Network Schools – Wayne Gerseny to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/03/magazine/thomas-piketty-interview u w B l.html?h I’ll smid=url-share the Is for

Diane Ravitch is always on top of news about charter school legislation and this post from yesterday described the charter profiteers response to the Democrat’s proposal to make a modest cut to the federal funds going their direction. It includes this gem: 

The House Appropriations Committee approved a proposal to bar federal funding of charters operated or managed by for-profit companies and to cut the program by $40 million. Existing charters won’t be affected since the program funds new charters.The charter lobby screamed bloody murder and claimed that all charter students would be hurt by banning for-profit managers. They also falsely claimed that charter schools would not be allowed to buy anything from a for-profit company, like plumbing, food, and books. And they claimed that children of color would suffer if for-profits were banned.

A “false claim” is a “lie”… and lies like this fuel news outlets like Fox and the acolytes of Betsy DeVos who want to believe that “monopolistic government schools” support socialistic notions of eliminating all forms of contracting with for-profit enterprises. Anyone who wants to limit the funding for public education will knowingly promote these kinds of falsehoods and once they are in circulation they are difficult to refute.