A well-funded charter advocacy group, deceptively named “Families for Excellent Schools,” has opened in Boston.
It claims that it supports all excellent schools, whether charter or public, but the record says this group is a cheerleader for charters and against public schools. As the story in the Boston Globe says, FES spent something like $6 million (earlier coverage had numbers like $3.6 million or $4 million but eventually reporters settled on $5-6 million) to stop Mayor Bill de Blasio from reigning in charter expansion. Due to FES’ efforts, Governor Cuomo and the legislature required Néw York City to provide all charters free public space or to pay their private rent.
What kind of families can raise $4-6 million in a matter of days to bash the mayor and promote charters? The family of billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones and the Walton family, just your typical American families.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Dear Hometown,
Hold on to your butts.
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Yes indeed. Even if it’s a bit of misquote, Bette Davis in ALL ABOUT EVE (1950):
“Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
😎
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That’s a classy reference.
I was thinking more like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park.
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F4ES = Frauds for excelling SCAMS.
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“Families for Excellent Schools”
If Tudors are our tutors
And Gates’ are our front-gates
Then suited are our suitors
And fetid are our fates
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This article is astonishing! Here is my favorite quote:
“But Families for Excellent Education emphasize that it works with parents from all types of schools on a wide range of issues — educational funding, deteriorating facilities, and safety problems — and any charter school advocacy work would hinge on the wishes of Boston parents who join their organization.
“We take marching orders from our parents,” said Jeremiah Kittredge, the nonprofit’s chief executive officer. “Our priority will be to listen to parents.”
What happens if thousands of parents from neighborhood public schools join Mr. Kittridge’s organization in NYC? Would he have to run the organization in accordance to our wishes? Spend the next $6 million dollars to hire aides in overcrowded public K classes? Rehire the speciality teachers whose positions were cut along with public school budgets? How do we all join up? And if, despite the wishes of “his parents” (and how do we get to be one of “his” parents?), he chooses to spend his money to advertise to take public funding away from public schools and steer it to charter schools who already have millions in the bank, can we sue Mr. Kittridge for false advertising?
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This Jeremiah Kittredge strikes me as yet another hedge fund billionaire lackey. He is not even 30 years old and probably not a parent. How is he qualified to head a group called “Families for Excellent Schools?”
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“A well-funded charter advocacy group, deceptively named “Families for Excellent Schools,” has opened in Boston.”
What about the name “A site to discuss better education for all”?
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You have this tendency to confuse “some” with “all”. Charters serve some. Public schools serve all.
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The very fact that Raj engages in “discussion” on this blog tells us what he thinks of his own opinions.
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Hey people. we know what this group is all about. We also know that Mayor Walsh is shucking and jiving on charter schools. Likewise, the new Governor, Charlie Baker, a William Weld Republican, is going to attempt to lift the cap on charter schools. Finally, Chester and the new Education Secretary, Jim Peyser, are rapid privatization proponents. The only ope question is : what is to be done. Obviously we must call and write our state reps and senators, the Governor, and Jim Peyser. Then there must be an organized effort to counter the efforts of this new group. We are way past the time for more discussion and punditry.
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