WOLVES IN WOOL
THE GREEDY HUSTLE OF DFER AND THE BILLIONAIRES TRYING TO TURN PUBLIC SCHOOLS INTO A PRIVATIZATION PINATA
Imagine a pack of wolves, strutting through the political jungle, decked out in the fluffiest, most Democratic-looking sheep costumes you’ve ever seen. They’re bleating about “equity” and “opportunity” while secretly sharpening their claws for a full-on assault on public education. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill Republican privatizers, oh no. These are the Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), the slick-talking, billionaire-funded wolves who’ve been masquerading as progressive do-gooders since 2007. And now, with the Center for Strong Public Schools (CSPS) popping up like a suspicious new kid on the block, the South is ground zero for a laughably absurd battle over our kids’ schools. Grab your popcorn—this is a comedy of errors, greed, and some seriously stubborn teachers, parents, and students refusing to let their schools get turned into a corporate clearance sale.
DFER: The Sheep Costume That’s Fooling No One
But here’s the punchline: DFER’s bank account looks like a Republican billionaires’ club mixer. Alice Walton, Walmart heiress, tossed $300,000 at their D.C. chapter in 2016 like it was pocket change. Rupert Murdoch, the Fox News kingpin, allegedly dropped a cool $1 million, probably hoping DFER would pimp his ed-tech side hustle. And let’s not forget Jonathan Sackler, Ken Langone, and Stanley Druckenmiller—billionaires who’d rather fund a yacht party than a public school, yet somehow ended up as DFER’s sugar daddies. *The Progressive Magazine* practically choked on its kombucha, accusing DFER of funneling “dark money” from right-wing privateers to push a privatization agenda dressed up as progressivism. It’s like watching a wolf try to pass as a vegan at a farmers’ market—nobody’s buying it.
The “Abundance Agenda”: Vouchers So Funny They Hurt
Fast-forward to 2025, and DFER’s sheep costume is unraveling faster than a cheap sweater in a washing machine. Enter Jorge Elorza, former Providence mayor and current DFER CEO, who’s decided to crank the absurdity to 11 with his “Abundance Agenda.” This guy’s pitching school vouchers and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)—the lovechildren of Betsy DeVos and the Koch brothers—like they’re the next big TikTok trend. He claims it’s all about “innovation, accountability, and choice” to win back voters who’ve apparently ditched Dems for Republicans on education. Elorza’s out here comparing vouchers to Section 8 housing or Pell Grants, as if funneling public money to private schools is just a progressive vibe check. Sure, Jorge, and my cat’s just a “furry roommate.”
The Democratic base is not amused. Teachers’ unions like the NEA and AFT are screaming louder than a toddler at a toy store meltdown, warning that vouchers will suck public schools dry like a vampire at a blood bank. A 2024 National Bureau of Economic Research study backs them up, showing charter performance is as consistent as a coin toss, and vouchers often leave public schools holding the bag for higher-needs kids. Even center-right Dems, like California’s party faithful, are drawing a hard line against this nonsense, saying it’ll “bleed money” from already strapped districts. The drama’s so thick it’s practically a Netflix series, complete with a February 2025 lawsuit from Mary Tamer, DFER’s ex-Massachusetts honcho, who accused Elorza of cozying up to a “Koch-funded rightwing coalition” and treating staff like yesterday’s leftovers. Since Elorza took over in 2023, DFER’s gone from 19 state chapters to a pathetic 4, and its national staff is down to a skeleton crew of 4. It’s less a strategic pivot and more a pratfall into irrelevance.
Center for Strong Public Schools: Hero or Sidekick with Secrets?
Cue the Center for Strong Public Schools (CSPS), bursting onto the Southern scene in 2025 like a superhero with a questionable backstory. Based in states like Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and Alabama, CSPS is led by folks like Alisha Thomas Searcy, who’s raised over $1 million to fight Republican privatization schemes. They’re all about “public school choice”—charters, magnet schools, career academies—while swearing off vouchers like they’re allergic to them. Sounds like a win for Team Public Schools, right? Not so fast. CSPS is cagey about its funders, which is like showing up to a potluck with a mystery casserole. Are they the real deal, or just DFER’s less-evil twin?
