Rheeinforcements TFA Group Violates Connecticut’s Ethics Laws? - Wait, What?

Another “Education Reform” Group Violates Connecticut’s Ethics Laws? - Wait, What?:

Another “Education Reform” Group Violates Connecticut’s Ethics Laws?

by jonpelto

It now appears that Teach for America is joining the “you won’t find our lobbying report” club.

Is there no “Education Reform” group willing to live by Connecticut’s ethical standards?

As noted previously, Connecticut’s Ethics law is really quite simple.

A lobbyist is “any person [or organization] that spends or receives $2,000 or more in a calendar year to communicate with, or to solicit others to communicate with, any official or his or her staff in the legislative or executive branch, or in a quasi-public agency, in an effort to influence legislative or administrative action.”

Back in 2009, like hundreds of other organizations, Teach for America’s Connecticut Chapter filed the necessary papers to lobby in Connecticut.  Over the course of that year they reported spending a total of approximately $3,500 on lobbying activities.

However, since 2009, Teach for America – Connecticut Chapter has failed to register or file any lobbying reports at all.

And it’s not like Teach for America’s state chapters don’t engage in lobbying.  In Rhode 

Stand ON Children First: New AstroTurf from Teacher in the Box

Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER

Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers

Just Like Michelle Rhee's
 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better) we support:

Certifying individuals with no education background as teachers, a move that would weaken the quality of education, that fails to recognize there is more to teaching than knowledge of a subject, and that would undermine the role and competitiveness of professional teachers.