters and vouchers.
The next time we’ll hear from our state and private ed reform lobbyists is November, when the scores come out.
Forgive me, Diane, but I could not find how to email you this link, so I am posting it here.
Please read. Thanks
Click to access Charter-Schools-Louisiana-Report_web3.pdf
AND billionaires control by and large our politicians. THEY provide the money for re-election. “Do as we say or your days in legislation are over”.
Obvious but the billionaires can hire “smart” people who can write the laws, gerrymander voting areas to keep in power ad nauseum.
Some day the American people will rebel and the longer this nonsense goes on the worse it will be.
Sorry, but the French Revolution was NOT pretty and I fear that that kind of thing can and probably will happen at some future time.
It’s even worse than that.
As Matt Stoller has convincingly argued, politicians are kept on a choker leash while in office, not only with the threat of electoral retaliation, but with the understanding that they’ll lose access to opportunities to make the real money, which is earned after they leave office.
Bill Clinton is a perfect example. Coming from a very modest background, He is estimated to have earned $200 million dollars since he left office. How? Well, it certainly helped that he aggressively lobbied for passage of NAFTA, rescinding AFDC (and thus removing the income floor that no one could fall below) telecommunications deregulation (which has given us the media echo chamber calling for charter schools) and the revoking of Glass-Steagall. All of these allowed the Walton’s (on whose company Board Hillary served) and hedge fund gamblers to become multi-billionaires, rather than mere hundred millionaires, and intrude even more deeply into policy-making outside of finance.
Would he have “earned” all those quarter million dollar speaking engagements if he’d not pursued those destructive, anti-democratic policies, which have further enriched and entrenched the Overclass? Doubtful.
The same process is at work here: our Reptilian Governor is assured a soft landing when his political career ends, just so long as he takes care of his hedge fund employers and keeps Eva Moskowitz happy.
Why is OK, with the public, when billionaires get to decide which schools get their education tax dollars?
When the wealthy donate to the school of their choice and then get a tax credit that allows them to get out of paying their fair share to public schools, who is it that is getting to choose?
It is certainly not parents who have a choice.
I think it will be an unmitigated disaster to fragment public support for schools.
The numbers are never going to work. They’ll have a “portfolio” of weaker schools if it goes statewide.
“More” doesn’t mean better and it never has. What’s worse, taxpayers won’t support ANY schools once their kids are out because schools will be redefined as service providers.
It’s a really radical experiment, and I’m pretty confident I know who gets hurt by radical experiments launched by people who aren’t dependent on a public good.
Karen Magee of NYSUT had this comment:”What’s next?” she asked. “Special tax breaks for those who choose to golf at country clubs instead of playing their municipal course?”
Do your best to keep this out New York! Just look at what is going on in Indiana…
Maybe they will fund Duncan’s next big idea, orphanages – 24/7 boarding schools for “certain kids.” http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/05/12/obama-education-secretary-proposes-public-boarding-schools-certain-kids-we-should-have-247/
Andrew Cuomo’s madrassa vouchers won’t go over too big with the Pamella Geller crowd.
The billionaires in Third Way are after higher ed now http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/how-to-hold-colleges-accountable.html?_r=0
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the players without a scorecard, especially with names like, “Familes for Excellent Schools”. Aren’t we all for excellent schools? Diane, can you attempt a scorecard? Pat Morris
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Patricia,
Any organization that has a name like Democrats for Education Reform, Education Reform Now, StudentsFirst, Students Matter, is actually about advancing the privatization of public schools. There are many such groups. Their names are deceptive. Join the Network for Public Education. Read our principles.
That’s the unfortunate conceit of charter groups. They like to present themselves as the only ones who care.
They are trying to do the same thing right now in Texas.
Here are some lists of corporations participating in the Florida Tax Credit program.
(page 2) http://www.stepupforstudents.org/docs/default-source/newsletters/newsletter_web_summerfall2014.pdf?sfvrsn=0
https://www.stepupforstudents.org/income-based-scholarship/for-donors/participating-donors