Betsy DeVos and Pennsylvania charter schools

[DeminPennswoods]

This is from The Notebook, a newspaper and website addressing issues facing Philadelphia Public Schools,

http://thenotebook.org/articles/2016/12/19/super-pacs-and-school-reform

No one illustrates that relationship better than DeVos, who established Students First PA and who still runs its national parent organization, American Federation for Children. Jeffrey Yass, one of the local millionaires who donates to Students First PA, is also on the board of the Cato Institute – a think tank whose studies have been cited to explain votes on charter expansion by Pennsylvania legislators who received donations from Students First.

Since its inception in 2010, Students First has given more than $200,000 to PACS supporting seven state senators on the 11-member education committee alone, plus more than $5 million to support Democratic State Senate Whip Anthony Williams in his failed gubernatorial primary campaign.

The most cash given to a member of the committee other than Williams was $111,500, to PACs supporting Republican Joseph Scarnati. Although most of the recipients were Republicans, $45,000 from Students First went to the minority chairman of the committee, Democrat Andy Dinniman.
The super PAC also contributed to the PAC supporting the campaign of former Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican.

Students First has donated nearly $300,000 to support the campaigns of seven state representatives on the House education committee, with Jim Christiana, a Republican, receiving the most, and $26,500 going to the majority chairman, Republican Stan Saylor. The super PAC also contributed $76,000 to the failed primary opponent of Minority Chairman Jim Roebuck, a Democrat who has never received money from Students First.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. DeVos firmly believes no government can possibly run a school as well as...

a private, profit-oriented company.

What she fails to understand is that a public school is often the last resort, having to take the pupils with disabilities, behavioral problems, and other reasons they were not admitted into, or were thrown out of, private schools. Public schools have additional security issues, must deal with unsupportive parents and politicians who often know less than the students, and never have enough money.

No one will ever deny inefficiencies in public schools, but address them-- don't try to replace them with private schools that often don't work as well. The academic records of charter schools is terrible.

[RobinA]

2. What You Said

in your last sentence. Philadelphia public schools are bad, but the charter schools are godawful. I don't know what the answer is, because much of the problem originates outside the schools, but charter schools are NOT it. At least as they are currently being handled.

[CK_John]

3. DeVos believes that pupils with disabilities, behavioral problems,

are just taking up space and are a waste of money.