https://socialistaction.org/2016/12/15/victory-for-public-education-in-mass-referendum/
Victory for public education in Massachusetts referendum
/ 2 days ago
By JOE AUCIELLO
— BOSTON — In Massachusetts, a November ballot question that would have
allowed for the creation of up to 12 new charter schools per year was
soundly defeated. What’s more, the most resounding setbacks for charter
supporters occurred in the very cities where the new schools would have
been formed. In Boston, where charter schools were promoted as the
alternative to mediocre or failing schools, the ballot initiative lost
by 24 percentage points, 62 percent to 38 percent.
Charter schools are public schools, but they operate separately from
local school districts and local school boards. Teachers, for instance,
are not required to have state certification. The schools typically have
no teachers’ union and are not required to adhere to union contracts.
Equally important, if not more so, is the fact that funding for charters
schools comes from tuition paid by the students’ local school districts.
This reduces the amount of money available to serve students in the
“sending” schools, resulting in a statewide loss to public education of
an estimated $400 million. Considering that public schools are already
chronically underfunded, the real loss is far greater.
Massachusetts now has 80 charter schools, with an enrollment of more
than 40,000 students. Another 30,000 students, including many minority
children, are currently on charter school waiting lists.
This electoral contest was a vote with national implications. From
2003-2013, the number of charter schools throughout the United States
more than doubled, from approximately 3000 to 7000, with 3 million
students. Had the results been different, the Massachusetts campaign for
charter schools would have become a template for similar initiatives to
defund and dismantle public education in other states. The conservative
agenda that is hostile to teachers’ unions would have scored a victory
by increasing the number of schools where union contracts are not allowed.
Such measures, as former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders noted, were “Wall Street’s attempt to line their own pockets
while draining resources away from public education at the expense of
low-income, special education students, and English language learners”
(Cape Cod Times, Nov. 2, 2016).
So, when the state teachers’ unions went on a campaign to mobilize their
members to counter the charter school propaganda, teachers turned out in
large numbers, talking to voters directly in door-to-door efforts and by
staffing phone banks.
The ballot proposal in favor of charter schools did not fail through
lack of funds, prominent backers, or a professional organizing effort.
Twelve million dollars was raised by September, and an additional $12
million was spent before the November election. That $24 million set a
record for money spent on any ballot question in Massachusetts. It was
also $10 million more than the amount raised by state and national
teachers’ organizations. Much of the money was spent on well-produced,
skillfully written television commercials featuring charter school
teachers in their classrooms, spinning feel-good messages. These ads
assured viewers that charter schools not only enhance learning
opportunities for their students, they do so without creating any ill
effect on public education.
In a brazen blend of political acumen and deceit, the commercials
asserted what is not true while not actually lying. They claimed that
charter schools reimburse costs to the public schools for the students
who leave. In Barnstable County, for instance, the reimbursement rate
was approximately 15 percent, which meant that Cape Cod and Islands
schools lost roughly $15 million. These misleading ads flooded the
airwaves and completely outspent the opposing message.
The source of this ample, pro-charter treasure chest was deliberately
made obscure. In addition to support from figures like the heirs to the
Walmart fortune, the largest source of funding was a New York-based
organization called “Families for Excellent Schools.” Despite requests
from journalists, this umbrella organization has not revealed its
donors, which may well include a contingent of corporations.
From 2003-2013, the number of charter schools throughout the United
States more than doubled, from approximately 3000 to 7000, with 3
million students. An electoral setback in one state is not the end.
The defeat of the right-wing agenda in Massachusetts is a significant
one—it shows that money and propaganda do not make victory
inevitable—but the triumph is not yet decisive. The anti-union
reactionaries also rally around the slogan: “The struggle continues.”
What’s more, they possess the resources to mount another campaign
practically anywhere in the country.
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump spoke of increasing the number
of charter schools and voucher programs, which provide students with
public funds for private school tuition, including religious schools.
President-elect Trump’s appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of
Education, an advocate for “school choice”—that is, charter schools and
voucher programs—shows that before long the battle to defend public
education will need to be joined once again.
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December 15, 2016 in Education & Schools.
