Nashville leaders were surprised to learn that its own lobbyists were working to push vouchers at a time when the votes in the legislature for vouchers were very close.
The voucher bill targets only Nashville and Shelby County (Memphis).
Nashville’s lobbying firm is coming under fire from the Metro Council because it also advocates for school vouchers — an issue one councilman says puts the lobbyists at odds with the city’s interests.
According to state records, Adams & Reese managing partner Gif Thornton and three other firm employees are registered to represent both Nashville city government and a prominent pro-voucher group TennesseeCAN, once known as StudentsFirst Tennessee.
Councilman Dave Rosenberg said the city hamstrung itself by hiring lobbyists that can’t represent the city’s opposition to vouchers, particularly because the issue has dominated the legislative session this year.
“That’s something that they should be lobbying against on our behalf,” Rosenberg said. “At least they should not be lobbying in direct opposition to the city.”
TennesseeCAN is funded by the usual billionaires, but was launched by opioid king Jonathan Sackler. Michelle Rhee started StudentsFirst.
Nashville got taken to the cleaners with the help of its own lobbyists.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Wow … and NOW it’s right in our faces, too. The billionaires have gotten even bolder re: their scams.
There could be “curriculum” built around: HOW THE RICH SCAMMED the Public and STOLE Public Schools.
I suggest there be “readers’ groups” who read and discuss: The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch (Garn Press, 2019).
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The evidence is in: Corruption has become an essential feature of charter school expansion, not an aberration. We don’t need two school systems.
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no one has satisfactorily explained why the government should fund two separate and unequal school system. One free to choose the students it wants and kick out those it doesn’t want, the other required to accept everyone.
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Government funds multiple educational systems at the college/university level through BEOGs, ROTC scholarships, etc.
Not all colleges accept all applicants.
Even public universities, require a minimum SAT/ACT score.
How is the exact same thing at the K-12 level, such a problem to so many people?
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I emailed my representative before the vote and asked him under what conditions he thought it justifiable to spend public money on private schools. He responded that he could think of no,such conditions, then promptly voted party line.
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Your rep is likely an ALEC guy serving the Koch’s. In Ohio, my rep, is an ALEC member who voted against the people and with Fordham. Curious if the unions have told their members in the various states about the legislative issues and the need to target ALEC members for election defeat. ALEC serves wealthy, out of staters.
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Based on a statement from a former SETDA director, it’s not just lobbyists working for Nashville’s government who are pushing policies that citizens don’t want. Public employees who govern SETDA, from states like Tennessee, promote digital learning and public-private partnerships. SETDA is funded by Gates and is partnered with ed tech firms in the private sector. Are SETDA’s public employees hiring lobbyists to influence government on behalf of the private sector, Bill Gates, or the tech directors employed in the states’ departments of ed?
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