StickWithANose

For anyone interested in understanding the state of education reform in Bananamerica, the on-going tragedy unfolding in Washington D.C. makes for a great introductory lesson to the anti-democratic methods being employed by the Oligarchs to remake public schooling under a corporate model. I’ve documented on these pages the destructiveness of the Oligarch’s policies, so I will spare the reader that particular diatribe. What I think is important for readers to understand is that there is a well-organized movement afoot in which the most wealthy and powerful members of our society are attempting to remake public schooling to their benefit and are willing to overrun some of the most important democratic institutions in the republic.

When mayor Adrian Fenty installed Michelle Rhee as the D.C. chancellor of public schools and empowered her with a carte blanche to remake the school district, it was clear that by choosing an alumni of TFA and the pet of the Broads, Gates and Waltons the mayor was hoping to tap a large pool of resources to push reform without having to do the heavy lifting of marshaling resources through traditional political channels. Of course, the problem is that, much like Team Obama’s Race to the Top, the resources come with strings attached that amount to little more than bribery. The Oligarchs are willing to fund destructive policies as long as they get to choose the school leader in charge of implementing reform and maintain control outside of democratic processes. In essence, the Oligarchs inserted themselves into Washington’s mayoral race by delivering an ultimatum to the voters of the district. If you vote out the Fenty/Rhee regime then you will lose $64 million in outside funding.

Why you might ask would the Oligarchs make such an obvious political move? The answer is that Rhee’s policies of shutting out and ignoring community leaders and riding rough shod over any and all opposition from parents has made both Rhee and Fenty increasingly un-popular with voters. In particular, Fenty is losing support in the African American community that he must win over in order to win re-election, a dynamic that puzzles the intellectuals over at the Washington Post and Think Progress.

So, it is no surprise that the Oligarchs are doubling-down on their bets in D.C., and it is equally un-surprising that the push-back against them is growing.

The District’s Office of Campaign Finance will investigate a complaint, filed by an outspoken critic of Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, alleging that Rhee violated the law by soliciting donations from private foundations that reserved the right to pull their funding if there was a change in the school system’s leadership.

Cecily E. Collier-Montgomery, the office’s director, told Robert V. Brannum on Friday, in response to his complaint, that there was “reasonable cause to believe that a violation has occurred” and that “a full investigation is warranted in this matter.” Collier-Montgomery’s finding was first reported over the weekend by WTTG (Channel 5).

Rhee raised $64.5 million from four private foundations (Broad, Walton, Robertson and Arnold) to underwrite pay raises and performance bonuses under the new contract ratified last week by the Washington Teachers’ Union. The foundations, which have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to education initiatives across the country, stipulated in letters that they reserved the right to review their commitments if there was a “material change” in the D.C. school system’s leadership.

Brannum, president of the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations and a supporter of D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray’s mayoral campaign, alleges that Rhee contrived to protect her job by accepting the leadership clause as a condition of the private funding — constituting a direct personal financial benefit.

Get the popcorn… this is going to be quite a show!