Curtis Cardine of the Grand Canyon Institute created this updated list of the charter schools, private schools, and religious schools in Arizona that received federal grants from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was supposed to help small businesses survive the pandemic. It is a very long list. Public schools were not eligible to apply for these funds. Charter schools collected millions from funds allotted only to public schools, then collected more millions from PPP as small businesses.
You can see the dataset here.
Ed reform convened yet another echo chamber panel to weigh in on budget cuts to public schools-
https://www.the74million.org/article/reality-check-what-will-it-take-to-reopen-schools-amid-the-pandemic-6-experts-weigh-in-on-the-looming-fiscal-crisis-and-what-services-districts-should-and-shouldnt-cut/
They’re all advising schools on how to cut teacher salaries and student services.
They come from universities like Georgetown. The tuition at Georgetown is 54,000 a year. Apparently low and middle class K-12 students can have their education funding gutted, but students who attend elite private universities cannot.
Every freaking bit of education policy comes out of Walton or the other Right wing think tanks. Can we possibly get some diversity of opinion? Also- perhaps we could finally hear from people who actually USE public schools. Why is all of public school policy directed by people who use private schools?
I want people who value public schools and public school students to set national policy for public schools. Why is that such an unreasonable demand? It should be a given.
Georgetown, one of the many Catholic universities in D.C. (more colleges in the area than the public has, than the private sector has or, that are sponsored by any other religion). Catholic theocracy asserts libertarian economics and politics to steer money to religious institutions, primarily themselves.
and their power is huge with lobbying tendrils all over the city
Are any of the ed reform groups we’re paying with PPP money lobbying congress for additional funding for our schools? They all lobbied to be included in PPP. They’re not going to lift a finger to get funding to PUBLIC school students?
Now that we’re paying their salaries perhaps we can ask them to work on behalf of PUBLIC schools, instead of exclusively working on behalf of the charters and private schools they prefer.
Why are public schools and public school students always the last priority. EVERYONE gets funding before our kids do. Are ed reformers lousy advocates for public schools or are they just not trying?
Charter and private schools got special set-aside pandemic funding. What did public schools get?
A political gimmick where Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos spent an hour bashing our schools and students.
90% of students in this country have either lousy representation or no representation at all. They’re ignored. Not fashionable enough, I guess, for the DC crowd.
Each day I get more comfortable saying:
Trump and DeVos are VSFs. Vicious, Stupid Fools.
They wouldn’t be there without backing. The GOP has the Koch network’s money and, the votes of deplorables and the religious i.e. a political alliance of evangelical and Catholic leaders.
AzCentral posted Grand Canyon Institute’s research. A Google search combined with Paycheck Protection Program provides the link.