Pro-charter school group pays state's largest campaign finance penalty

[DonViejo]

Source: The Boston Globe




By Michael Levenson GLOBE STAFF SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

A wealthy New York organization that poured $15 million into last year’s unsuccessful ballot question to expand charter schools in Massachusetts was hit Monday with the largest fine in state campaign history after officials found the group was illegally hiding the identities of its donors.

Families for Excellent Schools – Advocacy, a nonprofit that has promoted charter schools across the country and was the single largest funder of Question 2 in Massachusetts, was slapped with a $426,466 fine, the largest in the 44-year history of the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

The group was also forced to reveal its donors, a disclosure that showed it was anonymously receiving major checks from two Baker administration officials and numerous wealthy contributors from the worlds of high finance in Massachusetts, New York and other states.

The newly revealed donor list showed the group received checks from Amos Hostetter, the former cable television magnate from Boston, who gave $2 million; Seth Klarman, the billionaire chief executive of the Baupost Group, a Boston hedge fund, who donated $3.3 million; and Alice Walton, an heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune, who gave $750,000.



Read more: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/09/11/pro-charter-school-group-pays-state-largest-campaign-finance-penalty/uQlWnaSnOC6CeHma74cPqN/story.html

[weissmam]

1. I will never figure out

why people think that letting someone making a profit out of schools is a good idea , why would you want any of your school taxes going into someone's profit

[More_Cowbell]

2. It's big business. Like private prisons.

Also, private schools don't have to follow pesky federal regulations. And they can teach God God God all day long.

[LisaM]

5. I think in some cases, it's a land grab, too.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-jones/a-land-grab-up-in-harlem-_b_772656.html



https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2012/8/5/1117114/-How-to-Destroy-a-Top-Notch-School-District-Open-a-Charter-School

[Honeycombe8]

11. It's a step to doing away with public schools. They don't want the govt

involved in PAYING for the education of Americans. Although the govt diverts money to private cos., eventually that money would decline, then go away. Like private universities that few can afford.

Then do the same w/prisons.

Then get govt out of Social Security. They're trying unsuccessfully to get govt out of healthcare.

It's part of the Big Plan.

[NCjack]

3. The nonprofit funnels $15 million into the MA state campaign. And their fine is $0.4 million.

That amount is not a deterrent. They should be paying 3x the amount that they funneled. If they can't pay that, then the nonprofit should be given the death penalty.

[vi5]

4. Dems backing charter schools really pisses me off....

.....It represents a betrayal on so many levels. Of the idea of public education....of economic fairness.....of unions.

And no, not all Dems but too high a number of them.

[diva77]

7. +1 This. Charter schools are another privatization scam. In the broad picture they are a blight to

education. And the thought of exploiting the education of children for private profit is unspeakable

[longship]

6. What Betsy Wetsy DeVos has desperately prayed for is starting to go wrong.

But, as a Calvinist, no evil deeds will ever be held account for after her death, because we are all predestined for either heaven or hell at birth. No amount of good deeds or bad will save your miserable soul from eternal hellfire, or prevent your ascent to heaven.

Maybe that is why these Calvinists are such inherently evil people at their core. Religious people claim that without religion people would have no morals.

Fine, then explain fucking Betsy Wetsy DeVos and her fucking evil to the core family. Evidence? Let's start with AmWay. Then we can move on to her evil incarnate brother, Eric Prince, of Black Water fame (a uniquely appropriate name).

I am sick and fucking tired of these Jesus people in government.

Joe help us! (Pesci, that is. It's amazing what one can accomplish with a simple baseball bat.)

Joe bless you all.

Fuck the DeVos and Prince families. Fuck them all up the ass.

[BigmanPigman]

8. Ditto! EVERY word!

Aso a former teacher I cannot tell you how this issue has pissed me off and as an Italian-American I like your Joe Pesci idea A LOT!

[longship]

9. Not my idea. It's George Carlin's idea.

Ya need to view it all to get to the Joe Pesci part. Well worth the trip.

Hilarious!

[BigmanPigman]

10. Brilliant!

I wish I had the guts to send this to a very Catholic friend who has been trying to convert me back to Catholicism for over 40 years. I thought that by telling her I bought communion wafers on line a few years ago since I remembered how they were the only good thing about her religion (NOT mine...I have been an Atheist since I was about 12) would get my point across to her but it didn't. She still prays for me.