Michelle Rhee group $250,000, Bloomberg one million to local school board race in L.A. [View all]

[madfloridian]

That is a huge amount of money to give to local candidates for school board. The article names 3 of the ones to receive the donations... school board President Monica Garcia as well as Kate Anderson and Antonio Sanchez.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0221-school-board-20130221,0,4497748.story

A group led by former District of Columbia schools chancellor Michelle Rhee donated $250,000 Wednesday to contests for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education, adding further political fuel to a battle over the direction of reform efforts in the nation's second-largest school system.

The support of StudentsFirst, which is based in Sacramento, will benefit an independent campaign on behalf of school board President Monica Garcia as well as Kate Anderson and Antonio Sanchez, who are seeking to join the seven-member body.

She's not the only one giving big figures to this race. The reformers must consider it a vital race for their purpose. Seems like a lot of money to me.

Rhee's donation follows a $1-million contribution to the same candidates made by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg last week.The independent campaign, with resources of more than $3 million for the March 5 election, is being managed by the Coalition for School Reform, which is closely allied with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Rhee's donation matches that of philanthropist Eli Broad and media executive A. Jerrold Perenchio. Another large recent contribution, $100,000, has come from philanthropist Casey Wasserman, who has funded positions on Supt. John Deasy's executive staff.

It seems to pay off for them in getting the "reforms" they want. Politicians tend to do whatever their big donors expect.

One good example is in Tennessee. This is an example of how all those "parent trigger law" bills are happening. Those who get the huge money from the reformer groups just keep introducing the bills even though parents are fighting back.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130124/NEWS04/301240128/TN-parent-trigger-bill-would-allow-school-takeovers?nclick_check=1

A much-anticipated parent trigger bill that would allow a majority of parents or teachers to force a school takeover is ready to wind its way through the Tennessee House.

The bill was filed Wednesday by Rep. John DeBerry, a Memphis Democrat and member of the House Education Committee.

“It is, in my opinion, important legislation that will get the debate started,” DeBerry said Thursday. “One thing we can’t afford is we can’t continue to support the status quo.”

In its current form, the bill would allow the parents of 51 percent of the students attending a public school to petition for a conversion of that school to a charter school or to another turnaround model that would improve the school. To be eligible for the parent trigger conversion, a school would have to academically rank among the lowest 20 percent of public schools in the state. DeBerry would also allow 51 percent of the teachers in a school to force a change.

They just keep pushing it in Florida. Rhee did her work here right after Scott was elected governor. This year they think it will not fail as it did last year. Parents are organizing again, fighting back. The sad part is they simply do not care what teachers or parents think. It does not matter to the Rick Scott Republicans in the state legislature.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2013/02/14/florida-legislative-leaders-say-this-is-the-year-for-the-parent-trigger-bill/

The bill died on the final day of the legislative session last year when a former Senate sponsor cast a deciding vote against the bill. The House approved the bill.

The bill is much the same as it was last year. The main difference this time, according to Senate President Don Gaetz, is in the makeup of the Florida Legislature.

“Some of those who vociferously opposed the parent empowerment legislation last year were termed out of the Senate, and we have some new senators,” Gaetz said. “The concept of allowing parents more control over their children’s schools has got to be a concept that we believe in if we believe in the power of neighborhoods and in the power of parents and in the responsibility for their children’s education.”

Opponents of the legislation say it benefits for-profit companies, could privatize public facilities and gives control to people who may have little educational experience.

Crossposted at Daily Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/02/21/1188705/-Michelle-Rhee-s-group-buys-the-L-A-school-board-race-250-000-Bloomberg-one-million