Related posts
Chicago teachers defeat plan to gut schools
Chicago school closings challenged
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union rallied outside City Hall
Wednesday morning before the start of the city council meeting. | Rich
Hein/Sun-Times
Chicago teachers, parents demand school funding
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https://socialistaction.org/2016/12/15/victory-for-public-education-in-mass-referendum/
Victory for public education in Massachusetts referendum
/ 2 days ago
By JOE AUCIELLO
— BOSTON — In Massachusetts, a November ballot question that would have
allowed for the creation of up to 12 new charter schools per year was
soundly defeated. What’s more, the most resounding setbacks for charter
supporters occurred in the very cities where the new schools would have
been formed. In Boston, where charter schools were promoted as the
alternative to mediocre or failing schools, the ballot initiative lost
by 24 percentage points, 62 percent to 38 percent.
Charter schools are public schools, but they operate separately from
local school districts and local school boards. Teachers, for instance,
are not required to have state certification. The schools typically have
no teachers’ union and are not required to adhere to union contracts.
Equally important, if not more so, is the fact that funding for charters
schools comes from tuition paid by the students’ local school districts.
This reduces the amount of money available to serve students in the
“sending” schools, resulting in a statewide loss to public education of
an estimated $400 million. Considering that public schools are already
chronically underfunded, the real loss is far greater.
Massachusetts now has 80 charter schools, with an enrollment of more
than 40,000 students. Another 30,000 students, including many minority
children, are currently on charter school waiting lists.
This electoral contest was a vote with national implications. From
2003-2013, the number of charter schools throughout the United States
more than doubled, from approximately 3000 to 7000, with 3 million
students. Had the results been different, the Massachusetts campaign for
charter schools would have become a template for similar initiatives to
defund and dismantle public education in other states. The conservative
agenda that is hostile to teachers’ unions would have scored a victory
by increasing the number of schools where union contracts are not allowed.
Such measures, as former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders noted, were “Wall Street’s attempt to line their own pockets
while draining resources away from public education at the expense of
low-income, special education students, and English language learners”
(Cape Cod Times, Nov. 2, 2016).
So, when the state teachers’ unions went on a campaign to mobilize their
members to counter the charter school propaganda, teachers turned out in
large numbers, talking to voters directly in door-to-door efforts and by
staffing phone banks.
The ballot proposal in favor of charter schools did not fail through
lack of funds, prominent backers, or a professional organizing effort.
Twelve million dollars was raised by September, and an additional $12
million was spent before the November election. That $24 million set a
record for money spent on any ballot question in Massachusetts. It was
also $10 million more than the amount raised by state and national
teachers’ organizations. Much of the money was spent on well-produced,
skillfully written television commercials featuring charter school
teachers in their classrooms, spinning feel-good messages. These ads
assured viewers that charter schools not only enhance learning
opportunities for their students, they do so without creating any ill
effect on public education.
In a brazen blend of political acumen and deceit, the commercials
asserted what is not true while not actually lying. They claimed that
charter schools reimburse costs to the public schools for the students
who leave. In Barnstable County, for instance, the reimbursement rate
was approximately 15 percent, which meant that Cape Cod and Islands
schools lost roughly $15 million. These misleading ads flooded the
airwaves and completely outspent the opposing message.
The source of this ample, pro-charter treasure chest was deliberately
made obscure. In addition to support from figures like the heirs to the
Walmart fortune, the largest source of funding was a New York-based
organization called “Families for Excellent Schools.” Despite requests
from journalists, this umbrella organization has not revealed its
donors, which may well include a contingent of corporations.
From 2003-2013, the number of charter schools throughout the United
States more than doubled, from approximately 3000 to 7000, with 3
million students. An electoral setback in one state is not the end.
The defeat of the right-wing agenda in Massachusetts is a significant
one—it shows that money and propaganda do not make victory
inevitable—but the triumph is not yet decisive. The anti-union
reactionaries also rally around the slogan: “The struggle continues.”
What’s more, they possess the resources to mount another campaign
practically anywhere in the country.
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump spoke of increasing the number
of charter schools and voucher programs, which provide students with
public funds for private school tuition, including religious schools.
President-elect Trump’s appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of
Education, an advocate for “school choice”—that is, charter schools and
voucher programs—shows that before long the battle to defend public
education will need to be joined once again.
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
December 15, 2016 in Education & Schools.
Related posts
Chicago teachers defeat plan to gut schools
Chicago school closings challenged
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union rallied outside City Hall
Wednesday morning before the start of the city council meeting. | Rich
Hein/Sun-Times
Chicago teachers, parents demand school funding
Post navigation
← Trump promises more perks for big business
Chronicle of an ‘ordinary’ man in revolutionary times →
Get Involved!
Donate to help support our work
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Join Socialist Action
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