Massachusetts made history in November 2016 when voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure seeking to raise the cap on charter schools. The campaign supporting Question 2, the most expensive charter initiative in the country, was defeated after raising millions of dollars from local and national donors eager to privatize a much larger segment of the state’s public schools.
Today, even as the charter movement regroups, new threats to public education are emerging.
Donors with very deep pockets, including heirs to the Walmart fortune, continue to push for more charters by creating different ways to steer their money. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, long an advocate of putting public money into private hands, leads the Trump administration’s assault on public schools.
The privatization threat also extends into higher education.
With financially strapped public colleges and universities turning increasingly to private solutions for admissions, housing and student services, corporate interests are stepping in, clearly motivated by profit and the belief that educational institutions should operate more like businesses — or be run by them.
These developments require continuous scrutiny — and active opposition — from public education advocates.
Key information on these issues can be found in the Links to Related Materials below. Some require fees for access, but all are summarized in the accompanying descriptions.
The MTA is pushing back against an accountability system that is based on sanctioning educators, schools and districts rather than providing them with support.