The National Education Association issued an appeal for educators and other concerned citizens: Raise your voice to stop the federal funding of corporate charter schools!
Now is your chance to be heard.
NEA writes:
Email the U.S. Department of Education to advocate for the end of corporate charter schools and support accountability and transparency for all schools taking our tax dollars.
- All schools that receive public funds should be held to the same excellence, equity, and transparency standards as district-run public schools. The original intent of charter schools was to provide a space for educators to be more flexible and innovative.
Instead, big business boards and billionaires turned it into a money-making machine that benefits only themselves. The growth of these corporate charters has undermined local public schools and communities—taking taxpayer money with no oversight or any overall increase in student learning and growth.
The U.S. Department of Education is taking these very real issues seriously and is proposing an end to the support of corporate charter schools. We applaud this effort, but there will be loud voices paid by the billionaires running these schools to speak out against this positive step.
That’s why we need your voice. You can speak out in support of the Department of Education’s proposal to ban for-profit schools from applying for grants and receiving funds to open charters, and demand that charter schools be held to the same standards as traditional public schools.
You may use the sample message provided, but we encourage you to share your personal stories and examples. Tell the U.S. Department of Education how important it is to you personally that for-profit charter schools be held to the same accountability and transparency rules as public schools.
What is the federal comment period and what can I do to help?
The Department of Education is seeking comments from the public about the proposed standards. When you send your letter through this form, it will be added to the federal register as part of the official request for comments and be made public. Written comments on this final rule should be received on or before April 13, 2022.
You can help by writing a personalized letter detailing stories and examples. The more personal the better!
Open the link to see the sample letter and instructions about contacting the Department of Education.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
We won’t end federal funding of corporate charter schools until we end corporate funding of politicians.
Why should communities be forced to fund other people’s profit without any say in the process while they are compelled to simultaneously undermine their community public schools, the schools most students attend? The main reason, as Jon notes, is political corruption. Privatization has failed to produce better results, and the amount of waste and fraud is mind boggling. If billionaires care so much about alternative schools, they have more than enough money to fund them themselves. We the people should not be compelled to fund the destruction of our common good.
amen
key word “IF” — If they care about kids and not personal profits
“Why should communities be forced to fund other people’s profit without any say in the process while they are compelled to simultaneously undermine their community public schools, the schools most students attend?”
I hope this sentiment is part of your letter. Predatory capitalism at its “best:” maximize profits and minimize the risk. How did they manage to convince anyone to ignore the lack of any attempt to claim benefit to the common good?
done
Hi Diane – You are the best. So, (humbly offered), please consider (always, religiously, inexorably) putting the specific word and term, “re-segregation,” in the titles and first sentences of (all, every single one of) your WONDERFULLY INSIGHTFUL and Hugely IMPORTANT Writings ON CHARTER and PRIVATE schools.
Resegregation is WHY this attack on the very existence of public schools is happening.
I beg you. Consider it a moment. Let it solidify.
Into action.
#EugenicBias #1stLibertarians #SurvivalofFittest #LibertARYANism #SouthernARYANism #SouthernEduARYANism #racism #SouthernEDU
#CharterSchools #PrivateSchools #SchoolReSegregation #CharterReSegregation #EDUCATIONReSegregation #ReSegregation
#FascistDesantis #MassSenicide #Desantis#DesantisARYANism #Desantis2024 #DeathSantis
#ScientificRacism #CriticalRaceTheory #CRT #TeachTruth #TeachHistory #EnoughIsEnough #March4OurLives #ChildrensCrusadeforChildren
We’re all part of a system. To make the system part of oneself, one must understand the larger, (external to the system) “Why’s” that drive the system – Plus understand all of the (internal to the system) “Why’s” of the many parts within the system or organization, including oneself. The largest/top big-view of the current-day attacks on public schools are due to racism and the (largely Southern/Midwest) desire to re-segregate.
Onward, thanks to kids 🙂
Treating EDU as the next asset infrastructure to be gobbled by the top 1% is clearly (also) a big “Why” nescessary to explain the current motivation to eliminate Public Education – #CapitalistRacism, #RacistCapitalism?
Greed brings fear, and fear encourages one to be fearful of some “other,” and then to feel superior and to feel racist towards those/these less wealthy and thus lesser human beings – this is the very definition of what being a racist is, what racism is. Racism literally comes from the fear that comes from greed, perhaps? Greed is born of either/both abundance and/or scarcity. This also must be true, then, perhaps?
Thank you for your kind words and suggestions.