Can You Spare $91,440?
Because that’s how much seven Boston charter schools are charging to answer a public records request…
Here’s a math question for you, reader. Say one wanted to submit a public records request to a handful of charter schools, inquiring about their recent lobbying activities. How much do you suppose such a request might set one back? If you answered $91,440, you would be on the money.
But what kind of information could possibly merit fees of that kind? Refresh your beverage, reader, for ours is a long and twisted, not to mention outrageously expensive tale… A little backstory
Have you noticed lately that charter schools in Massachusetts are increasingly functioning as a political lobbying force? I certainly have. Which is why this summer, a group of researchers of which I’m part, and which includes university professors, graduate students, union researchers, and interns, submitted public records requests to ten Boston charters, using the service Muckrock. (Full disclosure: the research group was started by Jobs with Justice, a nonprofit headed by the gentleman to whom I’m *technically married.*) We wanted to know just how *highly aligned* these charter schools are with lobby groups, like the increasingly controversial Families for Excellent Schools. We also wanted to know how common the practice ofautomatically sharing parent and student information with lobby groups has become. And so we asked.
Have you noticed lately that charter schools in Massachusetts are increasingly functioning as a political lobbying force? I certainly have. Which is why this summer, a group of researchers of which I’m part, and which includes university professors, graduate students, union researchers, and interns, submitted public records requests to ten Boston charters, using the service Muckrock. (Full disclosure: the research group was started by Jobs with Justice, a nonprofit headed by the gentleman to whom I’m *technically married.*) We wanted to know just how *highly aligned* these charter schools are with lobby groups, like the increasingly controversial Families for Excellent Schools. We also wanted to know how common the practice ofautomatically sharing parent and student information with lobby groups has become. And so we asked. That will be $36,015 please
The lawyers of Krokidas & Bluestein (*’Doing good’ should be part of a law firm’s core business, not just an add on*), were happy to help, explaining that, well, here, you can Can You Spare $91,440? | EduShyster:
The lawyers of Krokidas & Bluestein (*’Doing good’ should be part of a law firm’s core business, not just an add on*), were happy to help, explaining that, well, here, you can Can You Spare $91,440? | EduShyster: