The corporate reform group, Stand on Children, dumped $500,000 into the Boston’s Mayor Race, and selected their candidate, City Councilor John R. Connolly.
It is prepared to spend even more, dwarfing the spending of other candidates.
This follows the pattern of the infusion of large outside money by corporate reformers in races in Louisiana, Colorado, California, and elsewhere.
After reviewing a large field, Stand on Children decided that Connolly was their man, the one who is likeliest to push hardest for privatization of public schools and to emphasize test scores as the highest goal of public education.
Stand began its life in Oregon as a civil rights group, but then discovered that there was a brighter future representing the interests of equity investors and Wall Street.
Subsequently, many of its original members left, but the budget greatly expanded, allowing them to be a major presence in states like Illinois and Massachusetts, where they promote charter schools and the removal of teacher tenure.
In Illinois, they bought up all the best lobbyists and got passed a law that made it illegal for the Chicago teachers to strike unless they got a 75% approval vote.
The Chicago Teachers Union got more than 90% and went on strike, much to the surprise of the big-money funders who thought they had crippled the union.
Edelman boasted at the Aspen Institute Festival about how he had “outfoxed” the teachers’ union by working with the state’s wealthiest hedge fund managers, buying up lobbyists, and winning anti-union legislation.
Stand pretends to be a “progressive” organization. It is, in fact, as Edelman boasts on the Aspen video, a mouthpiece for the 1%: Pro-privatization, anti-union, anti-public education.
The session title was, “If It Can Happen in Illinois, It Can Happen Anywhere.”
Just want to be sure you see the “got it” coverage by the Jamaica Plain Gazette: http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2013/08/20/politics-as-unusual-ed-reform-cash-makes-connolly-biggest-threat-to-bps/
The organization lives up to its, name. They indeed try to Stand on Children though to remove the ambiguity I’d make their name “Stomp on Children”.
“Stand on Children”? The name is disconcertingly ambiguous …
Diane is being sarcastic here. She’s read too many of my posts. Her name for the group is apt.
It’s like “no child’s behind left.”
Love that, susan!
Please share what I had to say about Connolly’s opponent, Councillor Rob Consalvo:
He penned “The Boston Compact”, modeled after the Compact used in the Senate race recently, requesting his opponents agree to refuse funds from outside interest groups. When none of them signed, he drafted one aimed at those outside interest groups, like Stand (I love the “On”, btw:) and Democrats for Ed Reform, who I think is sponsoring all kinds of debates. Still no one has signed.
We need help here in Boston. Only 2 of the 12 candidates oppose charter schools. I have longstanding ties with both John and Rob, outside of the political arena; with John it goes back to childhood, actually. I’m very disappointed in him, and surprised, too. I thought John had more of a conscious than that. At least choosing who would get my ultimate vote was made easy.
And Stand On rode over MTA here in the Bay State…break Massachusetts, break the nation!
I didn’t have to ask the question. . . other readers already did.
I was thinking, “Is that really the name?”
That is funny. I like Diane’s dry humor.
I know what they call themselves.
But I know what they are.
They stand on children to collect big bucks from financial barons.
I see that too. To close public schools to create charters run by for-profits is like cannibalizing the young when you close off opportunities down the road (coming generations who will attend public schools) to make a profit now. “Penny-wise, pound-foolish” on steroids.
Even though it might not be to their own children, they seem no better than those parents at the park who are over on a bench talking on a cell phone, not watching their kids. . whose children inevitably come up to me (playing with my son) and ask me to push them on the swing. One situation is on a small scale (a moment lost), the other on a large scale (a generation’s opportunity lost).
To those who say public school already stole a generation’s opportunity by not getting them out of poverty, I say please reconsider the expectations of public school in relation to poverty (and I do believe that conversation is happening, we just are not to the bridge-building phase yet).
I think the name fits. This group is really standing on children. They are standing on their backs to crush them.
I feel like I’m watching John Connolly’s campaign go down the tubes in front of my eyes…what did I say earlier about Candidate Rob Consalvo’s “Boston Compact”? My, how this donation has other candidates singing a different tune all of a sudden…
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/08/20/conley-vows-take-consalvo-proposed-boston-pledge-hits-connolly-for-accepting-outside-money/QFZUXP2amBO24QD38ozhrN/story.html
Two articles about the background and history of the Stand For Children Astrogroup:
Stand For Children exposed as it has evolved into billionaires front group
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=2417
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Stand For Children….Stand For Profit
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=2917
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….Correction……
Astroturf ( not astrogroup)
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And..
Hired Guns on Astroturf….How To Buy and Sell School Reform
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=3189
Jill, I wonder if you’re best positioned to respond to David Bernstein’s take on this?
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/08/21/john-connolly-stand-for-children-debacle/
He thinks it’s just about the money, and it would be great to enlighten him that it’s not.
He turned down the money today.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/blogs/the-race-for-city-hall/2013/08/21/connolly-ask-stand-for-children-not-spend-money-his-behalf-swears-off-money-from-outside-groups/aiDJShW9GVwoHHGw4xF7bJ/blog.html
http://www.dotnews.com/2013/education-reform-group-wades-back-mayoral-race-connolly