Big outside money pouring into L.A. school board races
Local school board races used to be decided by local voters, but not anymore, at least in Los Angeles. Tuesday’s elections have attracted millions of dollars from outsiders who have a stake in the future of school reform in the country’s second-largest district. In fact, there is nothing ordinary about the races for three Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education:Not the money: More than $4.4 million has already been spent by all sides in races, according to the Los Angeles Times. School board races around the country traditionally cost no more than a few thousand dollars; this is the most expensive in L.A. history.
Not the donors: The Times said that outside money has dominated the spending. Donors include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who chipped in $1 million to a coalition that L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put together to support three candidates who support corporate-based school reform underway in the district. Also helping that effort was Michelle Rhee, whose lobbying organization StudentsFirst gave $250,000. Billionaire Eli Broad gave the same amount; Joel Klein, the former chancellor of New York City public schools who now works for Rupert Murdoch, gave $50,000. Of course, Hollywood figures are in this too: Dreamworks honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg donated $50,000, and actress Eva
How George Orwell might explain school reform
Here’s a piece that looks at school reform through the eyes of George Orwell by teacher Chris Gilbert. He has written for the Language Experience Forum Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English’s English Journal, and this blog. He … Continue reading →