Beware! Sneaky Reformer Trick in L.A.
On August 14, there will be a benefit concert in Los Angeles to honor teachers.
The concert is a promotion for a new Superman-style film that vilifies public schools and promotes privatization.
The film celebrates the parent trigger law, which gives parents the power to seize control of their school, fire the staff, and turn it over to a charter chain. The parent trigger was promoted by charter advocates and billionaire foundations Broad, Gates, and Walton.
Strange way to honor teachersby firing them and giving the school to a non-union private entity to manage, which may hire only young teachers willing to work a 50-60 hour week at low wages. More honors like this and there wont be a teaching profession in America, just teaching temps.
The concert is sponsored by Walmart (the Walton family) and Walden Media. The Walton Family Foundation gave out $159 million last year for charters and vouchers.
Walden Media was one of the producers of Waiting for Superman. Billionaire Philip Anschutz, who owns Walden Media, funds rightwing groups, is anti-environment and bankrolled anti-gay referenda.
Its sad to see Viola Davis involved in this sneaky push for privatization. I remember when she won the Academy Award in 2010 and announced that she was proud to be a graduate of Central Falls High School, right at the time that all the corporate reformers were gloating about the threat to shut it down.
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/30/beware-sneaky-reformer-trick-in-l-a/