Why does Alice Walton want, to the tune of $250,000, for Atlanta
to be able to force charter schools on local areas that don't want them?
Wayne Washington wrote for the AJC 14 September 2012,
Outside money pours into Georgia for charter amendment fight,
Out-of-state money is fueling the campaign of a group trying to
convince Georgia voters to change the state constitution so more
charter schools can be approved.
Families for Better Public Schools has raised $486,750, campaign
disclosure forms show. About 96 percent of that money has come from
donors outside of Georgia.
Donors include Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton, politically
well-connected law firms and for-profit companies that are operating
charter schools in Georgia.
Here's
the Georgia campaign finance report for Families for Better Public Schools,
which shows Alice Walton of Bentonville AR in for $250,000, K12 Inc. of Herndon VA in for $100,000,
Charter Schools USA of Ft. Lauderdale FL in for $50,000,
also J.C. Huizenga and National Heritage Academies, both of Grand Rapids MI,
each in for $25,000.
That's $450,000 from those five biggest donors, all out of state.
What about opposition money; where's it coming from?
A coalition of groups opposing the amendment, Vote Smart, has raised
$80,951, mostly from traditional school officials like teachers,
principals and superintendents who say more charter schools and more
state money for them would threaten the funding of already
cash-strapped traditional public schools.
So we have big out-of-state money funding demolishing our public schools,
and public school people spending some of what little money they have
defending them.
I know which side I choose.
Which side are you on?
Do we want to turn our public schools into private corporate fiefdoms?
If not, vote No on the charter school amendment in November.
-jsq
The resolution explicitly states that the boards are asking voters to not support the Constitutional Amendment relative to state charter schools.
