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| Koch Brothers |
I was just reading an opinion piece in the NY Post, which is outraged that some have called Charter schools bastions of segregation http://nyp.st/2A5s0ZL. Appalling lies according to the Post - these paragons of virtue are the only saviors for poor children of color who would otherwise have to go to the 'bad neighborhood school'. The public has been sold a bill of goods on Charter schools. I for one am sick of reading about how wonderful they are. These schools are not paragons of generosity and fellowship for the less fortunate. Nor are they altruistic idealistic centers of learning - they are and have always been the next anticipated gold rush by focused entrepreneurs. The proponents of these schools hide behind altruism and use their often deep pockets to persuade politicians in the right places to further their iniatives. Cuomo makes the DOE pay Charter schools rent whenever they can't take over or co-locate in a public school building that they have set their sights on. What kind of bullshit is that?! (Cuomo is going to beg the UFT for an endorsement and I certainly hope they don't entertain it.)
If the Koch brothers, Gates, Bloomberg, Zuckerberg, et. al. want schools that are run according to their mandates then they should open up their own private schools and give scholarships. Oprah opened her's in South Africa, she didn't commandeer public schools and tell the government they had to pay her for the privilege of opening her own school.
Now there are schools that are not for profit and run for the benefit of the children - not their investors. These are religious affiliatiated schools - Christian, Jewish and Muslim. The parents of these children pay taxes and school tuition. If Eva gets her rent and everything else paid for, why aren't religious schools or their parents getting a break on anything? It's because they aren't businesses. I don't have anything against religious affiliated schools, they certainly are not Charter schools. I recently had a conversation with a UFT big wig in which I was told the opposite - the UFT has no problem with charters but do with religious affiliated schools -especially if vouchers are involved. It seems the UFT made it own foray in charter schools. How incredibly stupid can one organization be? I am going off target.
I believe having the public pay for private schools is unconstitutional. If the charter school privateers can get some puppet to bring a constitutional case against union dues, why can't the unions get a case against the public financing of charter schools?
Well that's the thing though. Charters are little different from religious schools. Both will benefit if school choice becomes a thing throughout the United States. Both will reap rewards when public education fails. Republicans don't care so much about charters as much as they are a vehicle to get them to use government money to pay for parochial education.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Charters are greatly funding politicians, religious schools are not. Cuomo isn't making the DOE pay to open more parochial schools.
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