Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, an email newsletter for people fed up with the privatization of America’s public schools—produced by In the Public Interest.
Not a subscriber? Sign up. And make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
This public school was almost privatized 3 years ago. Now it’s thriving. Journalist Jeff Bryant documents the journey of Lakewood Elementary in Durham, North Carolina, which has adopted the “community school” model.
“The [community] resistance was successful, as state officials dropped the Durham schools from their list of takeover targets and eventually took over only one school in Robeson County. But today Lakewood remains a much-talked-about school not for resisting the state takeover but for what happened after.” LA Progressive
Now the rest of the news…
“School choice” is a dog whistle for resegregation. With a new wave of demands for quality public education sweeping the country, right-wing state legislatures are now trying to head off a new era of progress. In the Public Interest’s Jeremy Mohler looks at particularly troubling proposal in Iowa. In the Public Interest
With DeVos out, the strategy has shifted. As the pro-charter school the 74 Million reports, with Trump’s defeat in the November election, the school privatization industry is turning its attention to state legislatures in the wake of Betsy DeVos’ ouster from her position as U.S. education secretary. The 74 Million
Low visibility in D.C. “It’s unclear how many coronavirus cases have been connected to [Washington, D.C.’s] charter schools. While the city posts the number of cases detected in traditional public schools, they do not do the same for charters.” The Washington Post
Charter school growth is draining Pittsburgh’s resources. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on the heavy costs that charter school expenses are placing on the city’s schools and on districts around the state. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
And finally, an opportunity to connect…
Fighting voucher legislation. Public Funds Public Schools and the Network for Public Education is hosting the webinar “Fighting Voucher Legislation in 2021: An Update on State Voucher Bills and Tools to Oppose Them” on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 4pm ET. Public Funds Public Schools