Mercedes Schneider writes here about Betsy DeVos and her not-innovative idea of a “backpack full of cash.”
Betsy used the metaphor to refer snidely to a disguised voucher. It is a common metaphor among rightwing advocates of privatization. Betsy didn’t realize she was using the title of a popular documentary, shown in hundreds of communities across the country as a warning about privatization.
(If you want to book a screening of Backpack Full of Cash, go to the website.)
The film-makers, Sarah Mondale and Vera Aronow, borrowed the term from choice advocate Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform, who has dreamed for years about defunding public schools by strapping the child’s cash in a backpack and sending the child to a charter school, religious school, cyber charter or home school, the less regulated the better. Anything will do for the backpack of cash except a public school.
Betsy didn’t know the etymology of the term but loved the idea of taking money away from public schools and giving it to any entrepreneur or grifter who wanted it.
Read the post to learn the not-sad fate of the rightwing’s favorite bad idea.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I think they should tell parents that the backpack full of cash may not cover the cost of the private school. Ohio just did a massive expansion of vouchers – which will harm existing (and solid) public schools and the voucher amount is 6000. That doesn’t cover the cost of private school tuition in some of these areas, which means the usual ed reform slogan on how parents can have the same choice as wealthy people is not true.
It’s just not true. They should stop repeating it. In many places and under many of the voucher schemes it will simply be a government subsidy for people who already send their children to private schools and can afford to.
Net result? Less funding for public schools, and a new government subsidy for upper middle class people. That’s the sum total of the ed reform work in Ohio this year- a negative for every public school student in the state. They contributed absolutely nothing to 90% of students in the state and harmed quite a few of them. Again. The public pays hundreds of these people in state government and they return no value to public school students. Year after year after year.
At this point I would settle for “do no harm”. I think that’s the best public school students can hope for out of the echo chamber.
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Exactly right. The fancy private school tuition may be $40,000-60,000. No voucher will cover that. It works only for low-cost religious schools, usually with uncertified teachers.
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What’s been amazing to watch has been the lock-step adoption of vouchers across ed reform.
Two years ago they were telling us they all supported charters as an alternative to vouchers.
Now they’re all eagerly cheerleading any and all voucher schemes with the same zealotry they show towards charters. What happened? And at what point do the people we’re all paying in government support PUBLIC schools? Are public school students even permitted to ask for advocates in their own government? If not, why not? Vouchers and charters certainly have them. Why don’t public school students get them?
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Jist a little reminder for y’all to bring yore kids down the Bob’s Real Good Florida School an’ sign ’em up for a New Year full of exciteing curriculums. We got makin’ yore own shotgun shells in arts n crafts and wurld histry from Creation to the Rapshure. Its free cause you kin use yore Florida voucher! And yore kid will be safe cause all are teachers is locked n loaded!
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Find us on Dale Mabry, whur the K-Mart used to be, right between Wild Rita’s Novelties and Bob’s Gun and Pawn! An have a blessed new yeer.
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Love it!
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