During the gubernatorial campaign in Néw York, the Working Families Party planned to endorse law professor Zephyr Teachout to challenge Cuomo, but at the last minute Cuomo won their endorsement by promising to campaign for Democratic control of the State Senate. Isn’t that a strange promise from a Democratic governor? He immediately broke it, did not campaign for Democratic candidates, and Republicans held control of the State Senate.
Teachout–a complete unknown with no money–ran against Cuomo in the Democratic primary and won 1/3 of the vote. She did not endorse anyone in the general election.
Now she and the Working Families Party have teamed up to release a report that will blast Cuomo for his support of charter schools. Today “they plan to release a report entitled “Corruption in Education: The Hedge Fund Takeover of New York’s Schools.”
“Many of Cuomo’s top donors are funding the charter school lobby, Teachout charges, singling out in the report Carl Icahn, Paul Tudor Jones and Dan Loeb for pouring “more than $10 million into state lobbying and election campaigns since the beginning of 2014, with electrifying results.”
How refreshing to have a clear, independent, unbought prominent figure speak truth to power, fearlessly!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Good news. Question: Is there a dissemination process? Is there a strategy to ensure that mainstream media actually receives, reads and reports on the study? The NYT has been most clear in its position. Will it be possible to engage the NYT editorial staff in a discussion of the report. I fear the study/report will remain unread or reported on by mainstream media and go immediately into the circular file.
Will the AFT actively work on placing ads, or otherwise assisting in ensuring that the report reaches the people who should read it …..like the AFT constituency? Or will we see another Weingarten shuck and jive and sellout to Cuomo and the hedgefund boys? After all, she wants to ‘sit at the table’.
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I’m glad she stays involved. The rising tide of NY political elite against public ed. must be exposed on every occasion, e.g. at school board, PTA, PTO meetings, at conferences, etc. What are the NYSUT factions doing? Are their leaderships educating their base and, mainly, parents?
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Speaking of Cuomo’s top donors, check out the ‘all-star’ group of education “reformers” who convened with Paul Tutor Jones & the Robin Hood Foundation. Amazingly, there was more consensus than disagreement.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/randalllane/2014/12/01/heres-a-plan-to-turn-around-u-s-education-and-generate-225-trillion/
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Well, of course there is a (ruling class) consensus in the article, since the the overwhelming majority of opinions sought were from hedge fund directors, venture capitalists and inheritors of great wealth. Only one person had any K-12 classroom experience whatsoever, and then almost thirty years ago.
How would these people feel if I were to barge into their offices and start telling them how to do their jobs?
Exactly.
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Thank you, Michael. We’ve all read a lot of pigswill over the years from the reformistas but this has got to be the swilliest and most fatuous thing I’ve read in a very long time…
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Another Tweet to copy and paste for anyone interested:
Zephyr Teachout is Back!
Will release report
“Corruption in Education: The Hedge Fund Takeover of New York’s Schools”
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Yep. The Teachout. She has a seal of approval from Thomas Frank:
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Great news. Teachout is taking it to Prince Andrew. His sophomoric response calling the WFP “delusional” should be shoved down his throat at every public appearance he makes.
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Where can I find this report?
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Live and learn WFP.
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Cuomo is like a living, breathing disaster movie for Democrats. And, you know, isn’t there something shark-like about the way he looks….those cold, dark emotionless eyes. To quote NYS Senator Tom Libous, “When I share something he doesn’t like, he gets very quiet. He stares at you.” Yup. Better start swimming then, Tom!
Cuomo will eat anything….. Moreland Commission members fleeing, minor political parties, entire unions, the middle class…..His one overriding imperative is to feed…..himself. Cue the theme from “Jaws”……
Thank you, Zephyr Teachout, for standing up for what the Democratic party should really represent.
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hubris. yup and you know how the Greek gods dealt with that trait.
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Unfortunately, I have nothing but contempt for the WFP for endorsing Cuomo this year. I’m glad that Teachout can forgive and forget so easily but some of us won’t.
Great that the WFP has waked up to the nightmare that Andrew Cuomo is for public education in NYS….a wee bit late to that game, I’m afraid.
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