Charters, let’s be real, aren’t exactly public schools’ ride-or-die pals. They often dodge oversight, pick their students like they’re casting a reality show, and leave traditional schools to handle the tough cases with a smaller budget. CSPS’s charter-friendly vibe feels like DFER’s old playbook with better PR. They’re not linked to groups like Public Funds Public Schools (backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center), but their “choice” rhetoric raises suspicions. Are they fighting for public education, or just playing a softer tune in the privatization band?
Billionaires Behaving Badly: The Privatization Piñata
Behind this circus are the billionaires swinging at public education like it’s a piñata stuffed with profit. The Waltons, Kochs, and their pals see schools as a goldmine for ed-tech startups, private academies, and anti-union crusades. DFER’s donor list is basically a Forbes 400 guest list, and CSPS’s secret funders don’t exactly scream transparency. These tycoons wrap their cash in warm fuzzies about “equity,” but it’s hard to buy the altruism when their policies funnel public dollars into private pockets. It’s like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, except the rabbit’s a hedge fund and the hat’s your kid’s school budget.
Meanwhile, the NEA, AFT, and Network for Public Education (NPE) are out here like the Avengers of public schools, battling to keep education a public good, not a corporate free-for-all. They’ve got data on their side: U.S. per-pupil spending hit $15,500 in 2023, but low-income districts are still getting shortchanged, with lawsuits in states like Michigan calling out the disparities. X posts from July 2025 show parents and teachers roasting voucher schemes as “scams” that pad the wallets of the wealthy while leaving public schools to scrape by.
The Great Fightback: Teachers, Parents, and Kids Steal the Show
But here’s where the comedy gets heartwarming. Teachers, parents, and students are fighting back like they’re auditioning for a Rocky sequel. Teachers are striking for better pay and conditions—73% reported high stress in a 2024 Gallup poll, and they’re not taking it lying down. Parents are organizing through groups like Public Funds Public Schools, turning X into a battleground of anti-voucher memes. Students are raising their voices, demanding schools that serve them, not some CEO’s bottom line. In the South, where Republican supermajorities are pushing privatization like it’s Black Friday, CSPS’s arrival is a spark of hope—though we’re still side-eyeing those undisclosed donors.
Even some “MAGA moms” are joining the fray, calling vouchers a government overreach that screws rural schools, where private options are as common as unicorns. It’s a plot twist nobody saw coming: conservatives and progressives uniting to save public schools, like a buddy comedy where the odd couple saves the day. Public schools aren’t just classrooms; they’re community lifelines, especially in rural areas where vouchers are about as useful as a paper towel in a hurricane.
The Punchline: Don’t Fall for the Woolly Con
So, here we are in 2025, watching DFER trip over its own sheep costume while CSPS plays the mysterious new guy who might not be as heroic as he seems. DFER’s voucher obsession and billionaire buddies have them looking less like Democrats and more like the opening act for a Koch brothers convention. CSPS talks a good game about public schools, but their charter love and secret funders keep us guessing. Both groups claim to be all about the kids, but their “choice” obsession feels like a gateway drug to privatization.
Yet, the real MVPs—teachers, parents, and students—are stealing the show. They’re not falling for the billionaire-funded baloney, and they’re fighting like hell to keep public schools strong. Public education isn’t just a budget line; it’s the glue that holds communities together, a fact even some MAGA folks are waking up to. As the wolves in wool keep howling, the defenders of public schools are ready to roar back, armed with data, passion, and a few well-timed X memes. So, stay sharp, because this education circus is far from over, and the next act promises to be a riot.
Democrats Disagree (Again). This Time, It’s About School Vouchers. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/us/democrats-for-education-reform-school-vouchers.html?smid=tw-share
Education advocates launch Center for Strong Public Schools in Southern states - Chalkbeat https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2025/08/04/center-for-strong-public-schools-launches-action-fund-tennessee-georgia/
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oh Hell No https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/08/oh-hell-no.html?spref=tw
