"Parents Can Only Listen" - MyEdNext

"Parents Can Only Listen" - MyEdNext:

"Parents Can Only Listen"

• Posted by Rita M. Solnet on July 26, 2013 at 4:18pm
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I attended a conference call today initiated and led by Ben Austin, Executive Director of Parent Revolution, to honor "National Parents Day."  The call from start to finish focused on the complexity of the parent trigger law, the controversy, the process, and the status of California schools. Although the call's password was "Parents," parents couldn't ask questions - only reporters could. Perhaps Parent Revolution should consider a name change or a re-branding.

 

I'm confused.

 

A few minutes into the call, a personable Ben Austin stated, "We've been outspent 100 to 1 by opponents of parent trigger."  Seriously?  Florida parents were opponents of parent trigger. I'm certain the money depleted from my personal savings account and those of the dynamo parents from Save Duval Schools and Fund Education Florida and other parents wouldn't total a fraction of what Parent Revolution spent. I would have asked him to elaborate on that point if parents were allowed to participate in Parent Revolution's National Parents Day conference call but, we weren't.

 

Austin later stated "opponents of Parent Revolution spent $8 billion." Wow! For those Florida parents who shared granola bars in the senate gallery vs. going out to lunch, that's hard to believe!  We spent our own savings on travel, child care, and shared hotel rooms. Whomever has that $8 billion might want to buy us lunch in Tallahassee next year.

Austin reflected, "I wish I had the army of lobbyists our opponents had." The Florida lobbyistdirectory shows that the California firm, Parent Revolution, has three lobbyists registered in Florida